Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-05
AgricuIturists Coming Out
of Slough of Defeat and
Again Are Getting Their
Heads Above Water
BY JAMES B. HOLM

WASHINGTON, D. c., July 90
The American farmer is coming
back.
He is beginning to emerge from
the tremendous slough Of despair
and suffering, in which he has
floundered for the past 20 months.
His head is once more above water
and he feels that the crisis is past.
He believes better times are COM
ing. although almost imperceptibly
slow.
The farmer himself says this.
In a 25O0-mile trip through the
| heart of agricultural America have
| learned the true conditions from
the man with the hoe and the man
behind the pillow. have talked with
| the "dirt farmer" the rich and poor,
| landlord and tenant, with the coun-
try banker and the county farm bu-
reau agent.
| I have learned first-hand Of the
tremendous struggle the farmer has
had to make to make both ends
meet during the past year and a
half
| Literally, the farmer has suffered
not only from want of the comforts
but of the necessities of life, that
America and the world might eat.
1t was told how the value of his
land shot downward with a thud
that meant ruin to many who had
toiled years for little gain. ]
learned how prices of crops and prod.
|
gouged and swindled by profiteers
how there was suffering for lack OF
the comforts of life; how the young
man left the farm for the city and
how crops were lost for want OF
help to harvest them; how the farm.
er's morale was shot to pieces.
| For year or more he felt himself
a beaten man for whom the future
held but little.
| Now his courage has returned
He has faced about with the light
of new spirit in his eye.
The practical American farmer is
not claiming that prosperity is here
Far from it. But he believes it is on
the way, slowly coming nearer every
day.
All Optimistic
| L heard everywhere, ave lost
money last year. This year we ex-
pect to break even or perhaps make
a little money. Things look better"
All this is Of tremendous import
ance to the country. Farming is
by far the largest of all the nations
activities. They call it the basic
business or industry of the country
and maintain there can be no last
ing prosperity until the farmer is
| prosperous and contented. With the
farmer prosperous and spending his
money, the whole country should
then experience better times.
In this swing through the garden
OF America" I learned Of men who
had virtually worked for nothing in
the past year, If a fair rate of inter.
| est be allowed on their investment.
Or, II very small wage be allowed
to them as workers, then their farm
as a business, lost money.
1 was told Of men, supposedly
wealthy through inheritance of rich
farms, clear of debt, who had to Dor
row money enough to pay their
taxes. They couldn't make enough
| from their farms.
| Families were found whose cash
| income would not exceed 5000 for
| liz
rent and a part of their food.
| These do not mean extreme cases
| such as the shiftless, the ignorant
and the unfortunate. With hard
work, good crop returns and good
luck, still there was no money to be
made.
Pre-war prices for his crops and
wartime prices for his machinery,
| groceries, clothing, ETC., were a bad
combination.
Said an Indiana farmer: "It's bad
enough when a man has no work
and therefore no pay. But it's
worse yet when you put in full time
and get no pay for what you do"
Usually Secretive
The average farmer is curiously
secretive about his financial income
Sometimes it is because he himself
doesn't know and hates to admit it
But I talked with many farmers
in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky
Indiana and Ohio about their income
and about their neighbors' income
1t was always the same.
~ couldn't make a decent living
last year." they would say.
U. S. government reports, based
on surveys in 1916, showed the aver
age farm income then to be about
5000 per year, of which 5000 was
in cash. This was in the best three
agricultural states.
New surveys are being made this
. year. No report is yet available
but it will show a change for the
worse. The farmer may be taking
in the same amount of money as be
fore, but it goes only half as far.
If $500 was the average income IL
1916, the income of those below the
average can be readily imagined. II
some cases it was as low as $500.
family nowadays doesn't live very
! high on $500 per year.
; Reasons for Change
The reasons for the change Of feel
ing by the farmer are varied, NJ