Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-09-07

Hc agriculture department IL 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
10 American agriculture. Indeed, 1t
should be. for the appropriations for
the department are rapidly increasing.
For the fiscal year 1895 S3,303,75O was
voted by Congress, and this was In
creased to $5.9IS,lG O for 1904. Have
the advantages to the farmers in
creased in like proportion to augment
ed appropriations, or is 1t grown like
the other departments into 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
Prop 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: "1'hey 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 n capital
iot 1,,,rx
flooding the Western banks with more
money than they can handle. aud 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 se-
curities are safe investments. but the
average farmer is more interested in
the high trust prices lie is paying
would be more near the truth.
AS an indication that the farmers
prosperity is oyerstated, one of the
large life Insurance companies reports
Iowa in 1902 over S4,OO0,OOo. 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 We're born to make
new homes LOO 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 slibly
about, There is 10 doubt that series
of favorable circumstances, among
them the Chinese-Japanese war, the
| war in South Africa, the war with
Spain. and the prsse9t X:r IN the Easi
has increased the demand for the sur
| plus products of the farms. This H.
crease. 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
Secretary Wilson talks about must he
rara avis, and even he, In his hunt
for investments, has met vast losses
by the depreciation of nearly nll class
es of securities. The beef trust alone
has fiieched 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.
II Secretary Wilson. instead of max
ing exaggerated statements of the
prosperity of the farmers, would urge
President Roosevelt and his Cabinet
to take real action against the beef
trust mngnates, instead of temporary
| injunctionS 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 $685.
COO 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
II.
to it.