The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-08-12

corn shall be put upon a par with wheat.
They shall be interchangeable bushel for
bushel, and the price of corn shall be the
same as the price of wheat DO this, and
the people Of Kansas shall rise up and
call you blessed, and all the world eN-
cept the money lenders shall hail YOU as
| the emancipators of mankind.
"The wise men passed the law as the
governor had advised and all tho people
of the state rejoiced, for their cribs were
full of corn. They could hardly contain
themselves till the governor had signed
tue bill which raised the price Of Kansas
corn from 10 cents to 45 cents a bushel.
All the people now feel rich. They
bought many luxuries and most of them
went into debt. They wondered that
they had never before found out that
wealth was simply a matter of legisla-
tion, and they felt great pity and con-
tempt for the ignorant and superstitious
people of other states. Then the farmers
from the other states began hauling thoir
corn to Kansas. Long lines of wagons
came winding along every road. Boats
hoated 1t down the rivers and railroads
rushed it in from every section of the
country. IL seemed as if the country
was all corn and it was all headed for
Kansas. Tho people of Kansas took
their medicine, that is, they took the
corn and gave up their wheat.
THE farmers of tho other states
thought the Kansas people queer. but
they kept bringing them their corn.
Corn came in and wheat went ont And
besides all the Kansas people had gone
TO raising corn because it was more easily
produced than wheat and was to bring
just as much in the market as wheat, for
the wise men had decreed that it should.
1t was not long until Kansas had all of
its own and nearly all of its neighbors'
corn,
when the other states saw this vast
accumulation and knew that it must
sooner or later come onto tho market,
the price of corn began to decline till it
could be purchased anywhere, except in
Kansas, for 10 cents bushel. In Kansas
tue price was still 45 cents, which was
the price of wheat, but there were no
buyers. Neither would anyone ex-
change wheat for their corn. When
the autumn came the Kansas people did
not have any wheat for seed. Then they
sent to the neighboring states and i'm
plored the farmers to exchange wheat at
parity with corn. But the farmers
said; We will exchange one bushel of
wheat for four and one-half bushels of
corn Our law replied the Kansas
people, puts corn and wheat on parity.
They are equal for our wise men said
they should be- And the farmers re-
piled; Your wise men are asses: let
them eat your corn.' So the Kansans
went back home, and all their people
were in despair.
THE more corn they had the less IL
was worth, and they had nothing but
corn. Day by day the times grew hard
er.
Inc governor again assembled the
wise men and said to them, Most con-
sumate, picturesque and glittering goll-
darned fools. There is bnt one bigger
1901 than yourselves. II is he that now
addresses you.
We thought we could bluff the ever
lasting law of supply and demand with
our statute. We thought we could legis-
late value into a thing and make our
people rich by law. We thought we
were patriotic We were idiotic. Let
us honestly acknowledge our assininity,
repeal our old law get back into line
with the other states, and imagine no
more that we are wiser than the world.''