Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-04-03
RoBBIHe The FARlERs.

R0BBIEe THE FARMERS.
In the Chicago Heruld Of March Q,
appears the following:
Charles A. Pillsbury, general msna-
ger of the consolidated milling plants
at Minneapolis, now controlled By IN
English syndicate, Is greatly PLEASED at
the stand taken by the Chicago board
of trade in proposing to shut on
quotations after March 81 In order 20
close up the bucket shops. "It Is q
very good thing for legitimate farming
and milling interests in this section, !"
said Mr.. Pillsbury to the Herold cor
respondent tonight. "These bucket
shops are largely instrumental in caus-
ing the very low prices at which grain
of all kinds is now, and has for years,
been selling. and it the evil il not
checked grain viii absolutely be worth
nothing in few years. Another step
which would cure the whole trouble
would be to stop any short selling Of
grain except from parties who absolutely
own or control the product and would
be able to deliver the same IL called
upon. This will be done within few
years, even if the constitution Of the
United States has to be amended in
order to do it. 1t is mystery to me
that the farmers alliance and their
representatives are paving attention to
minor evils and overlooking the vampire
that is eating the very life out OF them.
Iestead of being antagonistic, the
milling interest ard farming interest
should work together. These low
prices are as disastrous to the milling
as the farming interests, and I am
willing to stake my reputation that the
majority of the mills of the northwest
have lost money during the last three
OF four years. Inever kney the milling
interests to be prosperous on low prices
of wheat. The legitimate situation has
been such during the last three or -four
years that wheat should have been
worth 81 per bushel at every railroad
in Minnesota. This tremendous short
selling of hundreds Of millions ol
bushels, which the party selling doet
not own or even expected to own
added to the large amount Of actua
sales. has knocked the bottom out o.
the market. These ''wind'' sales hav,
at present just as much effect on tn,
market as genuine transactions, for th'
reason that these big bears have beer
so successful in their selling that thei
very prestige draws a big amount o
followers. This evil has grown to b
so tremendous that it will tend T.
depopulate the farming communitie
unless it is stopped.
1.-The idea that the millers have no
been paying the -farmsEs- saoughs 70
their wheat is entirely wrong. I WI
put up large forfeit that can prov
to any fair minded committee that
with the exception of few mills wh
have very great reputation for thei
-four, and whose product will se1l q
increased prices on account OF thi
established reputation, most OF th
mills have paid more for wheat durin
the last few years than they can aftor
to pay. The fact is, the productio
throughout the world has not increase
any, taking it as a whole, during t'h
last five or ten years. If this shCH
selling is not checked in some way i
five years from now wheat will sell a
low as 25 cents per Dushel at the differ
ent railroad stations in Minnesota. Tn
Chicago board of trade is now workin
in the right direction. But after the
have closed up the basket-shop let then
close the gambling ON their own boar
and confine their business to legitimat
transactions. The whole wester
agricultural country would see such
boom as it has not seen for u grea
many years. The legitimate cond
tions are all right for IL. but tn
illegitimate conditions could not b
worse. Wichita EdQk.