The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1898-07-28
EuRoPE's DAILY BREAD.
What This War with Spain May Mean
to the People of Many Countries.

What This War with Spain May Mean
to the People of Many Countries.
Washington Special; The lesson Of
their dependence upon the United
States for bread has recently been i'm
pressed upon the people of Europe. It
is made the subject of letter to the
department of state by Consul General
Du Bots at ST. Gall: until today" Mr..
Du Bots writes, 1.-The natives little COM
pretended how much they depended on
America for their daily bread, and the
experience Of the past thirty days has
opened wide their eyes to the signifi-
cant truth that in America is located
their reliable and faithful source of
supplies. This revelation is now teach
ing the masses, every morning, noon
and night how essential America is
to the welfare and happiness of Eu-
rope; for where and when bread is
high and wages low there can be but
little hope and comfort This does
not depend so much upon the amount
Of breadstuffs America sends regularly
to Europe as it does upon the fact that
nearly always, in years of great crop
failures, the United States has usually
held the balance of power so far as
breadstuff resources were concerned,
and in each instance our position and
supply have determined the cost OF
the European loaf of bread, which
means the comfort and veal of the
masses; for in Europe bread and DO
tatoes furnish about 80 per cent of the
nourishment Of the laboring classes.
The people Of Switzerland are great
bread eaters, but not much of their
bread is made from United States
flour. Seventy per cent of the wheat
consumed in Switzerland comes from
Russia. Out of a total of 1851 43
hundredweights imported into Switzer-
land last year, Russia sent 4,805, 946
hundredwefghts, and the United States
only 528, 349 hundredweights. But, not
withstanding this fact, the chief topic
of conversation now is, What is the
supply of American wheat? What will
be the effect of the war ON the price Of
it? And, most important Of all, what
will be the cost of loaf of bread made
out of it? Within two days European
wheat rose from $40 to 1888 a cent
ner Clio pounds), and American wheat
rose from 1901 to 1858 per centner. In
very short time the common bread
Chalf white -FOUR, largely used by the
masses, rose from cents to 51h cents
pound. When the honest Iaborer
gets 40 cents a day and he finds his
loaf of bread suddenly increased in
price about Is per cent, he stops to
think how it has happened; and when
he learns that it is because Europe
can not get American wheat at the
usual price, he begins to realize what
an effective and important part Ameri-
ca Is playing in his daily life. AS
seen above, the amount of wheat that
the United States furnishes to Switzer-
land Is not large-not one-f1fth what it
should be; but, in spite of that fact,
the present state of war has sent the
price OF bread up 25 per cent in the
Alpine republic, besides causing seri-
Gus and bloody riots in Italy, helping
to put state Of siege over all Spain,
setting the masses of Germany grum-
bling, disclosing the fact that 14.OO0.-
900 Russians are in need of bread. and
awakening sOlicitude and unrest in
FTance-all because the United States
holds, and for many decades will hold.
the balance Of power in breadstuffs,"