The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-07-26
OUR WEkL 7H-MAKERS.
AMERICAN FARMERS LEADERS
IN ENRICHMENT OF NATION.
DOLLARS BY THE BILLIONS
Annual Value Of Farm Products In
the United States Greater Than
the Output Of the Worlds
Mines.


the Output Of the Worlds
Mines.
Statistics gathered by the United
States census bureau afford interest
ing studies to those who care to delve
into economic subjects. According to
the government reports issued cover
ing the years up to 1905, the total
amount of capital invested in manu-.
featuring in the United States is $12,-
6S6,265,673. During the year 1905
there was produced of manufactured
products $14,SO2,147,OS7.
The same authority gives the in
formation that the farm values Of the
United States reached the enormous
sum of $2O,514 ,001,S 1886, and to this,
which is the land value, must be add
ed $13,114, 492, O56, which represents
farm improvements. 1t is needless
to give the value of miscellaneous
stocks, etc., but it is sufficient to say
that during the years 1905 and 1906
that the annual production of the
farms of the United States amounted
to $4,000, 100000. 1t 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
pl oducts; but when it is taken into
consideration that the farm supplies
more than so per cent. of the articles
that enter into the manufactures, it
shows how important is the Amer
lean farmer.
Last year the wealth produced by
American farms was five times great
er than the value of gold and silver
produced in the United States for the
year. 1t is estimated that the gold
produced. in the world since the dis
covery of America by Columbus up
to the present time is approximately
$11,368, 100000. During the same Pc
Rod the production of the silver of
the world was $12,420,OOO,OO0 Thus
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-
ti1hated at $4,000, 100000. American
farmers are adding to this wealth at
the rate of between $6,OO0,OO0,O00 and
7,0O0,0O0,00O yearly. The total wealth
OF Great Britain and Ireland is placed
at $4,000, 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 $4,000
900. Every two years the American
farmers produce enough to buy the
kingdom of Italy, and every year
American farms produce wealth SUI
fcient to purchase all of Belgium.
Outside or the 13 original states
in adding to it's possessions expended
$S7,O39,76S. This includes the Louis
lana 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 1O4 times the amount
that was necessary for the United
States to pay for all it's great possess
sions. The cotton crop alone for 1906
was seven times enough to reimburse
the United States for it's expenditures
on account Of the requirement 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 CON-
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 complaint
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 will deny
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 Rut
the American farmer to 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 farQers in the az
I1cultural sections o. the United
states have not alone contributed to-
ward the support Of the stock gam
pliers and the manage-s of the trusts.
but nave assisted in waking possible
tae building up of mammoth aggrega-
Tons OF capital in great financial cen
tiers, and this capital has been used in
the furtherance of combinations that
nave made it possible to dictate to
the farmer what prices he mus+ tako