The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-05-24
FARMERS PROSPERITY.


There is not a single occupation, bust.
ness or profession to which is not at.
tached by the republican organs the la.
bel Prosperity" Every individual
man knows better than the statisticians
whether he is prosperous or not, and
it is useless to expect an aggregation of
individuals to loudly express thanks for
prosperity when they do not come up to
the label. The notion has been going
about that the farmers are afflicted with
astounding prosperity" simply be.
cause prices of farm produce have, in
the last two or three years, partly re-
covered from the low level they reached
in some previous years. Now the farm.
er ought to know, and the records of
mortgages in the various county clerks
and recorders offices demonstrate the
fact, that all these increased receipts, if
anybody can show bank account dem
onstrating any increase, are more than
absorbed by the increased price he must
pay for everything for which the farmer
exchanges his produce. He must pay
tribute to the trust, and no better illus
tration of the truth of this can be made
than in the case of the American Steel
company. Six thousand men were
thrown out of employment because of
the lack of demand for implements
which the farmers could not purchase
because of their high price. If there
was SO much prosperity, why could not
the farmer afford to purchase the neces-
sary imple nents? The fact is that q
heavy impost is laid upon nearly every
thing the farmer needs in his household
and in his business, while the prices of
his own products are at the mercy of
spectators, combines, corners, etc. etc.
The farmer has to meet the worlds
price in disposing of his product, but he
encounters different state of things
when he comes to purchase for himself.
The range of price set up by the specu.
lators is artificial, and what they gain in
the speculative market they pocket
what they lose they mercilessly force
the farmer to pay by an increase Of
prices in manufscttres. This seeming
prosperity will be discovered the more
you look behind it to be myth, and
although the misfortunes Of the rest Of
the earth have enabled the farmer to
dispose of more Of his products than
formerly, still there are combinations
to be broken down, trusts to be abolish
ed and the financial system eliminated
before the farmer can really say that a
period of prosperity has been inagura.
ted.
How much of the enormous balance
of trade in our favor has reached the
farmer? Has he been enabled to reduce
his mortgages by payment Of the prin-
cipal, or even to pay the interest in full
without securing an extension of time?
Are his wife and children better dressed,
is his farm in a more hourishing condi.
tion, has he purchased any new carpets,
curtains, furniture for his household?
Is he enabled to employ more help to
relieve his aching bones and those of his
wife and children from the arduous la
Dor they continually undergo to saye
their homes from the nav of the mort
gage?
We trow not and the proof of 1t is
that beyond the mere means of exist
ence, whatever he makes or earns must
go into the ever expanding tax mill
which is grinding HIM into poverty when
he is MT paying into the trusts and
combines. es.-Keokuk Constitution Demo
crat.