Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-07-25
coon cnught h the wheat flsll.

The recent speculative furry In wheat
based upon reports Of failing crops, and
thepresent outlook relative 10 the wbeat
yield of the West, a7c proofs of the cor
rectness of the Republican theory that
oyerproduction has caused the low price
OF wheat. - Morning N.rs,
The old coon has been very sly about
taking the back track along this path.
But Of course he had to come sooner or
later, and in coming lie has trod on the
steel trap. II will hold his foot long
enough for the farmers to examine
him and see what kind Of an old coon
It'll
Wheat has been Of late very trouble.
some question for the Republican
editors. II is troublesome subject now
simply because Republican politicians
have been such lying demagogues about
wheat in the past. They have con
stantly told the farmers that the price
OF wheat was in some mysterious man
ner influenced by the tariff. The McKin.
ley tariff put duty of 20 cents bushel
on wheat, and the farmers were tod
that they were thereby protected !"
just as manufacturers were protected .
by the same outrageous piece of legisla-
ton.
Last fall the low price of wheat was
made the occasion Of the fiercest kind
OF an attack on the Democratic party
all over the country. Nowhere was
the wheat argumen, used more freely
than In Delaware, and no demagogue
had his mouth fuller Of it than our
amiabie contemporary, the Morning
Ne'oS. 'Cleveland," was the cry. "had
caused 50.cent wheatp Senator Gray
was accused--he says falsely-of having
prophesied dollar wheat. Every possible
charge was rung on the price of wheat.
Of course the tariff has nothing to do
with the price of wheat. 1t is an ex.
port crop and its price is fixed abroad.
But If Cleveland and the Democrats
caused the low price of wheat, certainly
they are entitled to credit for the present
gratifying increase in the price. That ia
logical. The case is stronger when tits
remembered that the low price Of wheat
last year was under the Mckinley tariff
while this better price is under the new
Democratic tariff.
Republican editors are in tight box
about the whole matter. For a month
they have held their hands over theil
mouths while they prayed iu agony
thar wheat would fall in price and save
them from the necessity Of speaking
But they see wheat standing up in
price. They see prospect of its going
to dollar bushcl. They must speak
At last the old coon comes cautiously
along, looks this way and that, and
announces "the correctness Of the Re.
publican theory that overproduction had
caused the low price of wheat" Snar
goes the trap. Hold on, old coon
When did Republican politician eve,
announce such theory before 1t may
be that overproduction caused tho low
price of wheat last year, nut if so, what
made you tell the farmers that Cleve.
land did it2
Farmers have chance to take look
at him. He considers himself uncom,
monty sly, and thinks that they are un,
usually easy to deceive. After months
OF chatter about low wheat in Demo
cratic times, he slips along the back
path, and says that the price of whoa
has nothing TO do with politics.
Perhaps it will pay farmers to remem
Der the looks of this coon. He is not 81
much account considered alone, but the
woods a.e full Of coons just like him and
farmers will need to understand th,
coon tricks when they make up theil
minds how to vote next year.