Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1896-05-26
has the soil withheld its bounties.
No occnnatiOnis so re. mum erative,

has the soil withheld it's bounties.
No occupations SO re-numerative,
none so certain to yield an in
come. The professions are
largly dependent upon the mis-
fortunes of the people. Doctors
would be without practice only
for Sickness; lawyers without
clients if people were wise. :
enough to. settle their own diff
fculties; and often, if not gener--
ally, politicians would be with
out followers if voters were not
doltish. But whether in sick
ness or health, in law suits or in
peace, wise or otherwise--what-
ever our without the
products of the farm all must
perish. But when I say that
farming ''pays, "isrenumerative, ~
and certain of yielding an income
II do not mean to say that it
pays the farmer. What L
mean to say is, that the farmer
creates more wealth than those
engaged i'll other occupations.
But that is far from saying that
the farmer reaps what he earns.
Wealth is said to belong to him
who earns it. If that is true the
farmer ought to show unmistak-
able evidence of wealth. He
ought to wear the best Of clothes,
eat at the best table, sleep in the
best bed and live in the best
house; because, as a wealth pro-
Queer he stands at the head.
But if we look about us, and are
not blinded by prejudice, we will
find him where official statistics
place rundown near the foot Of
the ladder struggling with adj
verse circumstances for the
right to live.
I know decrepit old frauds
without brains enough to live by
their professions exc out a
scanty existence by pointing out
isolated instances when farmer
has so far risen above his en-
| vir0nmentas to erect commo-
dious dwelling, a large barn, and
sacrificed enough in other ways
to furnish the parlor with mus
; ical instrument. When as
matter of fact, most of those who
) possess such rare ''luxuries" are
, either in debt for them or else
} have employed themselves in
, other ways than farming to get
: the means with which to pur-
, chase them.
The farmers OF kandiyohi Co.,
f after a quarter Of a century of
| honest toll ought to be in posses
) sion of not only the necessaries
l of life, bnt by this time to have
f secured a competency for old
!, age. A new and fertile region
where all that was required to be-
: come the owner of 100 acres was
simply to reside and cultivate it
with as much more adjoining as
, the homesteader cared to pur-
, chase at from $1.25 to $3.50 per
f acre-all the natural resources
for profitable agriculture.
Where stock could roam at will;
grass so plentiful that all it cost
was simply the labor of gather
. ing it together for winter use;
} fish and wild fruit in abundance
to supply the table. Surely a
people thus situated must have
laid by a comfortable fortune for
their declining years which have
now overtaken them. But have
they? Go to the Register of
Deeds, or Town Clerks of the
; several towns, or if that is too
much trouble, look at the mort
gage foreclosures advertised in
the county papers. Or walk
over 5, 10 or perhaps IS miles
without touching your feet on
Soil occupied by it's owner. And
that not in Europe, but right
here in Kandiyohi County! In
telligent Industrious people do
not vacate their homesteads to
capitalists voluntari]y-there
must be a cause for it? Do it
because they haven't worked
hard enough and haven't pro,
duced enough? If: so, what
ABOUT the ssoverproduction''
theory?
-.1>E e..>.. +: =. II u - D. ~
Il 1920 = -