New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-17
WESTERN FARMERS PROSPER
DISMAL STORIES OF THEIR DESPERATE
CONDITION DIsPROvED.
RESULTS OF AN INQUIRY BY D. o. EsHBAUoH'
PRESIDENT OF THE NEw-ENGLAND LOAN
AND TRUST CoMPANY-vALUE OF
FARMS AND INCOMES FROM
THEM INCREASING.

THEM INCREASING.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The silver leaders appear confident that
the votes of the farmers will be cast on November
in the ratio of about sixteen for silver to one Tor
the sound money ticket. 1t must be admitted
too that the gold-standard people entertain more
or less fear respecting the position OF the FARMERS
upon the financial question This feeling OF con-
ndence on the one side and of apprehension on
the other Is due a quite general impression that
farming has been carried on at loss for many
years and that the financial situation or the
farmers is fast growing desperate. The silver
people first paint the condition Of the farming in
tercsts in the darkest coors. and assert that this
condition has been brought about by the de-
monetization of silver They then further assert
that the farmers can never again experience the
high tide of prosperity which they represented
to have enjoyed prior to the commission Of the
"crime of 1873" until the minis are opened to the
free and unlimited coinage OF silver and gold In
the ratio of IL to |.
shall not in this article discuss at any length
the farming interests of the entire country. 1t Is
undoubtedly true that the situation of the farm
ers of the Eastern States is not now very pros
porous. believe. however that If the question OF
the position of agriculture in the United states
were carefully examined it could be shown first,
that II IS not nearly as deplorable 1t Is repre-
scented to be. and second, that il agricultural in
terests have been affected dlsastrousy by silver
legislation 1t has not been because we have had
too little sill. err but because Of the fear Of too
much of it which such legislation has created
wish to speak particularly Of the States OF
Iowa, Missouri Kansas and Nebraska Before
passing to the main question ought to say that
my father settled on piece of raw prairie in
Iowa in 1859 | grew to manhood on this farm,
and did every kind of teamwork. from feeding a
calf for the first time from ordinary pail with
all its attendant consequences, to the feeding Of
endorse threshng machine. have kept up my
interest in and familiarity with farming opera
lions to this day and the business in which am
engaged brings me into constant touch with 5000
or 5000 farmers scattered through the four
States named.
INCREDIBLE MISREPRESENTATION.
The extent to which the condition of the farm
ers Of these States has been msrepresented for
strictly political purposes, Is almost incredible.
The misrepresentation has not all been the work
Of irresponsible demagogues and blatherskites.
Not a little has been done by men of good stand
ing and character. whose motives In all the COM
mon affairs Of life above suspicion In politi-
cal affairs they seem to have lost both their heads
and their consciences, and If they were bent upon
doing the sections in which they live very great
damage they could not pursue different course
AS an example Of this let us examine quotation
from an interview with Governor Boies few
days before the Chicago Convention
The condition Of the farmers in the Northwestern
States is absolutely uncomfortable l say this. know
ing the facts | have myself IN this State two
a aw TG V One sy farm Of C ESQ acres Of land
and the other contains LOCO acres. with the pres
n price % aOG mo ama 'G n the World could take
either of these farms. even II should present him
mean OF course that he could not equip the farm
and pay interest on the money invested IN the
he would get by selling the products a farmer
who works himself. and IS assisted by me labor OF
But farm is profitable when conducted on the
basis of manufacturing business; Cneap ana
abundant money is the only remedy for this intoi-
cradle state OF things.
1t would he difficult TO give expression to
more that is not true in q single sentence than
the Governor got into the first one of this quo
taton. With certain exceptions. as in the case
of sections which have suffered from poor
crops. the followers Of no other occupation have
had such n measure Of prosperity during the
last six years as the farmers Of Iowa and Mis-
souri, / am perfectly well aware that this as
sertion will be received with some astonishment
particularly by Eastern people, who are ac-
customed to depend upon the statements OF
Governor Boies, Senator Allen. M. Bryan. Gov
ernor LeweIlyn Senator PETER Mr.. Simpson,
Governor stone Mrs. Lease and others for In
formation respecting the condition of their
Western brethren. But shall prove all and
more than have asserted.
Governor Boies lives In State which will be
accepted as the one which Is more distinctly
agricultural than any other in the Union. Iowa
is also, perhaps. the most representative Of the
Northwestern States. Let us see how the farm
ers Of this State have Jared during the last five
to ten years OF the period Of the gold standard,
during which they should. according to the sill
yer people. have suffered most severely.
Farmers seldom keep books Of account and II
is extremely difficult to get any exact data of
the profits or losses of farming operations but
farms sell, like other property, at prices based
upon the income which they produce. Rising
prices OF farms indicate rising incomes for the
farmers, and falling prices the reverse
REPORTS OF SALES IN IOWA.
With this rule in mind have asked a number
Of correspondents located in widely separated
counties of Iowa to report upon from two to ten
farms in their respective counties, which were
sold in or as near as possible to the year 1890
and were sold again in 1890 or 1896 giving
prices paid at each sale. and a statement OF any
improvements made upon the farms between the
dates Of the two sales. II was found not alto
gether easy to comply strict" with these condi-
lions because only cases could be used in which
q farm had changed hands twice within five to
ten years-a not very frequent occurrence. A
sufficient number Of cases are reported. however.
to make the showing strong as could be de-
sired The main facts discovered by these re-
ports are set forth by counties in the table be-
low have in my possession the name OF the
seller and buyer and the recorded description
Of the property In each case
The report for Black Hawk County was
made by II. y. Allen. president OF the First
National Bank Of Waterloo Iowa. Waterloo Is