The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-05-16
MEASURES FOR FARMERS.
Mr.. Funstons Views on the Evils Result
ing From Specializing I'm Farm
Products.-An Interest
ing Inverview.

The indianapolis Journal recently
published a long interview with Hon.
e. III. Funston. The conversation re-
lated to the Butterworth bill to pre-
vent dealing in options, and Mr.. Funs-
ton is quoted as follows:
Supply and demand lie at the base
of all legitimate trade and commerce.
Those who play with the markets in
such a way as to make fictitious prices
for articles really existing by reproba-
ting the conditions of supply and de-
mand are curse to legitimate COM
merce and should be restrained. The
farmer gives his honest labor to the
production of articles which are nee
essary to every day living, and 1t is a
crime for spectators to trifie with the
highest interests of the farmers, even
for q consideration such as is given
spectators. There il no doubt what
ever that the "bullsr and "bearsr on
the market Join hands i'm keeping
prices down, and there is never high
market from which the farmer benefits
except when a "corner" is made, and
the history Of our commerce shows
that there are hundred depressions
i'm the market to one corner" A
"bull' in the market at first takes the
place of the work of the "bear" and
there is great depression. The But
terworth bill will put a stop to what
are termed puts" and "calls" which
mean options permitting the specular
to buy or sell at will. Under the pres
ent arrangement of spectators lot of
gamblers can get together and fix
prices upon farm products in such a
way as to put the legitimate produc-
er's supply at their mercy. 1t is inn
possible, under the existing conditions
for farmer to figure in advance, and
disappointment more than short crops
results i'm the downfall of our friends
i'm the rural districts.
To my mind the first act of Congress
should be to put stop to this specula-
ton i'm farm produce, and permit the
natural law of supply and demand to
regulate the prices. We talk about
farmers producing a greater variety of
crops in order to avoid a glut in certain
staples. The farmers may turn their
attention to the production of other ar
ticles than these but our farm products
are nearly all sold through the boards
of trade, and the big dealers can easily
get together and, in spite of the vol
ume of production, say just what the
prices shall be. The committee on ag-
riculture has, beside the option bill, a
measure creating q labratory under
the Department of Agriculture which
shall have jurisdiction over our food
articles, so that nothing can be manu-
featured or sold which is deleterious to
health, and that everything adultera-
ted must be sold for what it really is;
also, the Conger pure lard bill, which
taxes compound lard and requires it to
be sold under special brand; but to
my mind, the highest interest of the
farmer is involved i'm the bill which pro-
hibits speculation upon the future de-
livery of farm products and permits the
supply and demand to regulate the
prices of the markets. The option bill
covers the entire field of demand for
articles produced on the farm, while
the other measures affect only stated
articles of more or less Importance.