ii2 THE THIRD POWER 



census of 1900 shows that, taking all the farmers to- 

 gether, the average income per family during the 

 census year was only $643, or only a little over $2 

 a day, counting 300 working days to the year. The 

 average income of the families of other laborers was 

 $1,146, or over $4 a day. Two and a third million 

 of farmers' families had a yearly income of less than 

 $200, while 4,000,000 families had an income of less 

 than $400 each. Only one family in eight had an in- 

 come of more than $800. If these figures are wrong 

 then the census returns are wrong. Remember, they 

 represent the average farmer. 



Are farm prices equitable when two-thirds of the 

 families on the farm are limited to an income of less 

 than $400 a year each ? For this they must work 

 longer hours at the most exacting and wearisome 

 labor, oftentimes under the most disagreeable con- 

 ditions, while the laborers in towns and cities, who 

 are largely engaged in producing the goods that the 

 farmers buy, work short hours, under pleasant con- 

 ditions, and receive three times the reward. Brad- 

 streets has figured that manufacturers, with an in- 

 vestment of ten billion dollars, produce thirteen bil- 

 lions of products, while the farmer, with an invest- 

 ment of twenty billions, produces only five billions of 

 products. In other words, the dollar of the manufac- 

 turer returns him $1.30 of products, while the dollar 

 of the farmer returns him only 25 cents of products. 

 Where is the equity when a dollar invested in one 

 form of manufacturing returns five times as much 



