The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-23

Il ! r. a = 80
ton. Lawmakers cannot erase natural
laws nor restrict nor effaca the opera
ton OF economic laws. It Is n benc-
leant arrangement OF the order OF
things and the conditions af human life
that Legislators are not permitted 10 re-
peat, amend, or revise the laws OF pro-
ductlon and distributlon.'t -
referring to the stress OF competition
which the American farmer Is COM
pclled to endure, Mr. Morton calls at
tentlon to the nearly 2,0Oe, 900 OF farms
OF 80 acres each given away by the gov-
ernment under the homestead act Of
1865, during the past thirty years. and
to the amount donated under the timber
culture law, equivalent TO over eco, 900
more farms OF the same size.f Lands
long TILED and rendered partially, un-
FERTILE, could not, Of course. enhance
In value and sell In competition with
virgin soil donated by the government.
No legislation relative to the public do
main has been so directly inimlcai 10
the farmers who had bought and paid
for the lands upon which they had
lived and labored. + .5'
It was impossible for farmers In the
old states to probably sell their pro-
ducts In competition with those OF the
newer states grown upon lands which
cost their owners nothing.
Rates OF interest Paid by Farmers. y
Referring to tho impression that
greater rates OF interest are charged for
money loaned upon farms than for that
loaned upon other kinds OF real estate,
Secretary Morton states that the rate
OF interest charged on mortgages upon
residential property other than farms
averages elghty-four. hundredths of one
per cent less than the rate OF interest
charged upon farm loans. y
During the fiscal year Just ended the
exported products of American farms
aggregated s570, 100000, an Increase of
Sl7, ,000, 900 over the preceding year. In
spite OF this there was a falling off in
the percentage OF agricultural products
exported to the total exports, but this
was due to the unprecedented sale
abroad OF y American manufactured
goods. The largest market for our pro-
ducts Is admitted to be the home mar
ket, but the export trade is the regula-
tor, the balance wheel for domestic
trade. It follows that the interest OF
the manufactures as we'll as of the far
| mer is found In the most rapid possible
increase Of the export of farm products.
General prosperity depends absolutely
upon agricultural prosperity ana any
commercial system which will Increase
with celebrity, and extend agriculture
and all interested in its extension. Po-
lttlcal economy which best advances
the interest of The ugriculturist fur
nishes the best impetus to the manufao-
turer of the United States, for his best
customers are farmers and thnse who
depend directly for profit upon the pros
perity Of farmers. '5 y
- CeNrafarty Nforfar rIr ~ ,,otia,,
which, like the United States, possesses
the greatest power and facilities for
producing and manufacturing things
which the world demands, Is not des-
| tined to monopollze the markets OF the
globe. With the most favorable ,condi-
tions for varied and successful agrl-
culture and the llghtest burden OF ma
tional taxation. what country, he asks.
can compete with this In developing
the best results OF human toll with
a minimum of human effort. With our
wonderful labor saving contrivances
applied to; nearly avenue OF production,
applied to nearly every avenue OF pro-
duct!on, the wages paid In the United
States. In the production Of wheat and
cotton, for instance, are 50 to 100 per
cent higher than In the countries with
which We compete, SO the wages paid
in manufactures from metals are sfrom
% to 1VO per cent higher than the wages
paid workers in the same industries by
other nations. Et5sf I. ~ S4 fs,l5sssss 81 z
Under the foregoing conditions about
100000 laborers on American farms
are constantly employed in developing
agricultural products for exportation. 4
AT the same time, with q rapidly In
creasing export of manufactured ar
ticles from the United States. the num-
Der Of laborers engag gcd In mechanical
occupations, who must depend for their
steady employment upon the demand
which the world makes for, American
goods Is constantly increasing. TT .s,"'
he concludes, probably quite safe to
declare that ct least two millions OF
American workmen on farms and an
factories, eubs!st almost wholly upon
Complement based upon foreign demand
for American commodities. And in this
contest for feeding and furnishing man
MISUNDERSTANDING the fierce COM
petition which 1t NETS .all over the globe
American agriculture, manufacture
and commerce nre steadily gaining
more trade, and thus furnishing an
enlarged whge fund. on gold basis,
out OF which some millions OF Ameri-
can laborers and skilled artisans draw
their yearly remuneration, and upon
which they and their families largely
depend for employment and comfort"
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