The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-03-04
Condition Of the Falmers.

The last twenty-five years witnessed
nothing but production and develop
ment of this country. Production has
kept way ahead of population and so
far as development is concerned, every
one must realize that we have reached
nearly the end of our rope with deyel-
ment, and we have nothing now to
work upon but "the arid plains" 1t
scenes to me that this country never
needed n broad system of reciprocity
for her products and manufactured
goods as she does today. With the
pefection of our machinery, the won
derful fertility of our soil, raising great
big crops year after year, a home
market ''is simply a delusion and a
snare" Onereason that the movement
of corn this winter is so light is that
the farmers are not obliged to sell
it. When you talk about a farmer per-
sonal, we only think of him as a pro-
ducer of corn, wheat and oats, whereas,
the majority of farmers not only pro-
duce the above products of grain, but
are large producers of horses, cattle,
hogs, butter and eggs and poultry of
all kinds.
The butter and eggs and the poultry
keep the average farmer in groceries,
and go very far toward buying the
clothing of the family. The hogs and
cattle pay the running expenses of the
farm, such as lubor and farm imple-
ments, then the wheat, corn and oats |
always call "rake-of, "and that is q part
of the returns from the farm that go in
to the farmers corn crib or grainary,
just in the same way that the laboring
man and the man upon salary puts his
money into the savings banks. The
farmer always regards this as q fund,
only to be used in contingencies for
which he may not be prepared. Then
the farmer adapts himself with
less friction to his surroundings than
any other class of men earning their
living by the sweat of their brow. Old
clothes, rubber boots, and blue overalls
are not looked upon by him as a dis
grace, but more in the light of
mark of his high calling. If farmer
goes to the city with load of cattle or
hogs dressed somewhat in the fashion
Ihave Just described, and with hickory
stick and a sharp. pointed nail in
the end of it, after he sells his cattle he
can go to any hotel in the city and get
the "bridal chamber, "if necessary. No
other class of men can do those sort of
things.
1t is on account of the above reasons
that we have 50 much complaint, not
only at the present time, but for years
of poor condition of trade. This coun-
try is more and more becoming purely
an agricultural one, and unless our
people can get better and broader mar
kets for their products, they need not
look for higher prices for crops, unless
through series of crop failures. L
have contended for over a year, and
never felt more confident that | was
right than ] do today, that the farmers
of the United States are not suffering,
even with the low prices of some of
their products, they never had so much
to eat and drink, such cheap agricultu-
raj implement, 50 many Of the necessa-
ries Of life, and so many of the luxuries
as they have to-day. They are simply
complaing, like everybody else is, ask
ing for more, which is natural and their
right. All the legislation they need
today is "to be simply let alone. IS.
7. X. Prime, in New York Daily Stock
holder.