The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-07-25
THE PRICE OF WHEAT.
What Is the True Cause of the De-
cline in the Price Of Wheat:

What Is the True Cause of the De-
cline In the Price of Wheat:
Editor Representative: In attempting to
answer the above question let figures speak
for themselves as reported by the secretary
of agriculture in report No. 113 of his de-
partment issued for March, 1894. Certainly
his report is official and is the highest au-
thority to be had.
Our wheat crop of 1891 the largest ever
raised in this country. was Gil, 10000 BUSH
els. 1T sold here in North Dakota for
about IS cents Der bushel average
price, many farmers receiving as high as
81 cents per bushel. Our crop of 80 was
515,9i9 900 bushels or 81, S3l 900 less than the
crop of 1891
1t sold at an average price here of
80 cents per bushel
THE crop of 1898 was 800, 1872 900, or 1851,
600 less than the crop of 1892" Still the
price went down to an average of 10 cents
per bushel here in North Dakota. Some
one might say yes but it must be over-pro-
duction in the world as whole, which
caused the decline in price. No, dear read
er it was not, you can easily by the
following official statement. The worlds
production of wheat in 1891 was 9, 359 294 900
bushels In 1892 it 2,5S2, 727 900 bushees.
In 1893 it was ., 359 636, 900 bushels ''Remem-
Der we received 70 cents per bushel in 1891,
and but 43 cents per bushel in 1898, while
the worlds supply of wheat was about the
same. VIII not the crank. after an exam
nation of these official figures, change his
tune about Over-prOductiOn being the cause
of the decline in the price of wheat?
AS it is clearly proven that it is not over
production which caused the decline, We
forced n in of her direction
for the cause.
You will remember President Garfield
said 'Whoever controls the volume of mon
ey of any country is absolute master of all
industry and commerce. Is not that true?
The poet says iii fares the land to
Fastening ills prey, where wealth accu-
mulateS and men decay.
Ever since silver was demonitiZed in this
country in 1873 money has been advancing
in purchasing power but the purchasing
power of money has never advanced so
rapidly as during the last two years. Aus
| tria cut off half Of her money supply in
| 1893, and silver was demontiZed in India.
| But the climax was reached by our con-
| gress when, in extra session, silver was
| completely demontized a money of ac-
| count and gold made the only money of
| final settlement. Clearly the only legiti-
| mate way to increase the price of wheat
! is to depreciate the prevailing price of
money. How can this be done? Simply
| by increasing it's volume and taking the
| power from the so called national banks
| to control money, and by imitation or con-
| traction to make it dear, or cheap, at their
| pleasure. If farmers at their institutes
would devote more time to this question
| even if less to finding how they can raise
more. they would soon discover the robber
who is expressing them, and find relief.
| But the rule applied by the fine haired
gentlemen is to keep the farmer ignorant
| of the methods of the men employed to
| gull and fleece them, for instead of the
| question coming up why is the farmer
| compelled to accept less than cost for his
| production they wave it aside by de-
! clarng it is over production; when they
| might by examination easily see that
| this is not true. All, but says the astute
| ringmaster: NO politics., So they
| through the press and the platform en-
| treat the farmers they do the churches.
! advising them always Ito keep out of
politics. for what they fear is public
| discussion on such lines as will bring the
| farmers enlightenment.
Agents may always be found to favor
any system which will enable their salaries
| to buy more of the farmers products for
less money, but when it comes to forward
ing any plan to inaugurate live and let
| live policy for the farmer they are not
in it. What fools the farmers are who let
these over production sophiSts lead them
like sheep to the slaughter. But it will
not always be OF what use is ii for
farmers to raise more? Have they not
| raised SO much that our people We're the
| best fed people on earth? Wheat AZ
| cents per bushel and the average
yield S:31-10O per acre for CaSs county,
1913 the average price per acre. and
no good reason why we should not
have had so cents per bushel for every
bushel of it. "Ah, please don't talk poll
ties These leaders have no use for the
farmer who can see where the shoe pinches;
| "he is a political farmer. AS though in
| this country, where every man should take
an interest in politics. it is a crime for
a farmer to take a live interest in the gov
| eminent of his country