The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1904-09-01
Prosperity of Farmers.

Prosperity of Farmers.
The Agriculture Department is sup
posed to be run especially for the ben
eft Of the farmers, and there is no
doubt that 1t has been of great service
TO American agriculture. Indeed, it
should be, for the appropriations for
the department are rapidly increasing.
For the fiscal year 1895 S5,303, $50 was
voted by Congress, and this was in
creased to $5.97S, 16O for 1904 Have
the advantages to the farmers in
creased in like proportion to augment
ed appropriations, or is it grown like
the other departments into a machine
for spending money on political favor
ties? There are some rather annoying
scandals to be explained, such as the
seed frauds" and the carriage and
crop report scandals" which partly ex-
plains where the money goes.
Secretary Wilson should look after
matters little closer and stop the
leaks before he gives out interviews
and makes campaign speeches boast
ing of what he has done. Last spring
Secretary Wilson, in an interview
which was widely published in many
newspapers, made wild claims of the
universal prosperity Of the farmers.
He said: ''They are only interested in
the trusts to know that the securities
issued by the trusts are safe invest
ments." Mr.. Wilson was still further
quoted as saying that the farmers
pocketbook is full, that he is capital
ist, only hunting for investments,
flooding the Western banks with more
money than they can handle, and send
ing millions to the East for invest
ment''
The farmers of the country will be
delighted to hear of their tremendous
prosperity, but most of them will prob
ably have to admit that Secretary VIII
sons knowledge of the condition of the
farmers is very limited. He may know
of a few gentlemen farmers" who
farm for the pleasure Of it, who are
interested in knowing that trust Sc
curities are safe investments, but the
average farmer is more interested in
the high trust prices he is paying
would be more near the truth.
AS an indication that the farmers
prosperity is Overstated, one of the
large life insurance companies reports |
that it increased its loans on farms in |
Iowa in 1902 over $4.o00,00O, that is, |
the new loans made by this company |
exceeded those paid by that amount. |
The last Iowa school census shows |
that 10000 farmers have left Iowa,
mostly to take up lands in the Cana
dian Northwest. Would they have left |
their fertile Iowa fields and the flag |
under which they were born to make
new homes 1,5OO miles nearer the north
pole if prosperous?
Does that look like the transcend
ing prosperity of the farmers of the
banner agricultural State of the Union
that Secretary Wilson talks SO glibly
about. There is no doubt tnat series
of favorable circumstances, among
them the Chinese-Japanese war, the
war in South Africa, the war with
Spain, and the present war in the East
has increased the demand for the sur
plus products of the farms. This in
creaseu demand could have made the
farmers very prosperous, but trust
high prices were gnawing at their
vitals and deprived them of the prof
It's they were entitled to. That process
Is still going on and the farmer that
yVilcoy, 70 lie ohout u,,,ct ha |
4 rara avis, and even he, in his hunt
for investments, has met vast losses
Dy the depreciation of nearly all class
IS of securities. The beef trust alone
mas fiieched millions Of dollars from
The pockets of the farmers by forcing
lown the price of cattle and hogs and
raising the price of beef and pork to
he consumers.
II Secretary Wilson, instead of max
ng exaggerated statements of the
prosperity Of the farmers, would urge
President Roosevelt and his Cabinet
% take real action against the beef
trust magnates, instead of temporary
Injunctions which have had no effect,
he would come nearer earning his sal
ary. Congress appropriated S5OO,OOO
to prosecute trsuts, but the Depart
nent Of Justice has only expended $685.
300 In hunting them, and, so far. has
not bagged single industrial trust
The protective tariff fosters the trusts
and allows them to sell their products
cheaper abroad than here, and the Re-
publican platform and President
Roosevelt in his speech of acceptance
approve the protection policy and have
declared their intention to hold fast
o it.