People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1898-06-17
AN ALLEGORY.

| ocean, bhree thousands OF miles from
nowhere, there lay vast continent Of
untold natural resources, of agricultu-
raj resources unsurpassed, of mineral
wealth unmessured, D continent peo-
pied by race of Industrious, energet-
ic and inventive people well versed in
the arts of agriculture, mining and
manufacture, well skilled in rending
natures secrets, following natures
ways aud making the most of the great
natural resources of their country, and
withal people inherently progressive,
ever intent on climbing to q yet higher
plane, making labor more productive,
and their command over the boundless
| forces OF nature greater and greater.
A virgin soil of unsurpassed fertility
welcomed the husbaudman and en-
couraged him to fresh efforts, while
| hidden away in the bowels of the
earth we're vast stores Of coal and iron,
copper in deposits OF marvellous rich
ness, lead and nickel and the lesser
| metals in abundance, while the rugged
mountain ranges Of this marvellous
continent bore veins and deposits Of
the precious metals of fabulous rich
ness.
Thus hidden away in the earth were
vast stores Of mineral and agricultural
| wealth, nascent wealth only waiting
to be uncovered and developed to be-
come appropriate by man to his uses,
the promotion of his comfort and hap
piness. And in thus developing the
unparalleled resources at their disposal
/ the people of this continent had made
great progress. Under tillage they
brought the fertile soil until there was
no dream Of scarcity, but such an
abundance Of food raised that much
was sparcd to feed the peoples of other
lands, There was period in the his
tory Of This continent when food was
often scarce, when the fear OF want
and famine was ever present, when al
most all men we're filling the soil. But
that time was long since passed. Year
alter yesr a lesser and lesser proper
ton of the people were occupied in
tilliDg the soil, yet year after year q
greater abundance of food was raised.
1t was because agricultural labor be-
came more productive, because better
soils were brought under cultivation
year after year, because better instru-
ments of tillage and more economical
means OF harvesting were brought into
use.
All this came with the accumulation
of wealth. At first the lighter though
poorer soils were cultivated. They
were cultivated because the needs of
the people were pressing, because there
was little surplus production of food
that those who did not raise their own
food could depend upon. Consequent
ly nearly all men had to engage in
raising crops and they had to occupy
soils that could be readiest cultivated
and brought under tillage at once.
| These soils were of course the lighter
soils on which grew little underbrush
amidst the forest trees, soils in which
the efforts of the husbandmen were
not handicapped by roots, and soils
that needed no artificial drainage
Thus the heavier and richer soils were
passed by, passed by because they
could not be cleared and crop raised
the same year, because several years
time was required before such soils
could be brought into a condition fit
for tillage. Therefore the poorer soils
were at first cultivated. And then il
was that there was scarcity and fear
of scarcity, then that agricultural Ia
Dor WIS least productive.
But as year followed year and the
lands first titled became more readily
tillable and Mt the same time, because
of better tillage, more productive, more
and more food was produced proper
tionately to the number of people. Thus
the surplus food that each husband
man produced bepond his own needs
grew, as it grew it became availaDla
for the support and therefore employ
ment of men to bring the more fertile
lends under cultivation, of other men
who would occupy themselves with
making farm tools and of still o hers
occupying themselves with the manu-
facture Of clothing the spinning OF
: DOL and weaving OF cloth that had
before been done on the farm, but with
primitive facilities and at much greater
expenditure Of labor. Thus did labor
become more productive, steam and
electricity, heretofore unrivalled forces
OF nature were harnessed, the arts OF
metallurgy were mastered, so the
nasccnt wealth OF the earth, the wealth
that nature offers to those who work
in harmapY with her laws, the wealth
Of the soil and the bowels Of the earth
was uncovered and appropriated Blee-
eed with territory of such great ma
tural wealth and developing the uatu-
raj resources with q marvellous success
fulpesa and rapidity as the result of
diliFent application to mastering the
laws end forces of nature, the people
Of this continent produced and gather
ed wealth on Il scale never before ap-
preached The soil under tho iudustri-
Gus ard skilled cultivation of a smaller
and smaller proportion OF the total
number Of people, produced more than
an abundance OF food for sll, the min
Neral wealth OF the country was uncov-
ereSd, mines we're opened capable of