El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-10-12

WASHINGTON, October 9, 1897 RE
ports from the treat business centers
regarding the business improvement
are interesting an encouraging, but
how bout those from the rural com
munities, the farming districts, the
small towns aud villages?
The nation is made up of small com
munities, of agricultural as well as
manufacturing and mining districts.
1t is a good thing to know that the cit
les are prosperous, that railroad stocks
are advancing, and that fortunes are
being made Ion change" and in the
advance in prices of grain or stocks or
real estate. But how about the farm
err, not merely the wheat-grOwer of the
northwest or the Pacific coast. but the
average farmer Of the average COM
munity?
Ex-Copgressman johnson of Indiana
was in Washington few days ago.
He represented an agricultural district
in congress shortly ago, and he knows
every farmer in the half dozen coun-
| ties composing that district. He is a
farmer himself, too 1.-The farmers
are prOspering." said he, "and not
merely because OF a crop shortage
abroad. Everything has advanced
among our farmers, not merely wheat,
| but corn, cattle, hogs, wool and practi-
cally everything that the farmer has
| to sell. Take my own case, for in
stance. L had several thousands bush
els of corn year or so ago. 1t was
| worth only 10 cents, so l decided to
| hold it. Recently l sold it for 33 cents.
Take cattle, for another instance. Our
beef cattle are selling for much high
| e. rate than a year ago, and are IN de-
| the buyer and say, what can you give
me for my cattle?' Now the buyer goes
to the farmer and makes his bid, and,
| if he doesn't get them. he makes q
| higher bid next day. Prices have ad-
| vanced very materially That is true
as 10 hogs as well as cattle. They bring
| fifty per cent. more than they did a
year ago.
| How do you account for this ad-
vance, Mr.. Johnson?'' was asked =.
THE silver men are saying that the
| advance in wheat is due to the short
age abroad. But how about the adj
vance in the other products of the
| farm"
| because there is home demand.
People are employed and can afford to
buy more. Every man who wants
country you cannot get workmen. OF
course, there are some unemployed
people, but they are of the class who
| don't want work. They prefer to sit
on dry goods boxes and complain about
hard times. But everybody who wants
work and can do good work is EN- ploy-
ed. That's the reason that the farm
ers are getting better prices all along
the line. They are getting them and
taking care of the money, too. Why,
| L know bank in our part of the coun-
try that received in deposits from
farmers in one Gay, couple of weeks
ago, sum equal to nearly one half OF
its entire capital Stock
''W hat effect is this having, MIR.
johnson, on the free silver sentiment
of last year,
'Killing it, and very rapidly.
know plenty of democrats who voted
the free silver ticket last year, simply
because it was that of their own party,
| who will never do it again. They were
not heartily for it then, but accepted il
because it was the parry creed for the
moment. But they will rot DO it again
even if they have to vote with the re-
publican5 next time. No, sir: the sill
Yer cause has lost its hold upon the
| agricultural element of the country,
and will not be accepted by them
| again. What the democrats will make
| as their issue in the next campaign
do not know, but | do know that they
cant catch the farmer vote with free
silver or free trade again"