Ligonier Banner., Volume 25, Number 48, Ligonier, Noble County, 12 March 1891 — Page 9

THE BANNER SUPPLEMENT.

WHAT’S THE MATTER?

Address of J. B. Stoll, Delivered Before the St. Joseph County Farmers’ Institute, February 23, 1891,

' Feeling the pulse of complaining people‘ and endeéavoring to diagnese their ailments, has turned out to be a much more difficult undertaking than I imagined when I informed Chairman Jones that he might Yut me down on the program, to tell this audience “*What’s the Matter.”” Not that there is trouble in locating difficulties, ailments, or diseases, but that the field is so yast, and the material to work upon so abundant, that full justice cannot be done the subject in hand within the time to be consumed by any one speaker at a gathering of this kind. In this country of politics and agitation it has become fashionable to at-. tribute and charge nearly all the troubles encountered by the human family, either to the government, to ‘‘the other party.”’ or to existing, governing systems. If this, that, or something else were otherwise, this and that evil would not exist, everything would be lovely, and the proverbial goose would hang ever so high. - One of the many excellent things said by the lamented Gen. "‘Wm. T. Sherman, at a banquet not over a year ago, was, that people were 'always eager toreform everything and everybody but their own shortcomings and themselves. When 1t comes to the latter, the zeal for reform is instantly chilled and stops right there. Now, what is it that is the matter with us as a people? The chief trouble, so far as ascertainable by a measurable searching investigation, is that all of us havn't got all the money we would like to have; don’t have as fine houses and as elegant furniture as we might wish to call our own ; don’t own as many broad acres, with fine houses and hugh barns, blooded stock, ete., as some pioneer settlers own; can’t ride in as fine carriages as some others do; can’t go on as many tours as our fancy craves; don’t wear as fine, costly clothes as worn by those. who assiduously study the latest fashions; in short, that somebody else has been more fortunate in the accumulation of riches, and that we havn’t been able to keep up with the procession of the affluent who know not the want of money and need not deny themselves any of the luxuries and pleasures of an easy going world. Do not understand me as saying that this applies to all who complain or

HAYE REASON TO COMPLAIN.

There are defects, evils and wrongs innumerable that enter into the consideration of this theme in its broader scope that 1 cannot venture to touch upon specifically, on this occasion. I must eontent with a grouping together of the real or imaginary grievances of what is commonly known as the middle class whose atfairs and condition in life we are supposed to have under immediate consideration. In so far as my remarks are applicable to farmers alone, I conscientiously believe to be a fact, at least so far as this country is cencerned, that there is no immediate cause for indulging in soul-harrowing lamentations. Unless [ am greatly mistaken, and grossly deceived, there is nothing alarmingly the matter with you and these whom you represent.- I de not, as a matter of course, assume that you find everything exactly as you would like to have it, nor that some things might not be more favorable than they are; but in the main, I take it that, considered all in all, you are pretty well situated, that you enjoy your three meals a day, keep fairly well posted on current events by reading the South Bend papers, and are laying up something for a rainy day. ‘ ; That will do by way of generalization, But when a doctor deliberately feels that patient’s pulse and sagely looks at his tongue. it follows as a matter of course that he shall also prescribe, or administer medicine, even though there be little the matter with him, the patient. 'The delicate duty I shall endeavor to perform, selecting the 'least harmful and most palatable pills, carefully sugar-coated, for the benefit of those who may consider themselves in need of treatment.

One of the most encouraging and cheerful bits of information-that of late has reached my ear,came from a member of this organization when he said to a brother farmer. in my presence, that the main troeuble with the average

farmer was that too much dependence had been placed on muscle and not enough on brain power; that the true farmer must be a thinker and a student; and that by the power of thinking many of the difficulties that confront the average farmer may be overcome. Among these he mentioned that - ;

THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS OF DROUTHS may in a measure be averted by scientific and systematic cultivaiion of the soil.

This declaration set me to thinking. I recalled the innumerable difficulties that confrent the average business man, the manufacturer, the -artisan, the contractor, the builder, ‘ete. It oceurred to me thatif business in these particular lines were attempted to be done in the slip-shod manner in which some farmers do theirs, what a harvest it would be for the industrious reporter in chronicling the collapse of the managers of such enterprises in our towns and cities! ‘‘Man know thyself!”’ is d4s wise an injunction today as it was when first promulgated by the sages of centuries ago. The products of the farm must come from Mother Earth; they must grow; they must be cultivated; they must be properly stored after being harvested. All this requires judgment, intelligence, knowledge. Man must know himself in order to determine what he is best fitted to do. If it be his inelination, his judgment, his preference to follow the pursuit of a farmer—in my opinion the happiest, proudest and most independent vocation that man can choose—he ought to study as hard, as persistently and as earnestly to understand the chemistry, adaptability and susceptibility of the soil as the pharmacist studies the

