The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-11-16
PAGE I
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an increasing demand that will absorb the

an increasing demand that will absorb the
surplus
Mr. Obenchain is indignant because he thinks
that | have resorted to mere assertion. de-
clared that the struggle for existence is not as
hard as 1t --as fifty years ago and quoted the
famous socialist, Enges to prove the conten-
tion 1T is not correct to assert that the misery
of the proletariat is increasing" says my autho-
rity. How then. the struggle for existence
be any harder than it was fifty years ago?
Mr. Obenchan says Outside of labor there
isn't single thing that gives value to those
mahogany logs The reader will remember /
proved that the mahogany logs had greater ex-
change value than the pine logs because Of their
usefuiness--their use value-and the greater de-
mand and usefulness as well as labor entered into
the value of those mahogany logs did not deny
that labor is an element in the production of all
values, but declared that 1t is not the sole ee-
ment giving value
Your extract from the New York Herald is
indeed narrowing. The account Vas evidently
written by that kind of a man you deride
"a with no strings tied to him." Now let
me introduce some statistics from different
kind of man, VIZ: State Labor Commissioner
Sherman of New York, who says in his labor bulle-
tin for the second quarter of 1905 that there are
relatively fewer idle wage-earners in New York
than tire even in 1902 the most prosperous
year of the decade The average number Of un-
employed members of labor unions was only ISL
per 1000 in the first half of 1905, as compared
ming of July this year the proportion of idle men
was 81 in 1000, as against 145 In 1902.
And in this connection it must not be for
gotten that the same men not idle every day
in the year. OF the 81 out of 1000 who may be
out of work today all may be employed tomor-
row and may have only few idle days. during
the year
Mr.. Obenchain thinks assert falsely that q
farmer is capitalist. I adduced no proof for this
because it did not strike me that anyone acquant
ed with economics would deny that farmer who
owns and operates his landed estate is capital
list. Amasa Walker in his work on THE Science
of Wealth." says:
Capital is known as fixed or circulating
Fixed capital consists Of every description Of
property employed in production The
land, buildings, and tools of the farmer, the
ships and warehouses of the merchant, the ma
chimes and implements OF the manufacturer, be-
long to this class y Circulating capital
on the other hand, consists of those articles or
commodities which can be readily changed from
one purpose of production to another OF this class
the stock and produce of the farmer the
money and wares of the merchant, the raw mate
rial Of the mechanic"
In this connection it may not be out of place
to present some government statistics to show
that wealth is not being concentrated in the realm
of agriculture Indeed there is a marked ten
dency favorable to the growth of establishments
on a small or medium scale The state OF agri-
cultural holdings in the Uniteri States is shown
by the following tables taken from the twelfth
census, volume 5, PIP. 68S-69O:
Number Number of farms operated by
year Farms Owners re Gasn T snare
1900. ;. 5,737,372 3,7124OS 751,665 1,273,299
1890. -. .4564,641 3,269,729 454,659 S40,254
1880. -. .4,0O89 O7 29S4,3O6 322357 702244
The total number of farms increased there
fore by 555,734 from 1880 to 1890, and by 1,172,-
731 from 1890 to 1900.
With reference to the size OF the farms there
in
Id 100 and 500 and 1000
II under under acres
500 200 and over
acres acres