Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1900-09-25


pOrtant factOrs In our national life.
Some one has said to him. "Thc hand
, that guides the plowshare feeds the
world. He is not a stockhoder In
: any OF the trusts, but he feels The ex.
tortion practiCed by them ALL ! am
not farming on q large scale but the
misleading reports which have been
circulated concerning my oat crop JUS
tify me in making reference to my
own experience. The New York Trib-
une recently printed n dispatch from
Nebraska TO the effect that / had Just
sold forty-eight hundred bushels OF
oats at 30 cents per bushel (supposed
to be the yield of 120 acres), and that
the amount received for the oats was
more than double the price paid for
the land. The Tribune article then
proceeded TO dilate upon the prosper
ity Of the farmer, using my experience
as an Illustration, and asserted that
the farmers Of Nebraska were becOm-
ing so opulent that they Va"a joining
the Republican party. TIL facts arc,
first: That had five acr oats in
stead of one hundred sd twenty
acres; second, That the have not
yet been threshed, so thCt ao yield is
not known; third, That Gets are sell
ing for less than % celtr n Chicago
instead OF 30 cents IN Nebraska, and
fourth, That the land upon which the
oats were raised cost me over 500 an
acre instead of SO. If. when threshed,
my oats yield forty bushels to the acre
and / sell them in Nebraska for 20
! cents per bushel, the total income from
the five acres will be $40, or less than
eight per cent. on the investment Aft
er taking out the cost of blowing, SOW
ing, harvesting and threshing. the net
income from that five acre tract viii !
not exceed four per cent. on the
money invested. | do not mean to
judge others by my own experience, |
but l mention the facts in the case to |
show how the Republican papers exag- |
gerate the farmers prosperity, and |
credit the Republican administration |
with good crops, making no allowance |
for the crop failures which occur from
time to time.
Decline of Farm Products.
But while on the oat question let me
call attention to the statistics given ia
the Investment Guide already referred !
TO. According to Henry Clews & Co.
the average prices received by farm
ers for oats, during the seven years
beginning with 1893 and ending with
1899 were as as follows: 1893, 294;
1894, 1874; 1895, 1876; 1896, 1877; 1897,
21.2; 1898, 25.5; 1899, 24.9. Accord
ing to these figures oats averaged %
cents bushel during the four years
of Mr.. Clevelands administration, and
only "a cents per bushel during the
three year7 Of Mr.. McKinley's admin
istration-the present year is not yet
complete, but oats are at the present
time below the average.
According to the same authority the
average prices received by the farm
ers for corn, were as follows: 1898.
1885, 1894, 45.7 1895, 26.4; 1896, 21.5;
1897, 26.3; 1898, 2S.7; 1899 303, max
ing an average Of about 30.5 during
the four years of Mr.. Cleveland's ad-
ministration and 2S1 during the three
years of Mr.. McKinley's administra-
tion-the fourth year is not yet COM
plete, bat corn is at this time above
the average.
Wheat, according to the same au-
thority brought to the farmers the fol-
lowing prices: 1898, 53.S; 1894, 49.1;
1895, 500; 1885, 1875; 1897, sos; 1895,
$50; 1899, 5S.4, showing a higher av-
erage during the last three years than
during the four preceding-the fourth
year is not complete, but wheat is
now above the average.
According TO the same authority cot
ton plant, rs received the following
prices: 1898, 600; 1894, 4.6; 1895, 759;
1896, Go; 1897, so; 1898, 475; 1859,
rs, showing a higher average during
the four years of Mr.. Cleveland's ad-
ministraticn than during the three
years of Mr.. McKinley's administra-
tion-the fourth year is not yet eom-
plete, but cotton is now above the av-
erage price.
Taking these four staples of agricul-
ture it will be seen that three out OF
four have not on the average brought
as much return to the farmer, under
the present administration, as under
the previous administration, and the
fourth product, wheat, is more infu-
enced than any other farm product
by foreign conditions.
Advance in Merchandise.
When, however, the farmer attempts
to use his income in the purchase Of
the necessaries of life he finds that the
trusts have raised prices He must
pay more for lumber, nails, wire, har-
ness, hardware, stoves and agricultu~
al implements. More, also for oil,
sugar, clothing, furniture, etc, and in
addition to these drains upon his in
come he must meet an increase in fed
eral taxation.
Let the parent calculate how long
it will take farmer to become inde-
pendent under present conditions; let
him contrast the lot of the farmer with
the lot of the man who profits by gov
ernmental favoritism and grows rich
by the exploitation of his countrymen
through the lnstrumentality of monop-
oily, and then let him answer the
question, rs the young man, Absalom
safeW Has the farmers son, or the
farmer himself any reason for giving
support to the Republican partyY
Next to the farmer in point Of num-
bers ana Importance come the wage
eaTners. What is the trust doing to
increase the wages, shorten the hours,
improve the condition, or protect the
rights of the laborlng man? Is his
49,. -.-.- IL - Ii