Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1903-04-04
Communicated.
CoLFAx, April 8, 1908.

VI ldeb Wech unuer the neau OF 1T was
Changers Day." you say that Mr. Jones,
the grand master of the National Grange,
stated that "in 1850 the total wealth of
the United States was $500 900, 600 of
which $1,000 100000 represented the
wealth of the farmers, which was 81 per
cent. of the wealth of the nation, and
that in 1900, fifty years later, the total
wealth had increased to $4,000, 900, 900,
sand the farmers owned 20 per cent. of
this"
There must be some mistake in this,
and l believe you have misquoted Mr.
Jones on the subject, because the CEN
sus of 1900 gives the total wealth of the
farmers of the United States at 500, 514,-
to0l 1881, which would be about 81 per
cent of ninety-four billion dollars.
! From your report it would appear
( that the farmers of the United States
are the most prosperous class of people
hat we have, and if the figures quoted
are true, | can see no reason for the or
ganization known as the Grange, which
Il understand is for the purpose OF bet
tering the farmers condition, and if he
has made such progress as indicated
without the Grange, he had better let
well enough alone. But it is because
the true figures show different condi-
ton of affairs that makes the Grange a
necessity to educate the farmer, SO that
! he may study for himself the laws of
economics which control him and have,
reduced him to a condition which is lin
deed deplorable. v
The census of 1900 gives the total
number of farmers to be 1859, 657, who
have and operate total of S41 POI $40
acres. OF this number of acres, since
1866, or in a period of 33 years, there
have been taken under the land laws OF
the United States PSI ,24s, $50 acres.
The average value per acre of the
farms in the United States without i'm
provements is $11.75.
Now, if the farmers in 1850 owned
S., 900, 000, 900 of the wealth of the nation
in so years they have made gain of $15,
200 900, 900, but of this sum three billion
dollars have been derived from the de-
velopment of new land, and perhaps
there has been added similar amount
on account of the increased value of all
farm lands, but this latter amount
have not the figures for, and therefore
& will not consider it, nor will consider
farm mortgage Indebtedness, which
a should be deducted.
Deducting the five billion dollars that
they owned 30 years ago, and also the
three billion dollars, added by reclaimins
government land, and we have result
e of twelve billions of increase in so years
Assuming that during these BOY ears
there have been an average OF three mil
lion farmers, then by dividing twelve
billion dollars by three million we have
net gain per farmer of $4,000, which di-
vided by so gives net gain of $50 per
farmer per annum, over and above the
actual maintenance of himself and his
family, as the result Of his labor, on his
! capital, which amounted to $4,000
There never was time when man
who has had as constant employment as
& the farmer has, and and who has worked
/ as many hours as the farmer has worked
and who had no capital except his labor
power which he sold for daily wage,
and who practiced the same economy
which the farmer has been compelled to
practice in the past 80 years, who could
not have saved as much, if not more,
than the farmer has.
From this it seems clear to me that
the farmer has not received for his labor
! all that his labor has produced; and as
the Grange is organized for the purpose
of study and investigation, it would
seem to me that he would be very much
1 interested in the question of how others
/ got from the farmer that which he pro-
duced without returning to him an
equivalent.
When they have solved this question,
it will til zen be easy to devise method
by which\ the cause of such exploitation
may be removed and the farmer receive,
as he ought, the full product of his
labor. Respectfully yours,
THOMAS NELL.