The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-08-19
FORECAST BY ALrGELD.
Some Daseless and Unreliable Predic-
tiOns on Political Issues for
the Coming Year.

Ex-Gov. Altgeld has explained in an
open letter to the editor of the Quincy
Journal what he thinks will be the po-
litical issues of 1900. He says: One
half of the American people are farm
ers, and these find their purchasing
power is only about so per cent.
of what it formerly was in proportion
to population, and consequently their
social status has been lowered" He
adds that the much-boasted prosperity
is not the prosperity of the producer,
and then swings off into a mass of gen.
eralities and vagaries of the county
fair style. The value of the whole effu-
sion may be measured on the few con-
crete statements that it contains. For
| instance, are half of the American peo-
pie farmers?
According to the census of 1890 there
were employed on the farms and
ranches and in the dairies of the United
States S,427,676 men and women. In
the same year there were employed in
the manufacturing and mechanical in
dustries 5,O91,G69 people; in trade and
transportation, 3,233,962; in domestic
and personal service, taking in BARRIERS,
engineers and firemen, janitors, labor
ers, nurses, servants, ETC., 4,360,577, and
in the professional services, including
architects, clergymen, journalists, law
yers, musicians, physicians and teach
ers, 944,333, making a total of 14,11S,11O
men and women engaged in business
having no relation to farms or ranches.
AS everyone knows, the tendency since
1890 has been toward industrial en-
ployment, or toward the professions,
rather than toward the farms. So much
for the trustworthiness of the former
governor in matters of statistical fact.
Now, as regards his opinion of the con-
ditions prevailing among farmers to-
day and three years ago.
In 1896 thousands of farmers were
under a weight of mortgages, which
calamity-kowlers of the Altgeld class
said never could be paid. Yet in the
last two years most of these mortgages
have been lifted. Except where drought
or storms prevented, the farmers have
had more than the usual quantity of
grain and other farm products TO sell
and it is notorious that, in the last year
or two, they have received EXCEPTIONAL
ly good prices. Mr.. Altgeld could not
find more than one farming community
in hundred where the people would
venture to assert that their purchasing
power was only so per cent. of what il
formerly was.
No one can travel anywhere in the
farming districts without perceiving
that the social status of farmers is
higher than it was 30, 20 and even ten
years ago. More farmers sons and
daughters are in colleges and universe
ties. More farmers are taking pride in
education and social standing. More
farmers houses have pianos, organs
pictures and books than ever before,
and there is closer relationship be-
tween the people of the farming dis
tricts and those of the cities than ever
before.
The statement that this boosted pros.
perity is not the prosperity of the pro-
ducer is disproved in the conditions in
industrial life as well as in agricultural
life. In nearly every department OF
manufacture wages have been adj
vanced. Where there were tens of thou
sands out of employment three years
ago there are but scores now
The democratic agitator may strive
to blind himself and his followers to
these facts, but all the verbiage of So
cialism and Altgeldism cannot put
them out of she world.-Chicago Inter
Ocean.