Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-11-04
Total. ,962. .005 17,769,712

Total..."1o,9ee 17,7ee,712 n,25o,o57
We invite the attention of those per-
sons who complain that this paper has
kept back the crop and spoiled a sea
sons trade, to these figures. The crop
movement of the northwestern states
for 1874 has been exactly 278,O52
bushels less than it was for 1872,
which up to that time was the largest
movement ever known. This state
ment will doubtless cause surprise to
many Of our readers. It ought to
serve to convince every reader that the
dullness Of trade and the difficulty of
collections experienced by merchants
this season is not in any way due to the
back wardness of farmers about shipping
wheat. Low as the prices have been,
hey have supplied Milwaukee and
Chicago elevators with as much wheat
as they ever shipped before up to this
date, excepting the memorable har-
vest of 1878.
Nobody have any business to compare
the wheat movement Of the northwest.
ern states for 1874 with that of 1873.
While the surplus for export of the
United States this year is expected 10
exceed that of last year BY 10000, 900
bushels, the surplus Of the northwest
ern states this year may be confidently
expected to fall below that of last year
by at least 100000 bushels. Last
year, in round numbers, Milwaukee re-
ceived 32,000,O0O bushels of wheat
and Chicago 26,000.000 bushels, ma
king total of 5s,000,OOO bushels,
This year according to our estimates
Milwaukee's receipts will be about 25,-
100000 and Chicago's about $4,000,
900, making total Of about $4,000
600 bushels. The movement from
farmers hands therefore up to this
date, in this section, has been about
one-quarter (23 per cent? of the prob
able surplus, while last year to the
same date it was under one-third (3Oa
per cent. Of the surplus. Considering
the great and sudden decline in the
price Of wheat, and the well-known
purpose of combination of short op-
orators to keep the price as low as they
could, We think we have shown that
the farmers of the northwest have done
their duty by the mercantile interests,
in disposing of SO large proportion of
their crop.
So far as the farmers interests are
concerned-for which such friends of
the farmer as Messrs. William Young
& Co.; are expressing such deep solc-
itude-we think that they may be safe
ly entrusted to the farmers themselves.
Thus far, at least, the wisdom of their
course has been vindicated. They
have held back the crop sufficiently to
block the bold game of the combined
short operators aud to keep the price
above 80 cents. yet they have quietly
and prudently disposed of one-quarter
Of their crop, which is unquestionably
enough to pay their more pressing
debts, and, 1t may be hoped, enough to
save the markets from forced sales next
spring.
We submit to our mercantile friends,
as we'll as to our critics on the Milwau-
kee Chamber of Commerce and in the
eastern press the question whether it
is not quite as we'll for all legitimate
business interests that northwestern
farmers have on the advice of the MI
vautee Journal Of Commerce, sold one
quarter of their wheat crop at 90 to So
cents in this market has if they had,
on the recommendation of bearing op-
orators, sold two-ffths or one half of
the rop at IS to 70 cents in this
market ?-Milwoukee Journal of COM