The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-14
WEALTH CREATED BY FARMERS.

large part of the fortunes which many
men in large cities possess was in no sense
created by them. BY the successful manip-
ulation of stocks, the realizing on fictitious
capital and other devices known to Wall
street, they have come into possession of
the dollars of others without adding a
dollar to the actual wealth of the world
1t is different with actual producers. They
create wealth, and no class so entirely
creates wealth as the farmers who raise
crops for the market This fact is realized
by the interest which is taken in PARKWAY
commercial centers in the condition of the
growing crops. Good crops are the basis
of prosperity; consequently, when abundant
harvests are assured there is full con-
fidence in another year of prosperity. This
is because the crops mean an increase of
the real wealth of the country. Stocks
may rise and fall, but everybody knows
that such fluctuations mean the taking of
a number of dollars out of one mans pock-
cts and the putting of the same number
of dollars into the pockets of another man.
But when statistician estimates that the
cereal crops Of the United States this year
are worth 81. 776. 344, 900 it means that wealth
to that extent has been created. When
the value of cotton, hay, vegetables and
fruits is added the farmers real contribu-
ton to the useful wealth of the country
must be increased more than another bill
lion of dollars Each dollar created by
the farmer is as much an addition to the
wealth of the country as if each were
coined from gold; better, indeed because
the breadstuff dollar enters into the real
DEMONSTRATING sustenance Of the human
race. The greatest producers of that
which makes so much wealth, the Ameri-
in the country and their vocation the most
important and necessary.
good thing about the farmers dollars
is that first hand, he receives a good
dollar for every dollar of wealth he dis
poses of. Those dollars go into his pocket,
and he can use them for his own advan-
tage. After he gets these dollars he may
lose them in bucket shops in small towns,
or in those larger bucket shops where
spurious Wheat and corn are sold; he may
buy monkeys or stake dollars on the turn
of card, but when he parts with the
wealth he has created he receives in ex-
change the best dollars in the world Gen.
| orally the farmer makes good use of his
| dollars, and, because he does, there is an
| enormous demand for the merchandise
which factories turn out, and must turn
| out in immense quantities if the wheels
| of industry are kept running. Whatever
ill-fortune the farmer suffered years ago
he has had five full years. even with the
short crop of last year. AS a class. farm
ers have never spent so many of their real
dollars and never had so many Of them
| to show as at the present time. Even in
Kansas they have been filling the vaults
of local banks with their surpluses, while
in this vicinity men who operate the coun-
try banks report that farmers are lenders
rather than borrowers of money. 1t is
this unparalleled prosperity of the creators
| Of the greatest volume of real wealth
which explains the general prosperity OF
the country.