The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1896-08-13

need scarcely tell you, for all Intelligent
men understand 1t, that the export price
the price in Europe-is the controlling fac
tor of our home price, The price of wheat
Duluth and Chicago. and when foreign
wheat reaches England. Holland, Nor
way, Belgium or France. for sale,
will the currency Of the country where the
wheat was raised have any material bear
Ing on the price the purchaser Is willing
to pay? Does he inquire whether the farm
er paid his help in gold cheap silver or de-
preciated paper? Will Russian wheat,
raised under a paper basis, on a silver
standard, bring better price than wheat
raised under our standard of money? Does
not the law of supply and demand operate
In silver standard countries as well as In
gold standard countries! United States
Consul Bornholdt of Riga, Russia, evidently
thinks 1t does. This is what he states in
his report of October, 1895: Despite a
bOuntiful harvest, the grain trade remained
In depressed state: throughout the season
prices continued to decline; and the year
closed with the lowest prices on record for
nearly every kind of grain, and there is lit
tie prospect of an improvement, owing to
the large stocks remaining in the country"
In 1894, according to the report of Consul
Baker, there was exported from Argentina
about 49,OOO,0OO bushels of wheat at the
average export price of about 55 cents per
bushel. During that same year. the aver
age export price of wheat at New York,
was 67 cents bushel; and owing to anti
quated methods Of handling and high inland
transportation rates, the Argentina farmer
got much less for his wheat than the Amer
lean farmer In this connection, the words
of Consul General Jefuigan, from whom
have already quoted, are very apt and ger
name.
The Wealth of q Nation
Is the MARGIN natwaou tho coSf Of prod,,o
Ing an article and its price. 1t is this mar.
gin that constitutes the wealth Of agricul-
tural and manufacturing countries. The
merchant, bankers and general traders are
more concerned with the gains and losses
OF exchange operations between countries
the producer and manufacturer are more
concerned with the uniform international
value of money
''For one-half Of the world to use gold as
money and the other half to use silver
necessitates a rivalry in commercial rela-
lions In which the cheapness of labor enters
as potential element Of success Such
rivalry Is made energetic and effective by
the improved means Of commercial inter-
course. The Occident and Orient are no
longer separated by impossible seas
Steam and telegraph have bridged, rs 1t
were. the largest sea of the world. and the
prices which rule the Occidental markets
o.e posteu III the cdpitals OF Japan ana
China as early as they are posted in the
exchanges of London and New York. Can
there be a stronger argument in favor of
an international standard of value than this
fact?"
See how. the law Of supply and demand
seems to have operated on some of our
other crops in the years 1894 and 1896
The following table shows the amount Of
corn, oats. barley and potatoes raised In
the United States in 1894 and 1895. and
the average price received for the same: