The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-09-08
Thy Whsat Is Eizh.

There is snuch being SAID abou: col.
Iac whee: aGd that hist will bJio2
prosperity 10 the American people.
Dollar wntat is 2 oocd thiug, and we
wish more farmers h&d Il to sell, bat
1ot ere farmer IN G:ty, TO. D2t ere
farooer il 8 h2n'reG throughout Toe
Cni.;d STATES, nor one person il syerY
one hundred Thousand has bushel uf
EyAeat to disgcse cf, 50 the nUmoar to
be benefited by dollar wheat IS very
small indeed. The dollar price al this
tine is q mere accident. II there ha6
been the usual good yield abroad,
with the large yield we have mere at
home wheat would command lot
more than fifty ceEts bushel now,
and would be fed, as it was few years
ago, when We had a large crop, to cur
live stock. \ mere temporary relief
has come to the wheat farmers Of this
country at this time, because Of cruel
drouths and unpropitious weather IN
most Of the ether wheat producing
sections of the world. Oar wheat
farmers good fortune is based on the
mis-! fortunes of wheat farmers in other
sections of the world, and it is very
wesk foundation to base the presperi-
II Of the world upon. At the b=st it
primarily reaches but one class of
producers, and that a small class. Il
we could have dollar corn and ten
cent cotton for this years product, it
would reach every farmer, for every
farmer raises corn and cotton a0d has
it to sell. It is true by helping the
wheat farmer, other classes to a greater
or less extent will be benefited, for he
will be enabled to pay the interest on
his mortgage Indebtedness, to pay
his store bills, taxes, ETC., TO fpatron-
ize mechanics and merchants, and
all will feel more or less the ben
efts OF the influx OF money from
abroad into his pockets. But will the
present increased price of wheat be
any index to any permanent prosperi-
ty2 Does it give any assurance that
we will have dollar wheat year from
now2 On the other hand does it not
give the assurance that in a year from
now, wheat will be begging for buyers
at fifty coats s bushel or less, unless
some great and worldwide calamity
should again befall the crop2 We
have been watching closely for a quar-
ter of century the result Of such un-
expected upheayals in price Of certain
farm crops, and we here make a pre-
Giction that one year from now wheat
will be selling at half the price it IS
today. The increase in price will
stimulate production the world over.
Il will not be confined to this country,
for the price is high everywhere.
More wheat will be planted and be put
in the ground in better condition, and
be better fertilized in France and Eng
land, in Russia and Prussia, in Tur-
key and India and in Argentine and
indeed in all countries where wheat
can be grown, than has been planted
for years. The higher price o. this
year will stimulate all wheat growers
to plaut more laagely with the e12sc-
tation that such prices will be main-
tanned. Our own American farmers
will travel the same road. History
will repeat itself. Over production
is as sure to come another year as the
year itself is to come, and nothing but
sCue great worldwide calamity can
prevent it. Where will be the sweet
consolation then, with Theat at forty
or fifty cents bushel, which many
of our friends are now enjoying over
the great general prosperity which
dollar wheat is bringing to our coun-
try. 1t is false hope, because it ap.
plies to bat one farm crop out OF
hundred-.he others being still in the
slough of despond. We should be
able to lock at things squarely io the
fare