The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1896-09-10
LOSSES 10 FARMERS
WHAT The FINANCIAL DEPRESSION
MEANT TO THEN.
L Cost the Farmers Of the Grain
Growins States $3.50, orc. 044-The
Cause OF this Financial Depres-
sion Was the silver 10 to De-
MISREPRESENTATION Good Money and
Prosperity win Return to All
Branches Of Industry.

lusion-Establish Good Money and
Prosperity win Return to All
Brapches Of Industry.
The immediate future OF this country
now rests upon the decision of the ten
grain growing states Of the upper
Mississippi valley, Ohio, Indiana, ]
Illinois, Michigan, wisconsin, Mime
sofa, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Mis-
souri,. The center Of power now, lies In
this section.
The area Of these states Is COS, $50.
square miles and they now produce
over 20 per cent. .of the corn, wheat
and oats Of the nation. II
In 1862 a large portion Of these states
was unorganized territory AS yet UNI
touched by the plough. Only six and,
half per cent, 24,0OO,OO0 acres, was in
corn, wheat and oats. In 1891 a little
over 20 per- cent, over SO,OOO,OO0 acres,
yielded 5S,OOOOOO tons which at 1888
per ton farm value brought to farmers
within fraction Of $92O,OOO,OOO. The
value per ton had fallen from $24.S3 in
1881, but was equal to that in 1871
when it was $15.S1. 1t was worth per
ton more than in 1862, value then
SLAP, all on gold basis. Facts from
advanced sheets of a report of L. Ct.
Powers, Chief Of Bureau Of Statistics
Minnesota
1t is manifest that the changes in the
coinage act of 1873 had not changed
the conditions materially, unless-to bet
ter them, because the highest returns
for grain ever secured had been In
1881, eight years after silver is said to
have been demonetized In the year
1881 short crops of wheat in Europe
brought an export equal to barrel OF
-four a year for forty million people
nearly as many as We're supplied at
home
Nearly all of these farms were either
under mortgage in 1862 or they have
been bought and put under cultivation
since that year with money borrowed
on mortgage. From 1891 to 1895 more
than two-thirds outside districts were
free OF any mortgage on the land and
were well stocked.
There was no great change in the
general conditions in this period. The
year 1892 was one Of general activity
in business and Of general prosperity
in all sections OF the country. A
change in the protective features in the
tariff was made in 1893 by which wool
was put in the free list; but except in
Ohio wool has not .teen product OF
any moment in any OF those states and
in Ohio itself the annual value Of the
wool is less than the value Of hens
eggs annually produced.
There are very extensive ymanufac-
aturers in these stAtes but to the extent
Of at least 95 to 81 per cent they are
of goods and wares that cannot be inn
ported from foreign countries. Accord
ing to the census classification OF manu-
facturers, which included Touring mills
meat packing, cheese factories and
creameries, their manufactures are
very largely exported.
Yet between 1891 and 1895 something
happened which has reduced the value
of the grain crop from 1883 per ton
to $9.42 or from farm value of $685.
al, 3O4 to $531 1854, $50, making diff
ference to the farmers Of 1886, 976,944.
The crops of corn. wheat and oats of
those ten states in 1891 and 1895 We're
as follows:
1s91--Acs9s, eo,oas. 145; bushels. q
sO75. 765, 600; tons. 5000, 56S; farm
value, 1913, 741 ,304; value per ton,
$15.S; 1SD5-Acres go, 63G,517; bush
els, o,ofS. CSC. 433; tons, 56,479, AIS; farm
value, $553t, 70 $50; value per ton,
1912
" nat do these figures mean? Per-
haps an object lesson will show.
In 1892 the farmer averaged for his
grain crop 1888 FER ton; 1895, $9.42;;
loss, $G.41.
At = loss of S6.41 the cost of fnan-
cial depression to tue farmers of the
grain growing states was $3S6,976,644.
What caused financial depression?
All the national conditions of 1895
We're as conducive to activity and pros
perity as in 1891 and 1892. Prosperity
exists when the distribution of all
products is regular and continuous.
That means a steady consumption for
the support of life, to which about 80
per cent Of each years product is de-
voted. and an equally regular con-
sumption for the increase OF capital in
improvements upon land, IN the con-
struction of railways, factories, work
shops and new buildings, to which 10
per cent Of our product may be usually
applied. The traffic or exchange for
the support of life must go on, but
when constructive enterprise is
stopped, products pile up in excess Of
3. to 10 per cent. prices fall very low,
while all over the country workmen
who need these products stand idle.
There are now 24,OOD,000 men,
women ana children occupied for gain
in all the arts on which life depends.
If constructive enterprise is paralyzed,
as it has been and only 5 per cent are
idle. that means 100000 men out of
work and nearly 100000 people suf-
fcring want, while the food they would
CONSUME cl1okes the farms with I'M
salablc products. If 10 per cent are
idle. o,4OO,OOO need work and 200, 900
people suffer want while the food rOts
and wastes in the farmers bins.
The curse of bad money is upon us,
and. millions are now suffering for the
want - the very products which can
not be sold at cost upon the farms.
Establish good money and the
change would come with such GER
tainty and rapidity that men would
wonder at their own folly in so long
submitting to the demands Of those
who have put this curse OF bad money