Middletown transcript., 1897-01-23
M1DDLETowN. DEL, JAN. %, 1897
OF Interest
To Farmers
A REAL GRIEVANCE.


ing twenty-seven States, have organ.
lied to secure legislation on behalf OF
scheme to induce government to GO
into the irrigating business.
This is evidently scheme Of land
speculators and land grabbers whose
business has gradually diminished as
the land has been taken up and who
are now sighing for new fields to con.
quer. There is also the Western far
mer who few years ago had 100 acres
good rich land given him by the Gov
ernment. He has gone on year after
year robbing The soil Of its fertility,
because he did not know enough abo ut
farming to maintain the soil, until he
finds himself farming at a loss, and
wants the Government to step in and
irrigate the land so that he can go on
indefinitely In the robbery. The term
''out West' was once synonymous
with bounty and fertility; but all this is
changed. The yield Of the farm crops
has declined 40 and even 80 per cent.
These pirates who had the power to
exhaust the soil without the knowledge
to maintain it now cry to the Govern
ment for help.
Most Of these men knew little OF
nothing about farming to begin with,
but the Government coaxed them into
it, and now that they have sold the fer
tility Of the land by the bushel and by
the ton they want the Government
to come to their rescue and make their
lands productive by irrigationl
Ten thousand, yes, hundred thou.
sand Eastern farmers should combine
at once oppose the scheme. Our Govern
ment by its lavish gifts of land has al
ready well-nigh ruined the agricultur-
al prosperity OF this country. Millions
and millions Of acres have bsen giving
away to foreigners, until agriculture 9
as business is largely absorbed by this
class who come to this country by ten
of thousands, and our Government
gives them each farm.
If any other class of men were obli-
ged, through the shnrt-sighted policy
Of the Government ,ndar which they
live, to put up " ith this state of thi ngs
they would take up arms to defend
their homes from further degradation
If shoe manufacturer gets cobbler
from England and any one complains
ba OK goes the cobbler whence he came.
If a builder induces few Italians to
come to this country to carry brick and
mortar, back the Government sends
them. Fines and imprisonment pay the
offense to American laborers. If a
man in the States says t. Canadian
girl: "Come to the States and I will
give you employment as a typewriter
in my Office" a great commotion is
made over it. The department at
Washington is notifisd, ths machinery
of the Government is set to work and
the girl is returned to Canada. This
is the law in regard to every trade and
profession except ane-farming, agri-
culture. "Agricnlturs the sweet mother
of all the arts and sciences, the main
tainer of human life;" agriculture,
the foundation of national prosperity"
agriculture. the business In which q
majority of the inhabitants are engag.
ed" agriculture, on VIII ch depends
the daily bread Of millions"-agricu!t-
ure has no Protection whatever.
They say agriculture is the founda-
tion of n ational rrospers- when sg-
riculture prosperity everything and
everybody prospers. This is what our
statesmen all say in their speeches, but
what are they doing to defend or pro-
tect agriculture2 Nothing. absolutely
nothing. On the contrary, they per-
NIT the Government to degrade agri-
culture in this country to level with
| peasantry farming 10 the Old World.
But it is not the statesmen who are
most to blame; it is the farmers them
| themselves. When organized labor
said, "We do not want State convicts
| to rob US of toll that belongs to U.S.
convict prison labor ceased. When a
few people on the Pacific coast said,
"We cannot work 10 competition with
the Cinnamon 'yho are underbidding
as, who can live on rats or rice and can
afford to work for less than we; we
cannot compete with thsm." at once
the Chinese wall IL put up so high that
Mr.. John cannot come in. All this
time the Eastern doors are thrown wide
open to the poverty-stricken inhabi-
tants Of the Old World, and Uncle
Sam says, "Coms along, come along;
I'll give you each farm" So 1t has
come about that farming does not pay.
By this policy Of our Government our
own farms have deprecated In value
ct least 80 cent. during the last fifteen
years while q great majority Of our
American farmers have been brought