Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-09

Of several million dollars, and now the
importation of a bug to wipe out the San
Jose scale and make our orchardists rich
At the same time great punches of letters
were brought in and the Secretary read
each one as he signed 1t.
The Farmer and the Trusts.
I started out with:
''Mr. Secretary, you work as though you
had your coat Off you claim to be the
representative of the man with his coat
off: 1 want to know what you think of
that man in his relation to our big COM
binations of capital?'
1.-THE only man with his coat off whom
know is the farmer" replied Secretary
Wilson. with the ordinary laborer l
have nothing to do. The farmer is big
enough proposition for us here. We are
working for him and although we look
over the fence now and then at the Strug-
giles of labor and capital we keep on our
way saying nothing as to anything else,
but steadily saving wood"
to the farmers. What do they think OF
the gigantic trusts which, like Jonah's
gourd, have sprung up in night?"
"They are anxious about them,' replied
the Secretary but it is from an invest
ment standpoint. They want to know
whether they have a substantial basis. how
they are operated, what business they are
doing and whether they will keep on pay
l.. the new Department of Commerce and
Labor and especially in its bureau of cor
porations. If that bureau can give them as
satisfactory information about the trusts
as the treasury does about our national
banks there will be no difficulty in their
getting fair share of the farmers money"
Our Farmer Capitalists.
"But, Mr. Secretary, l thought the farmer
posed as poor man. He is chronic
wilmer a constant complainer, and he al
ways makes poor MOUTH
THAT may have been so some years ago."
replied Secretary Wilson. 1T is not so now.
You can't whine on fun stomach. full
barns and a full pocketboOk. That Is the
condition of the farmer today. He is grow
ing rich. He has become creditor instead
of a debtor He is capitalist hunting
places to invest his surplus. He has had good
crops and good prices, and today his de-
posts are rolling in like golden tidal wave,
flooding the western banks with more mon
ey than they can handle. The local banks
are sending their millions to the east, and
New York is taking what they cannot lend
out in the west The farmers, not satisfied
with American investments. are sending mil
lions into Canada to buy lands there, and
still they have money left Indeed, what
they want most is a safe place to put their
surplus where it will bring them fair rate
of interest
What do you mean by fair rate, Mr..
'Oh, about per cent replied Mr. Will
son. THAT is the best you can expect of
money now"
'Why don't they take up their mort
gages,' said l. mot long ago it was said
that the whole United States west of the
Missouri was practically owned by the saw
ings banks of New England
''That is not so now" replied Secretary
Wilson "Those mortgages have been paid
long ago and vast sums have been spent
in improving the farms. There are mort
cages still, 1t is true but they have been
given by the sons of the farmers, who are
now buying farms of their own"
Farm Lands as an Investment.
do you consider farm lands good in
vestment, Mr.. Secretary
'I do at the present prices" was the re-
ply Investments differ according to To-
calities, but any farm that will now pro-
duce enough to carry itself, that is, to pay
its taxes and low rate of interest, is
good purchase. Our public lands have been
ing in population, and the domestic market
steadily grows. We are now the greatest
manufacturing nation on the globe, and the
domestic market of the future is beyond
conception. AS to the foreign market, 1t
will always take what we cannot use our
selves. We are farming better every day.
and the business of farming will be more
profitable as time goes on. We have some
of the best food lands on the globe, and
are just beginning to appreciate what they
will produce"
Thirty-Th Dollars Every Second.
Have you any idea" said Secretary Will
son as he turned to his desk. picked up a
pencil and made some figures on slip Of