Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-03-26
About Hard Times, "
DO THE FACTS WARRANT THE
EXTREME PEssIMIsTs'
CLAIM OF WOE?
Times Have Been Much Worse Will
Probably Be Much Better
The Howl Merely
Habit of Some
People.

the Mexico LEDGER, called a public
meeting at Worcester, this county,
to "discuss the cause and remedy for
the present business depression that
exists in this country" Are times
really so hard as many seem to think?
Surely this great country is not going
to1he "demnition bow vows" Along
this line the following from the Shell
bina NO. Democrat is to the point;
"We occasionally meet a man who
is very pessimistic, who declares the
present to be the hardest times the
country has experienced, etc., etc.
Now little looking back and con-
sideration will convince any man that
such is not the case. Our cities,
towns and villages are growing not
in the number of population only, but
in commodious business houses, in
beautiful and elegant homes. Our
stores were never better filed with
first class goods than now. 1t IS GER
tain that all this could not be if times
were depressingly hard.
"But the pessimist says, ''The towns
may be getting along fairly we'll, but
the farmers are growing poorer and
poorer; they are going to the dogs
We have heard that same song for
forty years, and have become accus-
toned to it, and have looked the
matter squarely in the face, and we
know from observation there is no
truth in such declarations.
"Take Shelby County and Northeast
Missouri as q sample; but we can
, speak for this county more certainly
There are now three good houses tc
one twenty years ago; and the peo-
pie are not only better housed, but
they have much better furniture and
they wear much better clothing
Where there was one buggy or car
riage twenty years ago, there are now
ten or fifteen. This could not be il
the people had not been prosperous
| Our lands on an average are worth
more than twice what they were q
years ago. Then the farmers do not
owe half as much in proportion tc
| their property as they did then
Farmers buy more and pay better
than in 1875 and for several years be-
fore and after that date. The forced
sales of property are few compared
| to then.
| "Theae are facts within our OWL
experience and observation, and they
prove coDclusively that much of the
| howl we hear about hard times is the
result OF habit and some of it is fol
partisan purposes.
'"Fake the staples we raise TO sell
cattle and hogs, and the prices are
better than they were often twenty
and twenty-five years ago; they ar
now at a fair average for the past 8
wears. Horses and mules are low, bu
most things the farmer has to buy ha
been scaled down from 40 to 100 pc
cent. Take farm machinery, barbet
wire, binding twine, clothing ant
nearly all articles necessary for use
the price is away down to what it wa
even three years ago. Wheat we d.
not raise to sell, and the flour we bu
is low in price.
) Taking these things into consider
, alton and it becomes evident that tn
farmer is not SO badly off as som
would have us believe. We wish to b
, distinctly understood in this matter
We do not contend that the farmer
, getting as good prices as we shoul
l | like to see, or that he is as prosperou
as he deserves to be. 1t is true the
parties who handle his production
and manipulate prices, the speculate
: and the money loaner, are getting to
great Il share of the fruits OF lapo
, Neither the farmer nor the day labor
err ia reaping as rich a harvest as b
deserves. We should like to see tt
farmer, the mechanic, the commo
: laborer, the merchant and the new
: paper man especially the latter 8
more prosperous than they are. "
should like to see money more abun'
k ant and interest lower than ii is. 81
n what we do say Is there is not goo
V reason for the loud and continuo1
y complaint of hard times we hear fro
Is many persons. Times are not wors
g but better than they have been in Il