The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-05
The Farmer Is King.

Unless the secretary OF agriculture
is a hopeless optimist, these are great
times for the farmer. Prices are high
and crops are generally abundant. Al
together the farmers Of the republic
have produced about $5,000,000,0Oo of
wealth this year. This is about $1,000
apiece on the average to every farmer,
good, bad or Indifferent. AS the aver
age income in the United States is
about $500 year, it is plain that the
farmer has, after all, considerably the
best of most of his fellow countrymen
from the standpoint of wealth.
The indications are, that there are
many good years ahead of the farmer.
It is doubtful if there will ever be such
low level Of prices in the future
as there was in the middle nineties.
Henceforth the farmer will profit by
unearned increment as well as by the
earned. There are no more great areas
Of cheap and fertile lands in the repub
lie to be thrown into competition with
old and less productive lands. The in
creased crops of the future must come
from more of yield to the acre instead
Of more acres. The acres that irriga-
ton may add will not be numerous
enough to affect the price Of old land
adversely. Irrigated land is costly be-
fore plow has ever been driven into
it, and the supply is small compared
with the demand.
Even if some reciprocity arrangement
with Canada were to make much of the
agricultural produce of that country
available for the American market, the
price of lands would not be disturbed
and the argument for good times for
the farmer would not be affected. Can
ada finds good and high-priced market
in Europe for its agricultural products
and it is only by paying as much or
more than Europe that we could get
them. In many instances that would
mean paying more than we are now
paying to our own farmers. Wheat is
an exception, but our farmers are quit
ting embarrassing for more profitable
pursuits. Moreover, there is not rela
lively such a vast area of good agri
cultural land in western Canada as has
sometimes been supposed. At the pres
ent rate of settlement, the occupation
of all of that land will soon be effected
Already land prices are beginning t.
advance stiffly in western Canada.
There is, just so much land to b,
had, and all the time the population O:
4 the United, States and of the world i
increasing. It looks as if the futur,
belonged to the farmer. If he Keeps OF
taxing the deposit facilities Of the bank
as he has in recent years he will soo1
be the greatest capitalistic power il
the country. Even down in old Missis
sippi the bank deposits have increased
300 per cent in the last eight years, an,
other agricultural states do better thai
the average of the increase for tn
whole country.
This rise Of the farmer is WORT
thinking about when you have mad
up your mind that things are goin
from bad to worse in this republic
With some 100000 farm families, rer
resenting a population of about 10000
600, becoming more prosperous an
more independent each year, we shal
have to revise any premature conclu
sion we may have arrived at to til
effect that the United States is cour
try in the western hemisphere belons
ing to the trusts.