Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-07-30

Holding Back the Wheat Crop.


The Republicans have so long ruled this
Country in the interest Of monopolists and
capitalists and the farmers have been con-
PEELED 10 pay so much tribute to the other
classes of the community that we do not
deem IL strange that a national movement
has been made by the United Farmers
Alliances of the country TO corner" the
entire wheat crop Of the United States
The scheme proposed for the re'ief OF the
farmers is that they shall hold back the
wheet crop until higher prices prevail.
Uhe promoters of this scheme estimate the
wheat crop of 1891 at 50O,0O0,OOO, OF which
they expect TO be able TO control 400, 1000
BOO bushels, or four ffths.
Substantially this is the Same scheme
which is proposed by the cottOn-planters
at the southern States. Instead of hold
ing back the cotton crop, however. they
propose to reduce the acreage devoted TO
cotton, and thus secure higher prices for
the smaller crop. In other words. this
scheme is one TO enable the planter to get
as much money for smaller crop OF cot
ton as he now gets for bis larger crop. The
planters would, under its operation, If its
results should be as they expect them 20
be, have labor and land to devote to the
cultivation Of other things than cotton,
and 80 save more money from the returns
of the smaller crop Of cotton than from
tho returns of the larger crop.
Substantially. too, the wheat.growers'
scheme is the same as that in vogue In
Virginia hundred OF two years ago when
The tobacco-planters burned every year
certain proportion of their tobacco in the
expectation of making money by thus re-
duoing the quantity of tobacco thrown
annually upon the markets of the world.
The sub-Treasury scheme recommended
by so many Alliances throughout the
country also contemplates, We believe, the
withholding from market for time of
portion Of the cotton crop, the planters IN
she mean time to borrow money from the
United States Government to carry on
their planting operations or whatever
business they might desire to conduct
whilst their cotton was increasing in value.
All these schemes seem TO us TO be i'm
practicable. To withhold 400, 100000 of
bushels of wheat from market for say six
months would be TO enforce areduced con-
sumption of -four. and thus to counteract
The tendency to higher prices. II would
De found that the quantity of wheat con-
eumed had diminished almost incredibly.
The probability is that the farmers or
wheat-growers would find that they had
permanently injured themselves IN at
tempting to raise the price of wheat by
unnatural methods.
These remarks apply as well to tobacco
and cotton as TO wheat. There does not
appear TO us to be In these schemes any
thoroughfare leading the farmers and
planters ont of their pecuniary troubles.
A wheat crop Of 500, 600 bushels would
De found to be a most unmanageable thing
ITO have in the house" SO it would pro-
badly 10 found impracticable-we might
eay impossible-to induce the cotton
growers and tobacco planters to reduce
their annual products. So long as human
nature shall continue to be what 1t Is II
will be found impossible to induce
large bodies of producers to act in con-
cert in such matters. There is too much
doubt. or room for doubt. The fear will
seize upon large numbers of them that
their fellow-planters and fellow-farners
ore not living up to the terms of the agree
mcnt. Then, too, there IS consideration
which cannot be kept in the back ground -
namely. the fact that if the farmer or
planter fails to put III his full quantity OF
seed at the proper time he will haveto wait
b whole year for another opportunity to do
90. IL he is wronged by his fellOw-farm-
ers-if they act in bad faith-he cannot at
once proceed to counteract the injury done
% him and his business. but must wait
twelve months in enforced idleness.
We sympathze with the farmers. We
would do anything we could to further
their interests. We are prepared 10 con-
slider impa TALLY any plan for lettering
their condition which may be suggested by
them or their friends. But we have not
get been able to find in any scheme pro-
posed for their relief the promise Of sue
cessful trial Of that scheme.