The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-10-23
unce Price of one bushel OF
I. l. Wheat Sept !. 1896,
Reports from the great business cen


ters regarding the business improve
ment are interesting and encouraging,
hut how about those from the rural
communities, the farming districts, the
small towns and villages?
The nation is made up OF small COM
runites of agricultural rs well rs
manufacturing and mining districts, It
is a good thingt know that thecitics are
prosperous. that railroad stocks are adj
vancing and that fortunes are being
made ION change" and in the advance
in prices OF grain or stocks or real es-
tate. But how about the farmer. not
merely the wheat grower of the north
west or the Pacific coast. but the aver
oge farmer of the average community?
EX-Congressman Johnson. of Indiana,
was in Washington few days ago. He
represented an agricultural district in
congress shortly ago and he knows
every farmer in the half dozen counties
composing that district He is farmer
himself. too THE farmers are pros
pering." said he, land not merely be-
cause of crop shortage abroad Every
thing has advanced among our farmers,
not merely wheat. but corn. cattle.
hogs. wool and practically everything
that the farmer has TO sell. Take my
own case. for instance. ! had several
thousand bushels of corn wear or so
ago. 1t was\worih only Is cents, so
decided TO hold it. Recently | sold it
for 33 cents Take cattle for another
instance. Our beef cattle are selling for
much higher rate than year ago and
are in demand. Last year the farmer
would 90 to the buyer and say: What
can you give me for my cattle? Now
the buyer goes to the farmer and makes
his bid and il he doesn't get them he
makes higher bid next day. Prices
have advanced very materially. That is
true as to hogs as well as cattle. They
bring 80 per cent. more than they did
a year ago."
"How do you account for this advance,
Mr.. johnson ?" was asked. The silver
men are SAYING that the advance in
wheat is due TO the shortage abroad.
But how about the advance in the other
products of the FARM"
Because there is home demand.
People are employed and can afford to
buy more. Every man who wants work
can get it. In our part,of the country
you cannot get workmen. OF course
there are some unemployed people, but
| they are of the class who don't want
work. They prefer to sit on dry goods
boxes and complain about hard times.
| But everybody who wants work and can
do work is employed. That's the reason
| that the farmers are getting better
prices all along the line. They
are getting them and taking care of the
money too. Why, l know a bank in
our part of the country that received in
| deposits from farmers in one day a
couple of weeks ago sum equal to
nearly one-half of its entire capital
stock"
What effect is this having. Mr.. John
son, on the free silver sentiment of last
| year,"
killing it, and very rapidly. know
| plenty of democrats who voted the free
silver ticket last year, simply because it
was that of their own party, who will
never do it again. They were not heart
| lily for il then, but accepted it because
il was the party creed for the moment.
But they will not do it again, even il
they have to vote with the republicans
next time. No, sir. The silver cause
has lost its hold upon the agricultural
element of the country, and will not
be accepted by them again. What the
democrats will make as their issue in
the next campaign do not know, but
l do know that they can't catch the
farmer vote with free silver or free
| trade again. &C. ID. King.