Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-02-22
HERALD'S EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY

HERALD'S EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY
With the current issue Grant
County Herald passes into the eigh-
tleth year of its existence This ex-
istence has been unbroken since the
time Of the papers founding in 1843.
During the course of such long per-
iOd the Herald has had it's vicissitudes
such as any business would have but
it has survived them all and marched
from the pioneer days to the present
as the servant and free press of its
constituents. Today the Herald is the
third paper in age in Wisconsin being
surpassed by twO-The Madison State
Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel
The Herald is by far the Oldest bust
ness institution in Grant county ano
thanks to the loyal support of it's
many patrOns-a the most -four
ishing.
While long life of men or of insti-
tutiOns is unique it is not, by ITSELF
cOmmendable. MediOcrity of mind
and soul or even iniquity can long
survive and find ground in which to
flourish just as can broadness, intel
ligence and love Of service. Unless
Age has gathered to itself laurels of
achievement it is not entitled to honor
although it may ask for it. Just be-
cause thing is old does not imply
that it is venerable.
In the eighty years since the Her.
aid was launched in a rude cabin
with what would now be a primitive
equipment, the paper has had nd-
merOus editors. Of these the present
editor has but seven years to his
credit and certainly can make no
claim along with The old paper for
consideration. AS yet we are work
ing our way through methods and
policies that we hope some day will
amount to something and make the
papers quality speak for itself with
out any voice from the office. But
in looking over our old files it seems
to us that the main idea and ambition
has been to serve the community by
honestly printing the news and hon
estly trying to be of service to the
people. Because it has done this we
feel that Grant County Herald has at
tanned the ripeness of it's eightieth
birthday and looks forward with hope
and cheerfulness to further years.
-OOO-
From all careful students of the
United States economic situation
comes the conviction that the whole
trouble with farming lies in the in
fiated and ever rising prices of farm
lands. This conviction is not confined
to students-in talking it over with
farmers day after day we find the
same conclusion Prices today are
reasonably good when a pre-war basis
of land values is considered in figur-
ing return on investment However,
speculation during the latter part OF
the war and the year Following forced
land prices to unheard of figures and
Immediately following top land prices
product prices began to slump. This
is an old and painful story known to
every farmer and business man.
Prices have slumped steadily since
until quite recently when a firmeH
market began. The gist of the whole
proposition is contained in a report
compiled by the Iowa State College
of Agriculture.
This study comprised, among other
things, an investigation of 1876 farms
devoted to the raising of oats. The
average value Of the land was found
to be $3.50 per acre. The largest
item in the cost Of production OF oats
on this land was the interest on the
money invested in the land at 512 per
cent. This production cost came to
1888 per acre All other production
costs came to $500 per acre. Thus
over half the cost of production was
interest on the investment in land.
The study SHOW ed that on only two
farms out Of the 1876 were oats pro-
duced for less than the market price
of oats, which is A cents a bushe}.
In other words, all of the other far
mers were raising oats at "a loss.
They could vastly better afford to sell
their land and put the money and
their time in at something else.
This is the way the thing works.
AS population increases the price Of
land rises steadily, inevitably. The
result is that the price of farm pro-
ducts also rises All Of us, when we
pay our grocery bills, ere giving half
the money to the landowners. But
there is constant opposition on the
part of the consumer to the rise of
food prices. Hence the price of land
tends to rise always q little faster
than the price of farm products. The
land price is pressing always against
the food price, so to speak, and the
farmer is caught and squeezed be-
tween the two.
Everything that is zone to make
farming easier only contributes to
raise the price of land and force up
the price of food, so that neither the
farmer nor the consumer benefits. A
protective tariff on the farm products
is attacked upon just this ground,
and so are all of the other political
panaceas that are offered the farmer.
1t would be impossible to outline
here the methods by which the prices
OF farm land might be stabilized.
None of them is acceptable to the in
terests now in control of the country
and that is why the matter is never
discussed. Yet it seems certain that
the country must ultimately face the
facts and AFT unOn them -(EditOr'S