Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1891-08-14
FARMERS VS. SPECTATORS.

/ - - - - 49,
From the State.
The Farmers Alliances demand un
animously that the speculation for flu
ture deliveries of cereals shall be pro
hibited.
The greatest competitor Of the farm
er is the Spectator, and his competi
ton is not at all fair, because he sell
what he has not got and can sell unlim
tied quantities while the farmer ha!
no more to offer than naturs grants Il
him.
The Spectator sells for delivery il
any month of the year, and therefore
makes it unnecessary for the actual con
sumner, the miller and the exporter, t.
lay in such stock as he may consider
reasonably sufficient for his require
ments.
The farmer coming in with actual
grain finds most of his customers sup.
piled by the speculator with promises
to deliver.
He has no choice but to sell to the
elevator man at lower price than the
Chicago spcculator has offered his prom
Uses.
1t is competitor between grain and
wind in which the wind has the advan-
tage, as the wind crop is never short.
The farmer is told that it is best for
him to sell as quickly as possible, that
there Is superabundance of wheat,
that Europe will pay no more, and that
if the United States will not sell it, Eu.
roreans will buy of other countries, who
would be glad to have thu trade.
Now, there comes in the swindle.
India is the only country that has any
wheat to sell to Europe, namely about
thirty-fve millions bushels per year.
All that they have to spare is shipped
or contracted for long before our crop
comes into the market, and supplies
only small portion of the IA million
bushels yearly imported by England
alone.
People talking about Egypt, Austria
liza, Argentine Republic, etc., as COM
petitors with American wheat are eth
er ignorant or lie, for all these coun-
tries together have not enough surplus
for export to Europe to feed it for three
days.
You have probably heard that we'll
worn talk, that now every month in the
year there is wheat crop harvested
somewhere in the world. This is prob
ably true, but it has not particle of in
huence on the world market. because
it Is all needed at home, and probably
more too
But DO matter how ridiculous his as
sertions are, the Spectator succeeds in
depressing prices and making profit
1t finally at the end of a crop year the
supply gets notably scarce he still tries
to hold down prices by talking about
the enormous crop that is going to
come.
This manipulation has robbed the
farmer Of this country of $500, 600, 900
in the last three years.
From 1884 to 1887 the crops of Eu
rope and America were in excess Of the
consumption, and low price for wheat
was quite natural, but during tie last
three years the crops, though very fair,
were not equal to the requirements
which is proven by the steady decrease
of the reserves, which at present are
practically nothing or hardly sufficient
to reach the new crops
With this deficiency in crops thor
oughiy known, wheat should have
brought very fair prices during the last
three years according to the laws of
supply and demand.
1t makes difference of one hundred
million dollars per year to the farmers
Of this country whether they sell wheat
at seventy-fve cents or one dollar, and
that you had to take the lower price for
your product is due entirely to the ma
nipulation Of the Spectator.
Now this year seems especially de.
signed by providence to help our farm
ing interests.
Our wheat crop promises to De good,
the European crops are worse than
they ever have been, and the reserves
are exhausted.
Our agricultural department issues
every month a government report about
the crops. These reports estimate the
number of acres sown and give the per-
centage Of condition. A percentage of
100 is somewhat ideal crop and would
indicate yield of thirteen bushels and
fraction to the acre. 1t has been sur
passed only once, namely in the year
1882, when the condition at harvest
was l0l and the yield thirteen aad one
half per acre. Our present crop is
somewhat similar to the crops IF 1884,
the government report making the acre
age the same and the condition some
what less, In 1884 at harvest time