The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-12-07
Things Are in a Bad WayH You
Listen to the Calamity Boys
Reprinted from an Article by
GEORGE L. DANIELS
In Farm Life for December ro
In farm Life for December ~


1--WE get started GO snyfng hoo
at Vnc Risotller, M don't know
low To stop"
These are price -slumping days 10
Agriculture, and as values Of fartp
~ oducts go sliding downward, every
body wonders when rock bottom viii
be reached.o VIII, your wheat so
down to $50 a bushel-or back 10
$3.50? WIN my corr soil at 90 cents,
or Si.T5R Are we just naturally and
inevitably going back 20 pre-war
prices? = And. most important ques-
lion OF all, are we on the high road
70 ruin, with no chance TO apply the
brakes?
] think we are a good deal lilt1
frightened children. telling ourselves
\ ghost stories Just FOR the thrill Of the
thing. We get started TO saying boo
az n another. and don't know how
70 stop.
As a mntler Of cold fact. for an OF
our grumhlinE, We know that aEri-
culture is not bankrupt. The farmer
In being figured into the poo house
by his friends, or folks who behcVe
they are his friends, hut the calami
tous calculations are deceptive.
! went down To Washineton the
other day to find out for the readers
I VI IANNA lAtA NNAAANAAAANNA AhNhA AANNAN
conditions Ut the present time, and
the probabilities Of the future, as
they vitality AFFECT u prosperity.
/ visited the secretary OF agricul
ture, aud the comptroller Of the
treasury. and the governor Of the
federal reserve board, and the sec
rotary of the federal farm loan syB
tom, aud the accredited representa-
tives Of the farm bureau, the Grange.
and other farm organizntiOns-and
then | came back home and talked
TO Old Btil Brown from back In the
hills. Now I am ready To report.
At the Bureau OF Crop Estimates
we were told that the principal crops
OF tho country-omitting tobacco.
rice. sugar bects and sonic other
items valued at the market price on
November /, amounted to S9,693, ss2,-
SCI. Within the month some values,
notably wheat and corn have suffered
declines. but II we add h yearly pro-
duction OF live stock, dairy n poul-
try products, and minor sources Of
farm revenue TO the crops estimated
above, We will have fifteen or twenty
billion dollars as the. years agricul-
turni output. A billion or two. more
OF less. doesn't seem to make 50
much impression on u minds.
OF course. when a man makes. up
his mind that he's awfully sick and
goes to bed to get petted, he Doesn't
always enjoy having the doctor tell
him 20 get up and go to work and
forget about II. In such a case the
man has buen known TO fro his doc
tor who told him the truth, aud hire
a quuck who would humor his hypo-
chondria.
Refuse to Be Comfortable.
1 know farmers who are out OF
debt, and with cribs fun of corn and
bins full OF grain, who simply troth
Al the mouth when you tell them
they are not bankrupt. They have
been listening to thu cry OF he
calamity boys, and they are determin-
cd 10 fear u,e worst.
Everybody, or Just about every
body, Is taking- his medicine these
days. And Of course, u being a bitter
dose, the patient makes II wry face
Manufacturers and mercDnnts arc
losing money and suffering from the
slump.
Farmers have lost. let d. say, two
or three billion dollars by the slump
In prices. The secretary OF agricul-
| lure. I believe. placed the sum at a
little less than three billion dollars.
That will not be far from rs per cent
OF the total value of the years prod
uets. IL ~ enough, goodness knows;
but you'd think to hear the grumbiing
from over the land that agriculture
had losi the very shirt on It's back.
IA TO The matter OF money John
Hkelton Williams. comptroller Of the
Tinted States treasury. ana n MAJ OF
accurate figures, tells me that ae-
ooraine u ais latest aompilntiop the
| total bank deposits of the country
amount to S~4i,T1Ase16. 900. II you
know how mletir that isi
Ala Wiiiiainn would not undertake.
' 70. tell me how much OF this sum was