The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-03
FARMER AND HIS PRICES
THOSE OF FIVE CROPs IN INDIANA
HAVE ADVANCED SINCE 1873,
And Only n Has Observation-Disclosures
d. Swift Presents Strong Facts for
the TiIlers OF the Soil.

Lucius B. Swift. the ~weil-known civil
service refolmer and economic writer, has
been delving into the figures concerning
farm prices and has got together some
very interesting facts in regard to what
the farmers Of Indiana received for their
product from the date of the crime of
70" down to the panic OF 1893, when the
bottom dropped out of everything.
"Free-silver literature throughout" said
Mr.. Swift. in speaking of his tables to a
Journal reporter yesterday. land ~free-sil-
yer talk everywhere draws down finally to
the one argument that the disuse of silver
In 1873 has caused a ruinous Fall of prices.
Coins Financial School takes wheat and
cotton and silver in colums side by side
from 1872 to 1898 and shows in all a steady
decline. Senator Teller, who went weep
ing out of the Republican convention at
st. Louis because 1t would not declare for
the free coinage of silver at 1s to L, and
who turns out to be a millionaire silver
mine owner, follows the same line and,
after quoting a number of English au-
thorities. closes with the neat remark. AS
these are English figures they ought not
to be disputed by the admirers of English
policies Nevertheless both Coin and Tel
Ter and all the rest can be successful dis
puted.
Il came upon the curious fact that, in
the period of 1871 TO 1874. while the average
price of wheat in Minnesota was 73.1 cents
a bushel. when that bushel got to London
the average price was 1888 cents. Yet in
the period between 1857 and 1890. when the
average price in Minnesota was T3.4 cents,
the average price in London had fallen to
1o6.1. How could the disuse of silver pro-
duce a result like that? The cost of trans
p~ortation had been cut in two. and that
measured the fall in the London price. l
have obtained these facts from a recent
address OF Edward Atkinson. whose ac-
curacy nc one will dispute, and who in
turn obtained them from the State Stats
tician Of Minnesota. Following this cue. /
have collected the farm price of six main
crops in indian for twenty years, COM
mencing with 1873. The prices are taken
from the reports of the Commissioners of
Agriculture down to the time when the
Indiana Bureau of Statistics was estab-
lished, since which time they have been
blanks filled from the Washington bureau.
The prices are the average prices for the
whole State for a given year. and whether
the average is made in Indianapolis or
Washington, the system is the same. Re
ports are collected from all parts OF the
State and at all times of the year, and
both the localities and the times are aver
aged. out of which is obtained the general
average for the year The crops taken are
corn, oats, wheat. rye. Irish potatoes and
hay
Mr.. Swift exhibited complete tables
showing the prices of these crops in In
diana for each year. He then showed "a
condensed table, in which, in order to at
ford a field for ups and downs. he has di-
vided the twenty years from 1913 TO 1898
into five-year periods. This gives the fol-
lowing averages OF prices OF each crop Tor