Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-09-15
Prosperity of Farmers.

eft Of the farmers, and there is no
doubt that it 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 1896 S3,303, $50 was
voted by Congress, and this was in
creased to $5,97S, 100 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 a 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 farmer s
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 10 hear of their tremendous
prosperity, but most Of them will prob
ably have to admit that Secretary Will
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 $4,000,0O0, 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 ard the flag
under which they were born to make
new homes 1900 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
crease demand could have made the
farmers very prosperous, but trust
high prices were gnawing at their
vitals and deprived Thorn Of the prof
its they were entitled to. That process
is still going on and the farmer that
Secretary Wilson talks about must be
a rara avis, and even he, in his hunt
for investments. has met vast losses
by the depreciation Of nearly all class
es Of securities. The beef trust alone
has fileched millions of dollars from
the pockets Of the farmers by forcing
down the price of cattle and hogs and
raising the price Of beef and pork to
the consumers.
If Secretary Wilson, instead of max
prosperity Of the farmers, would urge
President Roosevelt and his Cabinet
to take real action against the beef
trust magnates, instead of temporary
iniunctions which have had no effect.
he would come nearer earning his sal
airy. Congress appropriated 100000
to prosecute trsuts, but the Depart
ment Of Justice has only expended $25,-
600 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 10 hold fast
to it.
Pleasure and Politics.
If anyone thinks that President
Roosevelt is not busy these days, be-
cause he is not talking for publication,
they are much mistaken The Presi-
dent is fully employed from morning
to night although he only devotes a
"short hour for the duties of his
Office. 1t frets and worries him that
he cannot be more in the public eye,
but the Republican leaders have i'm
pressed on him that he must keep
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