The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-20

approximately the same. The
farmer pays no more for his shirts,
or his over-alls, or his hats, or his
Sunday ties, his newspaper bill is
! no larger, and in fact all the little
/ expenses are about the same.
Another item of expense to the
farmer is his direct taxation. This
has not increased, and the burden
OF taxation has never been a par
tlcular heavy one upon our farmers
Another item is that of interest,
and it is we'll known fact that the
Iowa farmer is to-day paying from
two to three per cent. less on Dor
rowed money than he did in 1896
and that this cheap money is much
easier to obtain than dearer money
was four years ago.
We are not experts on matters
OF farm statistics, we are not able
to state what the average farmer
on the average farm raises in the
average year, but we would like to
have our country readers figure
this thing out for themselves. What
has been the increase in income
and what the increase in necessary
expense? Roughly, the figures
show that the income of the farmer
has increased approximately seven
ty-fve per cent, that his taxes re-
main the same, his interest less.
trelghts. passenger fares, and all
minor expenses approximately the
same, clothing no higher, and that
he is paying more for some lines of
merchandise, for his agricultural
implements, nails, lumber, and for
the labor which he employs upon
his farm. We believe that the
farmer selling the same amount of
produce and buying the same
amount of supplies in 1890 as he
did in 1896 would be not less than
fifty per cent. gamer In his net in
come.
Now what is the cause of this
change in condition. We are free
to state that we do not believe any
one thing is chargeable either with
the depression of four years ago or
with the prosperity of to-day. Did
you ever get out of bed in the
morning feeling fit and trim for
anything? You have felt the warm
blood tingling in your veins, you
had a smile on your face, and Joy
in your heart, you went at your
work with will, no task seemed
hard, no labor difficulty. Have
you ever noticed that everything
seemed to come your way that day,
that the worries were less and the
pleasures more, that your wife
seemed happier and brighter, and
the babies prettier and healthier,
and your business acquaintance
more friendly, and the money
seemed to come easier, and when
night brought sweet rest from your
labors your heart was light, and
you felt that that had been a cred
letter" day for you all through?
And then again did you ever get
up with a dark green taste in your
mouth, and with sleep in your
eyes, and your heart in your boots,
and go to breakfast with a groan
and scold the children and go up
town looking cross, and the first
man you would meet would have
bill against you, and something
would go wrong in the shop or in
the store, or in the field, and the
corn seemed to stop growing, and
the heat was hotter and the rain
was Wetter, and even the sun
seemed to have frown on its face?
Well, that is inst the difference
between these times and those of
90. The nation is getting up ear
ly in the morning -adays, and
feeling good, and rolling up its
sleeves and everything is doing
better. The nation is growing
greater, and stronger, and broader,
and more powerful, and some way
you can't just put your finger ON
the spot and say this is the reason
the nation is prosperous, but
nevertheless you know that it is.