The log cabin Democrat., 1907-07-18
DUR WEALTH-MARERS.
AMERICAN FARMERS LEADERS tN ENRICHMENT OF NATION.
DOLLARS BY THE BILLIONS
Annual vslue of Farm Products in the United States Greater Than the Output Of the Worlds
 Mines.

ing studies to those who care to uelNe into economic subjects. According 10
 the government reports issued cover
 ing the years up Co 1905. the total amount of capital invested in manu.
 facturing in the United States is sl2,- CSC .265.673. During the year 1905
 shere was produced of manufactured
 products sl4.S02. .147.0S7.
 The same authority gives the in-
 formation that the farm values of the
 United States reached the enormous
 sum of $20.5ii.00 .S36. and to tl'is.
 which is the land value. must be add
 ed si3Ii4.492 .05G. which represents
 farm improvements. It is needless
 10 give the value of miscellaneous
 stocks, etc. but 1t is sufficient to say
 that during the years 1905 and 1906
 that the annual production of the
 farms of the United States amounted
 to $6,500. 100000. It will be seen
 from this that while the value of
 farms and improvements is very near
 ly three times the amount invested in
 manufactures, that the production of
 the farms annually is only about one
 half of the value of the manufactured
 products: but when it Is taken into consideration that the farra supplies
 more than 90 per cent. of the articles that enter into the manufactures. it
 shows how important Is the Amer ican farmer.
 Last year the wealth produced by American farms was five times great CT than the value of gold and silver produced in the United States for the year. It is estimated that the gold produced in the world since the dis covery of America by Columbus up to the present time is approximately $11, 1868, 100000 During the same pe- riod the production of the silver of the world was SIP, ,420,0000 900. Thus it can be seen that about every four years American farms bring wealth into the world greater than all the gold and silver that has been pro- duced since Columbus time. The wealth of the United States is now es timated at SIP 2,000,000,000 American farmers are adding to this wealth at the rate of between s6,000, 900, 900 and 1000, 100000 yearly The total wealth of Great Britain and Ireland is placed at $60,200, 100000. At the present wealth producing capacity of the American farmer, in less than ten years the wealth he produces would aggregate more than the total wealth of the great kingdom of Great Brit ain and Ireland. The total wealth of all of Italy is estimated at S13,000, ,000,- farmers produce enough to buy the Kingdom of Italy, and every year farms produce wealth suf- ficient to purchase all of Belgium.
 Outside of the 13 original states in adding to its possessions expended $87 ,039,76 This includes the Louis jana purchase, the Mexican purchase, Alaska, the Philippines and all United States possessions, covering 2,037.613 square miles of territory. The corn corp of the American farmers each year is valued at 104 times the amount that was necessary for the United States to pay for all it's great posses sions. The cotton crop alone for 1906 was seven times enough to reimburse the United States for it's expenditures on account of the acQuiremeht of the vast territories purchased. It is need less to further make comparisons, the American farmer is the great wealth producer of the union. Upon his work is based nearly all the manufacturing, and it may be said nearly all the com merce.
 While the farmer is a great wealth producer and is one of the most in dependent of American laborers, he has perhaps just reason for compiaint as to compensation received for his efforts. While the results of his labor has given employment to an army of millions of workers, the American farmer has also been sub ject to the operations of combina- tions that directly oppose his best in terests. These are the great trusts that control the marketing of what the farms produce. None VIII ucny but that distributing agencies are necessary, but when these agencies become oppressive and make extor- tionate charges for the handling Of the produce of farms, they become in stitutions that are oppressive But the American farmer to a great extent appears to be responsible for the building up of such combinations. In his prosperity he has ignored simple principles recognized in business and which are important to him, Presi- dent Mckinley in one of his addresses made the statement that to locate the factory near the farm means the greatest economy and the highest prices for farm produce; in other words, the factory makes the home market. For years farmers in the az ricuftural sections of the United States have not alone contributed to- ward the support of the stock gam blers and the mar agers of the trusts,