Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-07-16
FARMERS HOLD YOUR WHEAT
Reasons Why Concerted Action
Will Defeat the Spccula-
latOr's Schemes.
A Chance for the Farmer to
Control the Wheat
Market.
Major Waugh Tells how the In.
llians Celebrated the Fourth
at MinneWaukan.
The Farmer vs.. the Spectator.

The Farmer VS.. the Speculator.
Owing to the general interest taken in
the subject, and to its importance, The
Alert reproduces the substance of the
circular sent to farmers and alliances all
over the United States, urging every
wheat grower to bold his wheat this fall
for short time at least, in order to ad-
vance prices. It is admitted that il the
plan is but partially carried out success
will follow and wheat instead Of being
run down to 60 or 80 cents will be worth
at least 81 a bushel The circular states
what everybody knows is approximately
true, and comes from a source that has
the endorsement of the alliances Of the
country. The circular is doubly import
ant in that it relates to practical and
business like proposition, and contains
no boom for any presidential candidate
or aspiring politician. The circular, IN
substance, is as follows:
The Farmers alliances demand unani-
mously that the speculation for future
delivery of cereals shall be prohibited.
The greatest competitor of the farmer is
the speculator, and his competition is not
at all fair, because he sells what he has
not got and can sell unlimited quantities
while the farmer has no more to offer
than nature grants to him. The specu-
lator sells for delivery in any month in
the year. and therefore makes it unneces.
sary for the actual consumer, the miller
and the exporter to lay IN such stocks rs
he may consider reasonably sufficient for
his requirements. The farmer coming
in with actual grain finds most of his
customers supplied by the speculator
with promises to deliver. He has no
choice but to sell to the elevator man at
lower price than the Chicago specula-
tor has offered his promises. It is 4
competitor between grain and wind, in
which the wind has the advantage, as the
wind crop 10 never short. The farmer is
told that it 10 best for him to cell %
quickly AZ possible; that there is super.
abundance Of wheat; that Europe will
pay no more. and that il the United
States will not sell it, Europeans will
buy of other countries, which would be
glad to have the trade.
Now, there comes in the swindle. India
is the only country america excepted)
that has any wheat to sell to Europe
namely, about 35.OOOO0O bushels per
year. All that they have to epare is
shipped or contracted for long before our
crop comes into the market and supplies
only small portion Of the 144, 100000
bushels yearly imported by England
alone. People talking about Egypt,
australia, Argentine Republic, etc, 40
competitors with American wheat are
either ignorant or lie, :or 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 ls 4 wheat crop harvested
somewhere in the world. This is prob
ably true, but it has not particle of in
Ruenoe on the worlds market, because it
is all needed at home, and probably more
too. But no matter how ridiculous his
assertions are the speculator succeeds in
depressing prices and makes profit. II
finally at the end OF crop year the sup
ply gets notably scarce he still tries to
hold down the prices by talking about
the enormous crop that is going to come.
This manipulation has robbed the farmer
of this country of 10000, 600 IN the last
three years.
Now this year seems especially de-
signed by providence to help our farming
interest. Our wheat crop promises to be
good, the European crops are worse than
they ever have been and the reserves are
exhausted.
THE REMEDY.
There ls remedy, simple, effective
and entirely within your control. The
stocks of wheat and -four are hardly
large enough to supply the wants of this
country until the new crop comes IN.
The temporary safety OF the speculator
depends on an early crop and a rush
into the market. If for some reason.
wet weather for instance, the rush of new
wheat should not come as early as antic-
ipsted the market for this crop would
start IN with double the prices you have
obtained during the lest few years.
But it wet weather should not prevent
an early harvest is it necessary that you
should allow the speculator to rob you Of
half the value OF your crop? Could you
not act as It rain had really prevented
an early harvest, and could you not for
once avoid undue haste in supplying the
speculator with the means Of keeping
down your price. Resolve for instance,
that in view of the conditions Of the
worlds crops minimum price OF $l.25
for wheat in New York is moderate and
conservative, and that members OF your
organization pledge themselves not to
market their wheat at lower prices unless
they are under contract, and that they
will use their best efforts with friends
and neighbors outside Of the organiza-
tiOn also to act on your resolution. Re-
solved, also, that the state alliance form'a
committee which shall keep itself posted
about the worlds markets and from
time to time notify the farmers of the
changes taking place, and advise them
upon the minimum prices that they may
reasonably expect.
The minimum price indicated is not at