The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
OF THE RAILROADS.
oKB INDUszRF yOT HsIPED BT TINE
aENERAL PROSPERITY.

AI tnC0 OF Nho hbitF0uWh Tor Nhbt NuuNOu
shrihkAee-Their Taxes uoinE Up, Toe
A Ssw weeks ago TIE Son printed some In
s~trustlve and interesting facts In relation 4
De prosperity Of the agricultural interests o
the United States. These data we're eathere,
By q syndicate OF agricultural weekly news
papers and they probably give q fairly accn
rate idea of what three years OF good crops hav,
done for the American farmer. Last week thC
advance report Of the statlstloal department
OF the Interstate Commerce Commission foI
1897 was given out at Washington, and the
figures for this industry. second only In i'm
portanoe to that OF agriculture. show such q
contrast TO those relating 70 agriculture that a
comparison may perhaps be probably drawn,
The published facts relating to agriculture
point out that, including the present year. the
outlook for our agrioulturlsts is extremely
hopeful. Last week when In Washington i
called upon the Secretary OF Agriculture, Gen.
James Wilson. to talk with him oh matters re-
lating 10 our trade with Cuba. In the course
Of the conversations. the Secretary told me that
the farmers Of the United States, and espe.
olally OF tho great Northwest, had not been 30
prosperous In years rs at the present time.
Good crops and good prices had united to help
them and thu increased demand for cattle
and foodstuffs to make good the losses Of
war would. in hls opinion. still further stimu-
late the great interest which lies at the basis
Of our national prosperity. All this 10, indeed.
encouraging and gratifying to contemplate.
II It 10 true. us stated by the authority above
quoted. that one thousand millions Of dollars
will hardly measure the Increase in the Amer
ican farmers receipts for last years produce
over the values that prevailed as late a. 1895,
those engaged In agriculture ought, indeed.
to be thankful for their good fortune. OF late
years. and until the tide turned in the autumn
~ llDl uo l,ot.a haotd MANI con,r Mia infa from
and on behalf OF the American farmer. though.
as q rule. the loudest and most unreasonable
came from those who toiled with the mouth
and not with the hands. Yet. in spite OF low
prices, there was little real cause for COM
plant. In $50 1t was shown by official sta
tistics that half the farms of.the United States
cultivated by the owners were free Of debt.
How had the billions herein represented been
paid and the value Of the property createdp
By. the sweat Of the brow and the toll OF
brawny arms? Not altogether. because in
other lands the agriculturists and peaeants toll
just as hard as farmers do here. but with re-
wards far less. Out of the richness, therefore.
of the soil Of our vast domain. aided by the
labor and industry and thrift Of the American
farmer. have come these comfortable homes,
free Of debt. and forever the property Of the
pioneers and their posterity that pushed west
ward In the early days. 1t has not been, we |
must ever remember. inherited wealth. ae-
STIMULATING for centuries, as we find to be the |
case in foreign countries. 1t has been wealth
largely created out Of our prolific land. by the
sweat and toll of men who are still living and
breathing. and many of them-millions OF
them-are to-day enjoying the fruits of their
labor In farms and homes free from debit.
Hand In hand with the industry OF agricul-
fnre comes the industry OF transportation.
j 8 E 8ss SIS 81 i .Ssg. 81 S 7.Ssg. T HaS v pGIRaa ct oa in
Lailroads was II the neighborhood3of $4,000
fo Soi SSTicSitur s!U ana we ESSo s. sas sQSRS ao6 GfUrss
Or close on 70 half our national assets.
and these apparently carefully prepared lis:
nres are yaiueless: the American farmer en-
H ISsfi y tS Sas i amy otSsr i3 ID e Psr en2oys. P nlfe
e temporary aqetgations. y e affected By
ss which. when viewed with sufficient per-
apsSslS Snd P pTosress, so We RRS aVs t so aad Fl tho Sss Sisnel
pFTfsSp s ELY b Of t the lss s1 TIRE re- y r,ae,,oor ,.rmar
i 6e Will only keep q steady head and hold his
SURPLUS for any future years OF famine and de:
@e saan1 We are arSS teoid shat .e eou as fsII she a p mS.
sns yea han ing s16 ts6Eass Us q II m s%S sssss p %s
furthermore learn that millions on chattel
Rsf sp s. ot hsge f6 sssn S " Eade Sss 2Rd t bss pay Ss.
Iome almost a mania In the West. This has
'een attended with such an increase in bank
Missouri country interest rates on farm loans
re down to from 8 to 3 pr cent. contrasted ,
ONES s'f from aSR Kansas sasi that lssi tSe } bSnk 1slsf II tRas
sssss S Sss Ia an Tie Eas e as sf last s ssf the fa trnst @S Snd
Money fbn T powers nrs Eili aa LET them g9 These game
Increase In national bank resources Of more SeSs
nd more than $S%436.06O.6G0 during the last
8 much as the crops Of 1891 and 1sS5ga gain gain {
line V q s sona $iS0!000:.0U0. but SGf fhe sho two 2 s as- !
11efs alone make q net gain OF nearly $780, :
These brilliant signs and omens Of pros I
1erlty In the agricultural horizon are natural '
: matters for rejoicing In less favored indus: {
Evaporation. which has In no way shared {
4 Pr9sperity-yet we find no bitter COM
more re- in HI 1s57 That aDff II isSSS. eF Sh a sG sRe D srSss I
' '6Srf,RSs 81 81 several eve ia mIiiiSUas. sh '%hii Z the ter sFeP !
onnag g h1s been gHR1pspally large. the tom
hhe preceding year; The hopeful farmer has .
ie Sssd up more than one hundred millions 9
g asS'i $a RsS S 'S5o, E G6b 81 sh Ssssn pd IL lsg 10 f gfSe {
SSEsaaS funded az dsH S0e y 8 S9S SSSSPs}S. \
or our railways to face, and they seem partic- 6
llarly severe because tho industry which the
always serve the most has enjoyed a period
\ unsurpassed prosperity, '
Three years ago when the tide turned those Il
to study railway budgets had O {
lgnt to expect results more promising. We q
ii,h That r9tes were TOO low for profit. but
,asiness man; our railway managers Thought 8
pat In the epidemic OF prosperity passing over a
ne country some would fall 10 their share, In 8
they have been disappointed, for the lg- Il
res Just given out blythe statisticlan OF the v
interstate Commerce Commission are far q
lore discourqRlng than those for the years
then depression wns almost universal In all h
Why. Tor example, should the Ii
] 1877 than In 1852 Why should the num- q
e rSfP9SSs SAag carried be millions less, Why 5
w per cent. OF the entire operating expenses y
! our railways, be, it remembered, goes for Il
dor. Thus the lack Of prosperity In our rail. +
avs seriously AFFECTS the waRe-earner D
Those who had hoped TO see a decided in 8
rease In gross earnings must note instead a N
ecrease, over 1896 OF nearly .S30.OOU.U 100. Ii
nose who expected a profit again must note u
qe1cit. There are some increases in these a
ndgets. Taxes, as usual, have Increased. h