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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1901)
1 8 'Cbc Conservative. BOYS , GET A FARM I J. Sterling Mortoii , Ex-Secretary of Agriculture , iu n recent article in the Saturday Evening Post , expresses the conviction that within the next fifty years , all farming lands that are at all well-located , anywhere in the United States , will bo worth at least from $200 to $300 per acre , while those lying close to market and the cities will be worth more yet. He says that this will not be duo to speculation in agricultural lands , bxit simply to the demands which our rapidly increasing population will make upon lauds of that class. Ho advises the yoitug men of this country to get farms to take up homesteads if possible and to improve them as rapidly as possible and then hold onto them. Ho soys that nothing that he knows of in the line of what is called , "legitimate business" promises so well as does the securing of desirable farming lands before the price goes any higher. He calls attention to the fact that iu spite of the so-called "dull times" of the past six or eight years , the price of farm ing lauds has steadily advanced , and he says they are bound to go higher , right along. This article would bo incomplete did wo not say that in our opinion , farming can bo made to pay in St. Louis county about as well as in any other portion of the country , so that it is not necessary for one desiring-afarm to go away out to Kansas or Nebraska , or even to the western portion of the state or to the Dakotas. All that is needed to "make farming pay" here is to know how to farm to carry on farming operations intelligently. For instance , it is not worth while for a farmer in this vicin ity to waste his time in raising wheat. We do not say this for the reason that this country will not produce a good crop of that cereal , for as a matter of fact it can produce the very best of wheat ; but we make this statement be cause laud here will prodtico far more profitable crops than wheat. For a farmer in this county to make a special ty of raising wheat , would be trying to beat the Red River farmer "at his own game. " Let the Red River farmer on the open prairie go ahead with his wheat raising ; but let the St. Louis county farmer turn his attention to other matters to products that he can raise far more profitably. For instance , we are safe in saying that this county is not to-day produc ing the one hundredth part of the vege tables , butter , eggs , cheese , poultry , strawberries , blackberries , currants , pie plant and celery , &c. &c. , that her people ple consume ; and yet this county is ad mirably adapted to produce all these staple family necessities. There is no other class of people in the country that wo know" of who are passing along "through this vale of tears , " with fewer tears and more com fortably , than are the scores of well-to- do farmers in Hermantowii ; and what they are doing , tens of thousands more industrious and intelligent farmers could do. By the way , it would open tlie eyes of thousands of people in this city who "have their noses on the grind stone" and who are struggling so hard to make ends meet and to live "respect ably" on meager salaries , should they go out and visit around for a few days amongst those same Hermantowii farm ers and see how nicely they are getting along. They secure here in Duluth "a gilt-edged price" for any thing that they have [ to sell and that is all that a farmer any place asks. We will close as we began , "Boys , get a farm and hold on to it ! " The Duluth Tribunal , July 27 , 1901. COMMENTS ON THE CONSERVATIVE. The editor of the Nebraska Oity CONSERVATIVE is a thinker , and some times confronts the people with homely truths. In instance : "Every man and woman holding the office of parent ought to realize the fact that the children are drafted into this world , that they came into the battle of life not as volunteers , but as conscripts. The fathers and mothers of the land are responsible for the existence of the children , and the obligation is largely upon the parents to so develop , physi cally and mentally , those children , as to make them good citizens. Under our modem school system , the duties of parenthood are very much lessened , ap parently , by the attempt of the state to act as parent-general for all families. Thus the common-school system , to gether with the purchase of the text books for pupils , has in a manner , re leased the fathers and mothers of the country from a natural duty and obli gation. " Editor Morton believes in such ameudation of the common-school sys tem of the United States as would ren der eligible to tuition at public expense only children whose parents should , un der oath , declare themselves unable to pay for it. The California ! ! , July 20th , 1901. In the Crete Democrat of the 17th instant , Colonel Bowlby comments , af ter reproducing an editorial paragraph from THE CONSERVATIVE as to its edi tor , and refers to the death of his young est son , Carl Morton , which occurred January 7th , 1901 , as follows : "His mind's eye should be fixed on the future , life should be to him only a transitory form of eternal existence , and death a welcome messenger from the Judge who rewards the deserving. Trouble should come only while the life or existance of a near one , is at stake ; when the final ordeal is passed , then the trouble should be over and the mind re turn to its daily routine , satisfied with the results. " The Pioneer Grip , of Alliance , Box Butte county , Nebraska , reproduces in full , a CONSERVATIVE editorial upon the obligations of parents to their children and kindly remarks : "So many articles are published these days concerning the proper training of children and written by people having neither children nor the inclination to get them that the public has come to look upon such advice with a feeling of contempt or disgust. However , when a man having achieved the success of J. Sterling Morton , in giving to the world a family of the eminent attainments possessed by his own sons , has anything to say , it is given thoughtful considera tion and attention. The following arti cle taken from the Nebraska City CON SERVATIVE must be admitted by all thoughtful persons as containing ideas eminently correct. " POLITICAL. "In all New England , except Massa chusetts , in New York , New Jersey , Delaware , Maryland , Pennsylvania , Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , and Missouri , in all the South , except South Carolina , the organization is against the campaign Mr. Bryan is now conducting in the Commoner. " says the Louisville Post. "Mr. Bryan is fighting a buzz-saw. Ho will yet learn the real character of the machine he fondled and smiled upon last year. " Speaking of Gov. OdelTs visit to Buf falo , the Courier says : "This is not a Pan-American pleasure trip , but a visit of inspection to state institutions. It is creditable to the governor that he is willing to take this midsummer period for so important and arduous a task. He has thus far given the state a business-like administration , and if he and the legislators who control the appropriation of public money can find places whore economies can be effected without injuring the efficiency of the institutions , they will be entitled to the thanks of the tax-payers. " Chairman Jones , of the democratic national committee , in dropping Mr. Bryan , suggests that the next candidate of the party for president may be some obscure person , not now thought of in connection with the exalted position. Commenting upon this suggestion , the Philadelphia Record says : "In these days , when everybody who is popularly regarded as anybody , lives in the glare of publicity , it would be difficult for Chairman Jones to find a candidate for the presidency possessing the requisite quality of obscureuess. When found he might prove a woeful choice. In stead , then , of searching for an obscur ity , it would be much better to nonnj- nate for the presidency some demoorai who is well known to the people for his qualities as a political leader and states man. "