St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-23

less than Is cents per bushel. The fol-
lowing are official figures of our agri-
cultural department (recently made) for
the years 1881 to 1891 inclusive:
Bushels.
Total production ...........5,00 9, AS, TO
Yearly average of................ 455, 4O4 1856
Total expectation ............. ,3SS. 147 646
Yearly average off,. ......... 126. 100. 30
Expectation of 1891 is estimated at 2O6,O09,OO
Total home consumption. $500. .2,H3. 009, 900
Yearly average of........... 272 600 00l
Total for seed. Observation-Disclosures. 594.5l6. 761
Yearly average of........... 5404697S
have not the last census report from
which to ascertain the exact proportion
of our population of Ga, 100000, which is
engaged in wheat raising; but when we
remember that large proportion of our
agriculturiStS are engaged Ill raising
cotton, sugar, tobacco and other prod
ucts. and no wheat, and that. according
to the census of 1880, the farmers OF the
North and South, with their families,
employees and dependents, numbered
about at least one-half of our pOpula-
ton, we are justified in concluding that
the ratio remains about the same. This
being the case, we are safe in assuming
that at least One-half of that 2, 993, 000. 900
bushels used in ''home consumption"
was wheat that had been marketed" by
total expOrtatiOn), would make the esti-
mated total amount of wheat which our
American wheat growers had raised and
sold from 1881 to 1891 inclusive, at 2. 1884,,
647, GAG bushels.
Assuming the loss to our American
wheat growers to be no more than 10
cents per bushel upon these 1854, 647,-
GAG, land it certainly exceeds that we
find that they have in the last eleven
years alone, in consequence OF the COM
petition OF lndia--built up by the-d
monetiZatiOn of silver-lOSt the enOr-
nous sum of $432, 697, 1860. l leave it
to your readers to estimate how much is
to be added to this sum lost, for the
depreciation of the wheat sold by our
growers between 1878 and 1881.
TO bring the matter nearer home, to
our farmers, it is only necessary to call
their attention to the fact that they
have lost what is an average of not less
than SIS on every 100 bushels of wheat,
which they have sold within the last
fifteen years. And. let it be borne In
mind, that TO this is to be added the
''lost difference, ranging from 10 to Ii
cents per buShel," which the Pioneer
Press finds to exist between the price
paid in Liverpool and here, at the home
market; after allowing for all charges
of transportation, insurance, profits,
ETC., that is known. or could be found,
to be added to the price paid here. This
makes the loss to our wheat growers
not less than S25' on every hundred
bushels of wheat sold by them.
When the Pioneer Press understands
this competition of India, 1t will discover
an incentive to the buyer of our wheat
to so arrange the price here that he will
hox hot
| 10 to Is cents per bushel," as margin
| to enable him to meet that HindoO COM
| petition.
This brings the matter to point
where the great loss, to this section OF
| the country, is capable of being under
| stood and appreciated by our people.
and enables them to form all estimate
of the millions that would have been
added to our wealth but for the de-
| mOnetiZatlOn of silver.
| The figures which / have given above
relating to cotton, constitute fSufflclent
data from which we can see that the
damage and loss to our cotton growers
in consequence Of the competition OF
India has been correspondingly great.
| To show that l am not alone III this
view, | quote from an able pamphlet,
entitled, 1.-The True Cause of the De-
cline in the Price Of Wheat and REM
edy." published by Ivan G. Michels in
1887. the following:
| "Only in June last (1SS6) an important
meeting of the British and colonial chambers
of commerce was held in London, England,
| at which there was an animated discussion
of the silver question and its bearings upon
| the commerce of India
Sir Robert n. Fowler, NJ. P, the London
| banker and eX-lord mayor, said that the
effect of the depreciation of silver must
finally be the ruin of the wheat and cotton
| industries Of America and be the develop
ment of India as the chief wheat and cotton
exporter of the world
| 1t is just this difference in the price of sill
yer bullion which ruins the American
farmer. No wonder that the foreign export
ers in this country who purchase wheat fol
| British account clamOr for the suspension Of
| coinage of silver.
The commissioner of agriculture, In his re-
port of December, 1886, states: The aggre
gate product of wheat for 1886 is 457.21s, GGC
| bushels. giving farm value of S314, 226 GEO
The average value is 6S7 cents per bushel.
| This is IS per cent reduction from the aver
age value between 1870 and 1850.
AS the average value for 1S70-S0 was 81 O6t
| cents, the loss to our farmers on this las
years crop was therefore Sill, 1851
The production of silver i'll this country
during 1886, according TO the latest official re-
port of the director of the mint, in coinage
value was $40, Cox, $780, 1t sold, owing to the
statute laws and persistent efforts OF the en-
emies of this country. at S;IS 1902, 1872, leaving
the miners loss of $40, 703, 49,
Comparing this loss of Sl0.000,000 10 the sill
yer miners with that of the farmers OF Sl7l,
OC0,C Coo, it sinks into insigniGcancc, and dis
proves the assertions of the enemies of thi:
country that the free and Unlimited coinage
of silver benefits only the silver men. 1t vii
take over seventeen years to infict upon the
silver miners the losses the wheat farmer:
have been subjected to in one single year
that of 1886.
With the free and unlimited coinage The
price of silver will be stable again, and Eng
land will have 10 pay for ali the silver sht
Exchange on India will advance her council
bills to IS from the present rate of Is I'd pc
rupee, and India's wheat could not be lalC
down in Great Britain for less than Sl.20 pc
bushel and. as Indian wheat is inferior il
quality, American wheat would again sell II
England at from S1.25 to S139 per bushel an(
our farmers would receive just 80 per cen
more for all the wheat they could raise"
In conclusion, submit the facts an(
figures given in this article (the &C
curacy of which | hold myself ready t.
defend), as conclusive proof of my as
sertion that 1.-The decentralization of sill
yer has robbed the farmers and pro
ducers of this country of thousands O
millions of dollars"
Apologizing for the length of thi
communication (Which, however, cOul(
not we'll be shorter), l will conclude b,
repeating that, with your kind permits
sion, will. at future day. demonstrate
that "a return to free coinage has NJ
such terrors as its opponents would
have us believe" j. l.. MACDONALD
| -ns--