The daily gazette., 1878-07-30
Prospective Price for Wheat
From the Peninsular News.

From the Peninsular News.
reports from all parts of the country
make the wheat crop of the present sea-
son larger than that of last year, and con-
sequently the prospect for higher prices
is not brilliant Of course something de-
pends upon the crops in Europe and es-
peclally OF Great Britain which are not
yet harvested. All that we hear from
them Is also favorable, and the expecta-
tion Is that at least an average yield will
De had there. Under such circumstances
farmers may be considered fortunate who
realize 81 bushel for their crop.
WHAT SHALL WE Do.-At such price
OF course every bushel is produced nc a
dead loss to the grower; but who cares
Tor that? On the contrary it is a subject
OF general rejoicing throughout the great
commercial centers, that the priceof bread
stuffs and provisions are so low Itenables
our merchants, dealers and speculators.
to compete with all the world in selling
them; furnishes enormous freights to the
transportation companies of the country
makes railroad men and transporters rich
and happy, and serves everybody's inter-
est except the poor farmer, who is of but
little account anyway, except as mud 81 lis
upon which the great societary fabric Is
erected Our regular readers have seen
how 1t Is that the farming classes, espe-
claily IN the older parts of this country ARE
gradually being forced downward toward
that condition of tenantry and serfdom
which prevails IN all Europe. This ten
dency is the result of the rule of che COM
mercial and trading classes of the coun-
try who control and shape legislation in
their own interests, while the farmers, as
a class, are incompetent or disinclined to
protect themsel, Railroad companies
are allowed to prev upon them, middle
men cheat them out of large per cent of
their products, and all other classes profit
more from ther labor than theythemselves
do. The manner in which all these things
are done has been heretofore pointed out
IN these columns, and we therefore do not
now repeat it. Suffice it to say that the
fact is clear that the farming classes of
this country are gradually, but surely,
receding relatively in the accumulation
of wealth and in their societary position
and influence, and the fact that they are
forced to sell wheat at less than the cost
OF growing it, is one of the evidences that
this is true. Nothing buo 60 on in the
same old road until this class of our popu-
latlon are aroused to the truth, weaned
from slavery to parties, and are ready to
to combine for their own salvation, and
of their class. Until this time comes we
must 60 on growing wheat at whatever
price we can get for it.
Great fortunes are now invested in
corporations, and smart men are hired to
administer their affairs so instead of
being divided and dissipated by the new
generation, they support the latter in
idleness, and are milestone about the
necks of the laboring classes. If your
father leaves you $4,000, just think of
this, that some man must work for you
during his lifetime. A dollar a day Is q
large average earning, above the bare
cost of his living, for the average man.
And some man will have had to work q
year to make IL possible to pay you 1865
interest on your $1,000. The man who
keeps his capital employed in the chan
nels of trade and ndmanutacturing benefits
the laboring man. But those who do
nothing with their capital except to use
it as a means of grasping hard earnings
to keep them in idleness, do not fulfil
their natural duty to society. l have no
more respect for the rich tramp than /
have for the poor tramp. In fact, the
latter is deserving of the more toleration,
for often he doesn't know any better.
To issue greenbacks is not to mortgage
the property of the country, because the
wealth the greenbacks may represent re-
mains in the country, which after the
mortgage is paid, to carry out the figure,
is no poorer than it was before. Green
backs would put more wealth in circula-
ton and turn unproductive property into
a medium for carrying on enterprises.
There would be a reckoning to pay, per-
haps, but the rich would pay it. The
laborer's account is squared when he
receives his wages. So in one sense the
greenback policy would bring about a
distribution of acquired wealth in the
interest of the labOrtnp classes