Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1912-07-19

to be good enough for the farmerI His white-col-
Jared neighbors were given to ridfcung him, and
he was the recipient Of such delicate epthets as
"rube. I" "hayseed," and the likeI A farm wagon.
broad brimmed straw hat and y pair of jeans
pants supposed to be all and as good clothing
as he deserved.
His city neighbors. driving buggy with its
paint shimmering in the sunlight land fine team
Of well-kept horses, plush lap-rbbe, a boiled
shirt tailor made suit and othef evidences Of the
superiority of the city man over the farmer, would
pass him in the road with naughty mIen and head
held high
In the home, the city man Would have his p-
ano, his beautiful carpets and rugs, his oak and
rattan rockers, lace curtains and portiers and a
book case with liberal number of the best books.
while his wife and daughters would wear the lat
est fashionable gowns and headgeiar.
The farmer would go to town with load of
produce and IL he could dispose Of it at ALL he was
lucky If the entire load brought him enough in
merchandise" to provide himself with pair of
overalIs and calico dress for hist wife.
He would receive such fabulous prices as &c a
pound for hens. &c dozen for eggs &c pound
for hogs. SOC bushel for wheat l25c bushe for
oats, 25c a bushe for corn. IS tdbn for hay, $50
each for good horses. SIT for g4od mich cows,
and so on down the line for the Articles of civ
ing"
Certainly there was no high cost of living
in those days,-not for the farmelr. But conditions
have changed. The ease and plehty of city life
caused an exodus from the farms to the larger cit.
les and while only fifteen years lsince more than
half the population of the Unitedy States were on
farms the conditions had SO changed in 1910 that
more than half the people were living in cities.
The increase in city population, non-producers,
and the corresponding decrease Vim rural popula-
tion producers. has resulted iIR demand far
greater than the supply, and as n consequence the
products of the soil have Increased in value, and
so we have the high cost of living" for those
who do not produce anything.
Today the farmer rides in his touring car,
wears his fashionable suit, ownss good home with
modern fixtures, has piano, leat her-covered rock
ers. brussels instead q rag carp4ts. his wife and
daughters dress in the latest Styles and his child
rem have all the education and intelligence OF the
town child
Today it is the man who is entitled TO it thai
Is getting paid for his abors. In the cities. the
e laboring element is continually struggling by al
Q means, honorable and otherwise to force an In
crease in wages, Ito compel excessive payment foi
0 work which produces nothing. The business man
whose earnings are no greater than formerly. but
who finds that he must pay the farmer fair price
for his products sees his profits growing less each
Q year, and he joins in the demand for an investi
a CATION" as to the causes.
e The facts are that the present high prices O
: products grown by the farmers will in all proba
bity never be lower, instead there is little doub
but that they will go higher So long as people
persist in hockng to the over-populated cities Tx
moths to an electric light so long will the Zoo
products of the land increase in cost.
If more people would resolve to do the hare
!, work of the farmer and put up with some OF tn
solitude of the farm the question of the high cos
of living would cease to be such problem, at leas
r for many years