Daily Republican., 1884-06-25

Already new wheat has been an
nounced in St, Louis, received from
N orthwestern Texas, and with it comes
the cheering announcement that crops
in general will exceed last years crop
by over one hundred million bushels in
the United States. This indicates at
least that there will be suficiency of
bread for our teeming millions, and some
to spare for other countries where the
season has not been 80 favorable for
cereal productions. Every year the
area of winter wheat extends further
toward the southwest, and new wheat
comes on the market few days earlier.
A few years ago the grain dealers were
surprised by early receipts Of grain
from kentucky, then southwest Mis-
souri,, followed By Tennessee, before the
4th of July. Last year Arkansas took
the lead, shipping during the last week
in June, but this year Texas took the
lead for the first time with wheat that
must have been gathered before the
middle of June. These are signs of the
progress Of improvements in ouf coun-
try. The wheat area is enlarging year
after year, and whole districts which,
but a few years ago, were but wilder
ness are now the most productive farms
We owe this in a great measure to rail-
road enterprise. Through this agency
wheat culture has been raised to an i'm
portant interest and the crop made
tributary to the market supply of the
world. This is great gain in two re-
spects it adds to the quantity OF bread
stutfs which this country can raise, and
it opens the new crop market 80 much
the earlier. In both of these respects
the xtension of wheat culture tends to
check speculation and to render the
forestalling Of the market from which
this country has suffered 50 much,
practical impossibility.
In former times, in the recollection OF
those who are not past the middle
age Of life the wheat was pretty
much harvested in about five weeks,
through the middle belt wheat coun-
try, but now the click of the reaper is
heard as early as the middle OF June,
down in Texas, and travelling steadily
|northward over more than five times
the former range of latitude until it
dies away in the far northwest some
time in the latter part Of September.
Thus the area contributing to the
market is widely extended, and the
food supply of the world corresponding
|ly enlarged, while concurrently gam
blers who wickedly tamper with prices
of the necessities of life are driven ont
| of the field so much the earlier and
kept out so much the later. Thus, the
prolongatlon Of harvest at both ends is
especially beneficial to honest trade, as
it is just before the new crop comes in
that the gamblers find their best time
for operations.
1t is devoutly to be hoped that every
man who engages in the business OF
making corners" in grain will break
lup with such smash that they will not
soon again enter the business. ltwould
be righteous thing if some law could
be passed that would make gambling i'll
| grain a criminal offence. Gambling in
grain and running the prices up and
ldown to suit the cOnvenlenCes and
pockets of a parcel of spectators is
meddling with life itself, as it with
holds bread from the poor until they
are robbed of a blood-money tribute
to swell the boards of respectable spec
ulators. The best hope we can see fol
fair trade and honest prices Is in our
Overwhelming supply, too big for the
gamblers to handle. If every gambler
in grain could only be ruined beyond
redemption it would bea blessed relief
to the rest of the community, and il
Everlasting disgrace and infamy could
be visited on the bankrupt spoilers Of
the poor, nothing more would be needed
to insure abundant and permanent
prosperity.