Weekly Jeffersonian., 1907-01-24


of $1,929,OOO,OOO, clear profit of near
~ 80 per cent upon the capital in
vested. That was the year, as you
VIII remember, when in agricultural
pursuits, S,500,000 people toiled all the
year, representing capital invested
or $l6,O0O,O 100000, and the gross prod
uct sold for not enough to pay WAGES,
but left deficit of $498 100000.
Let us take the year 1900, as shown
in Uncle Sans Statistical Abstract.
The amount of capital invested in
manufactures has been increased un-
til it has reached $4,000 100000. The
number of employees has increased un-
til it is nearly 100000; the gross
product sells for $4,000, 100000. After
deductlng wages and cost of materials,
as above, we have remaining, as noted,
$2,SSS 100000, nearly 20 per cent on
the enormous investment of ten bill
lion dollars. That was the year, the
comparatively prosperous year, in
which the agricultural classes had
nearly twice as many workers engag-
ed, had more than twice as much cap
ital invested, and did not make, after
allowing for taxes and repairs, more
than per cent upon the amount in
vested.
Let us carry these comparisons
little further. Between the years 1880
and 1890 the census reports show that
the one little manufacturing state of
Massachusetts gained greater increase
of wealth than nine of the great agr-
cultural states of this republic. Group
ing four of the great western agri-
cultural states with five of the great
southern agricultural states We find
/. that Massachusetts, the manufacture
ing state, outstripped the nine agricul-
Il t'al states by a tremendous sum of
.om 90 ,000, 900. Is that sufficient to show
id convince you that the tariff sys-
EN- is eating the life out of the farm
err? Is that sufficient to put you upon
inquiry as to whether the manufacture
ing classes are not devouring the ag-
ricultura1 classes?
But let us apply the probe once
again In 1880 the amount of capital
invested in agricultural pursuit in
New England was practically the
same as that invested in manufacture
ing industries In other words, they
started upon the decade equal. At the
end of the ten year period, let us take
note of the relative conditions of these
two runners of the race of material
prosperity Discarding the mere. sys-
tenn of numerals, | simply tell you
that in these ten years, the census
reports reveal the fact that the manu-
featuring classes of New England had
doubled their estate, whereas, the
Yankee farmers had not only NOT
earned one penny of net profit, but
had lost one-fourth of their capital,
and had abandoned 4,160 of their
homes and farms.
Coming on down another decade to
study their condition in the year 1900
as revealed in the census reports. |
find that the manufacturing classes
of New England have again doubled
their estate. whereas the Yankee farm
er has worked ten years without earn
ing one dollar of net profit and has
barely been able to hold his estate at
a stand-still.
How different it was before these
tremendous burdens of privilege were
thrown upon the backs of the agricul-
tural classes! In 1850 the entire
wealth of the country, as above stated,
was $1,000 900 900, in round numbers.
Of this, the south had almost exactly
half, while the north held the other
half. Tn 1860 the north had been en-
abled to increase her estate few hun
dred millions. but she still owned
only $3.460000 whereas, the south
possessed $4,62o,o00. Thus it appears
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