Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1904-09-02
Prosperity of Farmers.

/ uOuDI lEaL IL mas DetA VI SACAt SCA 49,
| to American agriculture. Indeed, II
should be, for the appropriations for
| the department are rapidly increasing.
For the fiscal year 1895 S3,303, 750 was
voted by Congress, and this was III
creased to S5,97S, 100 for 1904 Have
the advantages to the farmers IL
| creased in like proportion to augment
| ed appropriations, or is it grown ike
| 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
| crop report scandals" which partly ex-
plains where the money goes.
| Secretary Wilson should look after
7 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 farmers
| pocketbook is full, that he is a capital
list, only hunting for investments,
| flooding the Western banks with more
money than they can handle, and send
| ing millions 20 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 100000, that is,
the new loans Tlade 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 1,50O miles nearer the north
pole if prosperous?
Does that look like the transcend
banner agricultural State Of the Union
that Secretary Wilson talks so glibly
about. There is no doubt that q 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
| 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 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.
If 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 magnates, 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 S25,-
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 to hold fast
to it.
Pleasure and Politics.
If anyone thinks that President
Roosevelt is not busy these days, be-
1 ha 40 Iyiv e.,
| 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. It frets and worries him that
he cannot be more in the public eye,
/ but the RanuhIican leaders haro in,