The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-01-07
AGRICULTURAL PROSPERITY.
Better Conditions Which Followed
Republican Tariff LeGisla-
tiOn in 1897.

The New York World, which is far
away from the real farmer, takes a
rosy view of the general prosperity
of those who are engaged in agricul-
ture. These are, in fact, the most
prosperous times that farmers have
ever seen, all things considered.
Everything they have to sell brings
good prices in cash. There has not
been season in many years when
all the products of the farm have
brought better prices. The World,
however, is somewhat in error when
it declares that the short corn crop
is better for the farmer than a full
one. This statement is made upon
the assumption that the farmer takes
to market every bushel of corn that
he raises. If such were the case the
assumption that the short crop will
put more dollars into the farmers
pockets than full one is true, since
the price of corn falls to low fig
ure, as does every other staple, when
the supply is greater than the de-
mand. Fortunately, now that Eu-
| rope is learning the value of our
corn, it is not possible that even in
Kansas corn will be cheaper than
coal for fuel, since there will be a
large export when prices are mod
crate. There are few good farmers
in the land who do not feed more
corn than they sell. Now, when
prices are so high, they must either
feed what they have to keep their
stock or dispose of their stock. If
they do the first they will have no
, corn to sell at the high price, and
/ if they sell their stock they will be
obliged to restock their farms when
! the prices of stock are high and the
price of corn low. So this old story
that a small crop is worth more than
large one is not true, says the In
dianapolis Journal.
The World also says that land has
advanced in value. This is true, and
it is probably due to the fact that the
universal prosperity of farmers dur
ing the past four years has caused
many men to turn to farming as one
of the most profitable investments
! for small amounts of capital and for
men who must depend upon their
own labor. The market for the farm
er is constantly broadening at home
+, and abroad. The manufacturer
meets sharp competition in every
market in Europe, but as the years
pass the greater is the dependence of
Europe upon the agricultural prod
i ucts of the United States.
The World also discovers that
"there has been sharp decline in
populistic oratory in Kansas, whose
bank deposits are $S7,O0O,O0O and
whose farmers debts are rapidly be-
ing paid" This is all due to the
change which came with the inaug-
uration of William Mckinley and his
policies. He called congress to re-
wise the tariff; confidence came; in
dustries started up; there was a
wider demand for the products of the
farm and as soon as the farmer eX-
perienced larger demand he had
money with which to purchase the
goods of the manufacturer. This
prosperity has been growing for five
1 years, until it is now alluded to as
an Astounding prosperity" with no
signs of hating. No class is more
prosperous than the farmers who
can tide over short corn crops and
other small crops. Banks have sprung
up all over the country, and farmers
who were borrowing money six years
ago and were discouraged now have
bank accounts or the equivalent in
better conditions. In the midst of
this all-round prosperity which fol
lowed the tariff legislation of 1897
and the gold standard legislation OF
the next year there are those, includ-
ing the New York World, demanding
that the present tariff be smashed!
Those who are making this demand
can never learn from experience, but
men who are now prosperous on
farms and in factories will not for.
get the dark days that followed the
smashing of the tariff in 1894.