PECULIAR QUALITIKS OF THE ROOTS, herbs and minerals-that come within his domain; or as the lawyer studies the principles of law, the doctor the efficacy of medicine, the philcsopher the elements of truth, or the statesman the science of government. Well, this may be declared: rather a high standard. So be it. It 13 excellence that tells in this progressive, inventive age. He who is content with indifferent. careless, shiftless and wholly unscientific farming, has no just right to eomplain if his returns correspond exactly with his management, or want of management. It is laid down in the book of books ‘that ye cannot gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles.' ,In reading the periodicals of the day I frequently run across articles bearing this heading: *‘Does Farming Pay? If not, why not?’’ That question might be truthfully and comprehensively answered in a few words, something like this: Because he deesn’t understand his business, or understanding it doesn’t attend to it. . :

If there be among this audience those who take issue with me on this particular point, let him, or her—l am not particular as to sex—invite me to get into his or her bugey scme fine day and pass through the several townships of St. Joseph county, andd T am inclined to think 1t will not befa very difficult matter to produce evidence that farming— intelligent. progressive, systematic' farming—does pay, and handsomely at that. . But, methinks 1 hear some. one say that farming does not pay as well as some other business pays. That may be, and yet it depends somewhat upon how we caleulate. In this age of sharp competition profits in manufacturing and mercantile pursuits are necessarily comparatively small. Large gainscanonly be éxpected or realized when production or sales -are exceptionally large. The wider the field, the greater the opportunity and the larger the aggregate profit. Suppose Mr. Studebaker’s capacity to turn out wagons was limited to fifty or ‘one Lundred a yvear, he cou}dn’t begin to afford to sell his wagons at the price he does now. It is because the institution) of which he is the head can turn out 30.000. or 40,000 wagons a year that the gains of that great factory aggregate largely and give it high rank among the great enterprises of the world. The unrivalled and matchless warket of this vast country, with its thousands and hundreds of thousands of thrifty farmers, i@iit invitingly open to this great institution, to say nothing of the markets of the world. The same remark applies with equal force to all other great factories that are in posi-

tion to reach out for the trade of practically unlimited markets. =~ But it is not in the nature of things to have many such exceptionally large institutions. They are the exception rather than the rule. No such marked differences as to magnitude can be traced to agricultural pursuits, unless we take into account the large wheat farms of Minnesota and the lakotas.

Greater equality is to be _A_fofi;l;iwiiri farming thaninany = 5 .

OTHER BRANCH OF INDUSTRY.

It is the judgment of impartial obseryers that farms ranging from 100 to 300 acres pay relatively better than larger ones. This is decidedly in favor of the man of moderate capital. It preserves the comforting status of the middle class, which 'is said to be the mainstay of society and the bulwark of the republic. It we would escape the criticism of Gen. Sherman, referred to in the opening of this address, we must be prepared to deal honestly and candidly with ourselves. ' 1t is one of the most stupendous follies of the period to constantly insist on reforming everybody but our own immediate circle. If things don’t pan out as favorably as we would wish them to pan out, let us inquire within and try to ascertain What's the Matter. If the credit side of the ledger—assuming that account is kept - at all—doesn’t show up as it ought to, don’t fling the book into a corner of the room with the impious exclamation that congress or the legislature ought to be in the infernal rezions for deing or not doing this or that. Neither congress nor the legislature, neither president nor governor, can be justly blamed if you let costly machinery stand for weeks or months out in the wet, allowing the same to rust; if you don’t do your planting and harvesting at the right time; if mhn’t pay Eome attention to mar- , With a view to selling at the most favorable time; if you depend on raising :

