Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-02-22
what ID tho Remedy?
Kansas City Globe.

Il ADuoAo OtNy osSSSs
The Chicago Herald declares that 1t
| is not better price for products that
will bring relief to the farmer, but
lower prices for articles he has TO buy.
This is 80 plainly fallacy that no ar
gnment is necessary to refute 1t. With
corn at the present prices goods can
not be purchased at any price by the
farmers, and while q decrease In val
ues of the necessities Of life would Of
course aid the farmer to some extent,
vet as long as II costs all a bushel OF
corn is worth in the market to trans
port Il 10 relief can be hoped for until
the producer can realize better prlces
for farm products. &,
Last year the United States produced
2,2OO,0O0,O00 bushels Of corn, and OF
this amount only 100000 bushels
will be exported, leaving for home
consumption about One-third more
than the total production OF any pre-
vious year. This shows that there
will be over 100000, 900 bushels OF corn
in this country for which there will be
absolutely no demand. Should the
coming year prove a good one TOR
crops this amount will be increased
and there will be another year of ru-
inous prices for, the farmer. The ex-
ports have fallen off steadily for sever
al years aud there will probably be
not to exceed one-half the corn ex-
ported this year that there was five or
six years ago. 1t seems to be certain
that but little II any relief may be
hoped for from foreign markets, and
as the home market is glutted there is
a small prospect for any material ad-
vance in prices.
The suggestion of remedy for this
is and should be the aim of every man
of the country. It 70 not political
question, and there is no theory of po-
litical economy that can be practically
applied that will bring relief. So far
no one has claimed to be able to ad-
vance any idea or theory for the relief
of the producer. And as long as
prices remain as they are depression
will continue in every department OF
business. Every year new farms are
opening in the west, aud each year
brings an increase In the products.
Should a failure Of crops occur the
coming season of course prices would
advance and the farmer who was for
tunate enough to have plenty on hand
would realize handsome profits, while
those who have not held their corn
would be in q most distressing condi-
ton. On the other hand, as before re-
marked, if the crops are good the
products can be sold for nothing and
the farmer is in q condition but little
better than he would be If he raised
nothing.
That the farmer lays the blame to
some extent at least on the Legislators
10 plainly eyidsnlI They demand that
state legisiatlir6s and congress- give
them relief. But no means Of relief
are suggested by those who demand 1t,
aud the Legislators. are as much at sea
in the matter as are the producers.
The only present means of relief seems
to be for the farmer to plant less corn,
to diversity his crops and feed his sur
plus to stock. There is probably no
way in which good prices can be OBJ.
tanned for the crop now on hand, and
at the very best the country will have
to wait for relief until some cause pro-
duces a greater demand or until there
is not greater supply on hand than is
demanded in the markets.