The Washington herald., 1912-03-03

Ing q loss ana not a gam, taktnB tne \
principal countries OF the world into con- !
new gold added to the worlds stock in
recent years has hardly more than tend |
ed to- advance the prices OF commodi- |
ties'
''wm the prices Of food continue to be |
high?"
Il believe so. The cheap days in this
country are past. remember when hogs
on the foot brought but cents q pound. |
and fat cattle but cents. Farmers
were being sold out by their creditors.
and not even the consumers OF cheap
pork and beef were prosperous. Nova
days II IS the practice TO compare prices
with those OF 1896, when everything In
the United States was on the bargain
counter. We forget that prices between
the years 1894 and 1sSs were lower than
during any f1ve-year period for half
century, not only here. but In Europe.
This country was filed with idle men
In 1886. Every industry was In state
of collapse. The cost OF living has been
debated for several years, and bitter COM
plants are being heard at every grocery
store and butcher shop in the land We
instinctiyely think Of 1886, and fan to
remember the high prices Of ten years
before. Commodity prices began to ad-
vance in 1899. The records show that the
rise since that year, for the most part,
price level that existed previous TO the
panic of 1895
Gave q Continent Away.
'To me, at least, there Is no mystery
| in present conditions. We Americans had
rich continent to give away-a conti-
nent of fertile lands, splendid forests, and
rich mines. Up to ten years ago farms
were to be had for the asking. Railways
h.. hNTr1f
| for immigrants. Settlers were wanted
along the tracks stretching away in the
| high grass so that freight might be ere
/ ated and the roads made supporting.
Great numbers Of foreigners moved INTO
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, the
Dakotas, and the Southwest. They took
up free land, sent out grains and live
stock. and received machinery and other
things in return. Thus some of the rail-
roads were enabled to pay the interest
| on their bonded debts.
Trees in wooded parts Of the country
were girdled that they might die where
| they stood. or were tut down and
burned. Farmers could not grow crops
| in the shade OF forests. Everybody
wanted quickly to reach the land and
SOW wheat and corn. Inevitably, as time
went on, there was scarcity Of lumber.
| with millions Of new people coming IN
| to be housed. Prices Of building
materials went UP. Was ever there an
effect that can be more clearly traced to
a cause? The price of one staple. there
fore, is easy to explain.
by and by all that We had TO give
| away was gone, but strangers continued
TO pour in upon us from across the sea-
The population grew, moreAn some spots
than In others. but II grew all the time
New mouths were TO be fed, new bodies
Lad to have clothing. new feet required
shoes. The continent was filling up.
Land that sold in Iowa for Sl3 an acre
went up to 500 an acre. The cost OF
producing a bushel Of wheat or corn was
4 considerable increased by the advance
in the value OF land. And land went up
in price for the simple reason that there
were more buyers seeking land than
there were owners looking for buyers.
1 why Clothing Is Dear.
"As with food-wheat, meat and so on
so it was with clothing. More men all
the time had to have coats and trousers.
There are fewer sheep to-day than there
were ten years ago. Everywhere
throughout the world the population is
multiplying and the nocks are dwindling.
Consequently we can readily account for
the rise I'm the price OF wool, another
staple. Then the wider uses Of Some
products must be remembered-ieather
requires hundreds of tons Of leather. an
nually and shoes accordingly advance in
| price not because South Africa is mining
| more gold than heretofore, but for the
reason that a new demand for leather
} has been created. The range where cat
, tie fed is now a farming community.
Beef is another staple that has advanced
in price through causes that are trace
| able and ineligible. Nowhere on earth
to-day is there another fruitful Missis-
, sippi Valley 20 give away to all comers.
besides the changes I have mentioned
, | bearing on standard articles Of daily
. living, We must recognize changes t'ai
. are social and personal Old habits sn6
methods have been put away. Forty
! years ago almost every village family
had a chicken coop, pigpen, and Q
| garden. Perhaps there was a COW ir
. the stable Grocers had no customer:
for vegetables; now they sell lettuc,
IN December tomatoes in January, anf
green things every month Of the year
; Formerly, housekeepers baked their owl
bread. They get Il out OF wagon a
present Fruits are bought in cans
! whereas they used to be put up at horne
! Compared with their present state, th'
: people were poor forty years ago ant
: had 10 be economical The continen
: was being given away, trees we're being
cut down, and the prairies were, slowl.
Z and laboriously yielding to the plow
We were a pioneer people, though vi
|. were comfortable IN a rough way, anC
! happier than we are now, It may be.
E Once the Farmer Was n Joke.
I, "The farmer was pictured In the coni
: publications and on the stage as an un
r SOPHISTICATED person in cowhide boot
: and with straw in his frowsy hair AM
: timothy seed in his long whiskers. H
a was a national joke, and svindlers go
y him to sign harmless paper that aft
: erward turned out to be q promissor,
: note Often he burned his corn becaus
!, | Il was not worth hauling to market
Times were always duh with him AM
!. his family His wife exchanged eggs a
: cents a dozen and butter at a shil
e ling a pound with the merchant 70
d sugar and coffee and enough high
y priced calico to make a Sunday dress
/ Where is that sacrificing farmer now
Q with his shoulders bent before thei
$ time and his legs as siin as polEers from
0 hard and endless work? Why, he is
Q capitalist and an able man. Farming
e has become profitable. 1t IS serfou
business at last-to those who have {
s pey the farmer for his crops. The 1olE
:. has died away In the distance or bee
d transferred 70 the other fellow. Grow
e ing things to eat Is a very inportan
: function. So the farm and the farme
= have established new relations in IN
n social structure. The ragged and strus
e Cling village where he did his bargain
y ing has developed into q busting hui
n city, having street cars, public light,
sidewalks and dozen trains day