ONLY WHEAT OR CORN; if yon persist.in adhering te ‘runty’’ animals instead of introducing blooded stock; if yon don’t get enough butter and eggs to‘kéep yvour family in greceries the year round; if you haven’t now and then a horse, a mule, a cow, a steer, a heifer or a calf to sell; if you spend more time with ‘‘the boys' in town than looking after matters and things on the farm; if, in short, you are shiftless and thriftless, and practically amount to nothing, 1t will make precious little difference to ‘you whether congress or the legislature is controiled by the Democrats. the Republicans, the Farmers’ Alliance, or any other party. Neither will you, by pursuing such a course, be able, except under extremely favorable circumstances, (duch as having kind, indulgent friends and relatives,) to long escape the clutches of the sheriff. Neither a protective tariff fathered by Major McKinley, nor a *‘tariff for revenue only”’ fathered by Roger Q. Mills, nor even the muchly discussed and little understood single * tax theory of Herry George, will save your bacon. And this brings me to another peint: Don’t depend too largely on the government to help you along. The function of government is to. protect you in your rights, your life, your proeperty. While it is the duty of every citizen to support the government, it is by no means | : - THE DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT to support every citizen. In fact, yon have no moral or legal right to look to the general government for support unless you have a special claim upon it for having rendered some particularly valuable seivice, such as taking up arms in defense of the flag and maintaining the supremacy of the law. Some people look upon the government as being a greatbig cow that has a never-failing, never ceasing flow of rich milk to supply and satisfy the wants of every fellow that comes along; bat they never think that such a cow needs to be well fed and otherwise cared for. It is true, Uncle Sam carries a big pocketbook, and enjovs an enviable credit, but never fail to remember, my friend, that whatever he has comes from the people, in the form of taxes, direct and indirect, willingly and ungrudgingly paid for the legitimate purposes of the govern‘ment, but not to be squandered among favorites nor to be fileched by public plunderers. - - B ¢ E o Eba _ If you are_burdened with debt from

which there is no reasonsable prespect of escape, make short work of your dilemma by *‘unloading’’ the best way You can. 1t does not pay to struggle against hope, to waste the best years of your life in thé futile attempt to get the better of accumulated and accumulating interest. Sell out and begin anew, on a smaller but safer basis. It 18 better to operate a small farm that You can master than to operate a large one that will nfaster you. I am delighted to know that the Utopian scheme of converting the national treasury into a pawnbroker shop, to encourage borrowing, speculation and recklessness, and eyentually to bring incalgulable misery and inevitable bankruptey upon the country, does not find favor in the eves of this organization. Debt-making should be discouraged, not invited. Borrowing or gomng into debt, under certain favorahle circumstances, is not always

AN UNMIXED EVIL. © = .. It has helped many an enterprising and energetic individual along; but the use of borrowed money should be governed by sound judment and discretion. As the late Judge Mitchell used to say, “‘interest is an insidious foe.” It keeps right: on growing, whether you make anything or not. Unless carefully guarded, it will get the better of you, and 1n the end swamp the heedless.

To those who feel discouraged over the low prices which have ruled the grain markets of the word for a number of years, or who grieve over the fact that the value of land does not rate as high as it did some years ago, it may be consoling to learn that our most sagacious business' men throughout the country concur in the judgment that there is a better day ahead for the. American farmer. Our fireat cities are being overrun with workingmen. Men of small means are beginning to see that they cannot maintain a condition of independent life in these great cities. So they intuitively look to the country, and will gradually seek the only independent life open to them —that of the small farmer, fruit grower and market gardener. This will naturally have a tendency to enhance the value of land, especially in the vicinity of thrifty, prosperous towns. Another reason for this theory is to be found in the fact that most of the land suitable for farming purposes has been taken up 1n the far west, and that competition from that souree is no lenger to be feared.

Butit would be worse than useless to disguise the faét that in order to get along in the world there must be applied to farming, as well as to every other branch of industry, judgment, knowledge, perseverance, pluck, industry, frugality, sobriety. These are essential requisites to success in life. Without them prosperity will be looked for in vamn. Many a dilapidated farm, after passing from shiftless into thrifty hands, has been made to :

BLOOM LIKE THE ROSE : mn the garden. A little improvement here and a little improvement there, costing comparatively little money; neatness about the premises, attractive lawns, plenty of shade trees, and good thrifty orchards, work a wonderous transformation and often create a surprising demand for such property.” No better illustration can be given of what push and judgment will do in reviving, and invigorating 3 drooping, dragging business that never paid, than by citing the history of that great newspaper, the New York World, which for aver twenty years eked out a precarious existence, had but a limited circulation, and drove & number of very talénted literary gentleman into poverty and despair. The right man finally got hold of it, and in a few years made it perhaps the most prosperous publication 1n the world. " His predecessors had the same field, the same opportunities, but they failed to strike the touch-stone of success. They didn’t know how, and that's what's the matter in thousands upon thousands of other cases. in every branch of industry, farming not excepted. If you would have relief from unjust and unequal laws, elect to legislative positions mén of di‘qcerning judgment, of unflinching courage, and of ripe experiencd in the affairs of the world—men whose lives bear eloguent testimony to their fitness and honesty of purpose. Disdaining to pose as a political quack, 1 do not presume te have discovered a panacea for all the ills of