Middletown transcript., 1896-08-15
Of Interest
To Farmers
FARMERS PAST AM, PRESENT

FARMERS PAST AND PRESENIs
All Populists assrme that farmers
generally are less prosperous than they
used. to be. They have said this 80
often that many of them have come to
believe it, and some who have no 81 M
pathy with the Populistic scheme OF
life are somewhat inclined to think
that it may be true.
But it is not true. Of course far
mers suffer from industrial depression
and other natural causes, just like all
other classes in the community. The
farmer is a producer of goods which
he expects to sell. In that respect he is
like the manufacturer. But neither
the farmer nor the manufacturer can
alWays,b be sure Of selling his goods at "a
profit. Losses as well as profits must
be taken into the account in all human
enterprises; and as the farmer does
business on a comparatively small mar
gin Of capital, he feels the losses of bad
years more than the man who does
business on large capital. Exactly
the same thing is true of the small
tradesman in dull times or Of the me-
chanic when work is scarce. It is part
Of the great industrial law growing out
of the competitive system of social life.
whose operation can be checked by no
act of legislation of whatever charac-
ter.
In point of fact, farmers, as a class
were never so we'll off as they are to-
day. They eat better food, wear better
clothes, have better furniture in their
homes. are able to buy more books,
magazines and papers, and. generally
speaking, enjoy more Injuries than
their fathers and grandfathers ever
dreamed of. There is no comparison
between the condition of the average
farmer to-day and that OF tha average
farmer OF forty or fifty years ago. The
farmer of to-day regards as necessities.
a great number of things that the old
time farmer regarded as luxuries. In
that fact lies an explanation Of the dis.
content Of many farmers of the pres
ent time. Like every other class of
people in the civilized world to-day,
they have come to desire more things
than they have the means to obtain.
Such discomfort is healthful when it
does not lead to lawlessness and reyo-
luton. The farmers are not to be
blamed for trying to better their con-
dition; quite the contrary. We are all
trying to do that. But they are far TOO
sensible to suppose that they can better
their condition by pulling down the
whole social fabric. To do SO would
be as foolish as TO plough up field Of
corn because few hills failed to o.lat-
tain the average growth Of the field.
Do farmers of the present day realize
the hard conditi rs which the old
pioneer farmers had to face? In 1887
there appeared tale Of early pioneer
life in Illinois. entitled .sZury,n by the
late Major Joseph Kirkland, Of Chica-
60. From q literary and artistic point
of view the book deserves high praise.
But its greatest merit is The fact that
it gives life-like picture of the hard
ships which Che early Western farmers
were obliged TO endure, and which, by
their grit and tenacity, they trium-
phantly oyercame. Zury Pr0uder be-
gan life with nothing except heavily
mortgaged, hnimproved farm in the
midst Of y wilderness. But he worked
as few men, whether farmers or busi-
ness men nowadays know how to work.
No matter how littles money he made
be always made it a point 10 spend less.
There existed in those days none O. the
aids to farm .ng that exist to-day There
was no Iabor-saving machinery, and II
there had been, he had no money with
which. to buy it. Markets were few,
and transportation was slow and ex-
To develop farm under
such circumstances and make it pay,
made necessary fife Of constant
drudgery that is almost ineonceiyable
Today. But 'Zury ses himself % the
task with all the vim and yieor OF his
nature. There were no Populists to
tell him that he was . victim Of the
money power, and If any such had
,ome to him be would have kickei
hem Of the farm. For be was deter-
mined some day to become . money
power himself, and did 80 eytntually.
d sp1ye of the difBcnlties that 10 On
,onntered. ii Il true that ID reaching |
- fonf u his ambition 10 deye1ope