The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-08-06

demand gone and buying power with
drawn he found his gross selling price
cut in two. His gross at the high fig
ure had enabled him to make 8 per
cent net on his new capitalization.
This now was cut one-half by the re-
duction Of his gross selling price and
instead Of making per cent return.
as he was able to do perhaps on his
original 500 acre farm he has since
been lucky if he has made IN per
cent on his new capital account.
The Remedy
I am confident that something of
this kind underlies rs per cent of the
present difficulty. How can it be
remedied? believe that time and in
telligent hard work is the surest
restorative of better conditions. No
magic of trick legislation can accom-.
plish the result. There are few
facts which must be faced and &C.
cepted before a start to better things
can be made. The first and most i'm.
portant is recognition that farming
never was, is not now, and do not
believe ever will be a so-called
money-making proposition. By this
mean businessin which a man may
engage with the certainty of being
able over period of years from the
production and sale of farm com
modities to accumulate great wealth.
There are those who will say that
unless farming can be made a sue.
cessful money-making proposition
there is no hope for the future of the
country My argument with such peo-
pie will turn on the correct definition
of what is a satisfactory money-mak-
ing business, l believe that if farm
ing is intelligently and industriously
followed it is satisfactory business
but I do not believe that it is sufl-
GENTLY a money-making proposition
to attract those who are ambitious to
play for big fortunes.
There are those also who say that
many men have grown rich in the
past in agriculture. 1 do not think
they have from the mere production
and sale of farm commodities. The
men who have grown rich in the past
from agriculture have owed their
success most largely to the ownership
of what would now be considered
very cheap lands, which over Pc
Rod of years have shown quadruple
and more appreciation in values.
The Advantages Of Farm Life
But if agriculture docs not mean
great wealth, and it certainly does not
involve a life Of idleness, ease, or
luxury, 1t does mean much more. It
means if intelligently and Industrious
ly followed a character of independ.
ence vouchsafed to no other trade or
profession. How do l know this? /
know it by experience and I know it
by observation. The farmers of to-
day have more good, wholesome food
than any man working on a salary of
$4,000 per year can buy for his family
and be able to pay his grocery bill
without paying any other of his debts.
The farmers who are complaining of
their inability to make money enough
to pay for their necessities of life are
enjoying at home as a natural heri.
tage of their business comforts and
Injuries which the man in the indus.
trial centers working for salary ia
spending every dollar of his income
to obtain and then is not getting any
thing commensurate with those en-.
joyed by the farmer.
1t Is these so-called unledgered
items of the farmers income that are
too often lost sight Of in the oaleula-
tions made by our reformer friends
who would legislate living wage and
universal prosperity to those engaged
in agriculture. II the farmer as a
whole would be happy again he must
take stock of his blessings and thank
God for them, get rid of his quack
doctors of political bunkum, revalue
his plant and equipment, and start
over again in full knowledge of the
fact that he must face keen and eHee.
tive competition, that he must work
hard and intelligently. that he must
calculate in his income inherent and
undeniable items. which are moi
measured in dollars and cents.
When he does this. l feel perfectly
certain that over period of years.
taking the good and the bad as it
comes to all classes of business. he
will find that he has lived well, that
he has had fair margin for the en-.
joyment of all the necessities of life
and surplus for those luxuries which
he has right to claim. and above all.
that he will have had a chance to be
an Independent individual, real man
and self-respecting citizen.