Omaha daily bee., 1897-09-06
nNsIs or PROSPERITY.
Gold Facts Contrnstcd with Political


Kansas city Star Und. dcmD
This is the way the free silver republicans
get around the prevailing good times; I'VE
recognize IN the boUutlul crops in this coun-
try and the entire failure Of crops in COM
petng countries a special advantage to our
people by raising the prices OF farm products,
but we deplore famine In other lands and
want a prosperity that does not depend IN
the adversely Of the balance OF the world"
The effectiveness Of this declaration would
have been greatly increased II the platform
had included n statement OF the competing
countries" In which there is a Complete
failure" OF the crops; II it had named the
lands in which there is famine; II 1t had in
cluded some specifications as to the "ad-
versity of the balance of the world"
There is, in fact, no country that has
anything like Il complete failure OF crops;
not single country in all the world whose
farmers will noe receive more money for this
years crops than they received last year.
Russia, which Is the greatest competitor
with this country in the expectation OF
wheat, has a crop Of 2i0 600 bushels, ac-
cording to the latest cable advices from st.
Petersburg. The average Russian crop for
eleven years past, according to the Liverpool
Corn Trade News, the best authority on the
subject. is 2i5 900 600 bushels. There is no
complete failure" there.
France, which stands next to the United
States in the production of wheat has 272,-
600, 900 bushels this year, compared with
an average crop of 900 900 600 bushels In the
last twelve years. Italy and Romania.
where crops are short compared with last
year, have raised smaller crops twice since
1891 than they have harvested this year. The
Hungarian crop this year, which comes
nearer to being failure than any other in
Europe, is about 10 per cent OF the average
| for six years past.
| Even India, whore there are large dis
| tricts which have borderCd on a state OF
| famine every year for an almost indefinite
period, raised three-quartors of full crop
last year. and probably will have about the
same this year. But India exported an aver
age of only 10000, 600 bushels Of wheat per
| year for the four years preceding last year
equal to less than single months exports
| from the United States at the present rate
| of shipment.-snd therefore India cuts very
| little figure in making wheat prices for the
world.
| The Argentine Republic last year raised
| about half an average crop, but almost all
the Argentine surplus is always shipped out
| between February 1 and June !, so last
years Argentine crop is Of less importance
than the coming crop in influencing wheat
prices at the present time, and the new Ar
gentine crop, to be harvested in January,
promises now to be the largest on record,
with a single exception.
In view of the foregoing facts 1t Is an
entirely unjustifablo eXaggeratiOn to de-
clare that present high prices of wheat
are due to "entire failure of crops in COM
peting countries"
Nor is there the slightest basis for the
statement that the growing prosperity of
this country at the present time is based
on 1.-The adversity of the rest of the world"
Where is that adversity to be found? Not
in Germany, for that country has been en-
joyng an extraordinary industrial boom for
many months Not in England for the trade
returns there show constant gains. There
is not in all the world a single country
whose crops this season will not yield more
in dollars and cents than they did last year;
not single country where the average
condition of the people is worse this year
than it last.
The prosperity of the United States rests
on a much broader foundation than the ad-
vance in wheat. That has contributed
much to 1t. But the Improvement in busi-
ness got under way before the advance
in wheat started: before it was generally
realized that Europe would require more
than the usual quantity of wheat from this
country. If it should turn out that the
crops of the world not as deficient as
| many people suppose them to be, the pros
perity in this country will continue to grow;
more men will find employment; more farm
| products will be consumed; more clothing
bought and people will so on enjoying
more and more of the good things of life.