The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-06

not mean prosperity IS measured Oy tue
tremendous growth of gigantic combines
and trusts, who reduce wages on the one
hand and dismiss a large portion OF their
operatives and raise the price on manu-
featured articles, while they combine to
reduce the price of the raw material and
the products of the soil. BY the destruc-
ton of genuine competition we remove at
once the best and most natural law of
commerce and trade and place ourselves at
the mercy of me greed and avarice OF these
soulIess corporations who build up colossal
fortunes at the expense of the producers.
Zone notable illustration of the neglect
that our lawmakers have shown is in the
niggardly manner that they have enacted
laws that would favor the workman and
farmer is that law that advances the
cause of labor or agriculture is today on
the statute books blu, is of the most in
significant kind and that given most grudg-
ingly. While in contrast with this out
rageous neglect we find every interest, finan-
cal, commercial industrial, enjoying
measure of protected legislation that makes
the infants of few years ago the giant
octopus today that is still swelling into
greater and more ~stupendOus stature that
they now threaten to crash and smother
their affectionate parents, agriculture and
labor
EXTENSION OF THE MARKET.
"Now, gentlemen. l come to the matter
of this paper and that is the establish
and it's effect on agriculture and labor. 1t
is well known that we can raise more
wheat, meat and textile fabrics than would
feed and clothe a nation double our size.
We have a great deal of export products
that we must sell to dispose of our sur
plus. We raise in round numbers 10000
900 bushels of wheat annually, we consume
for home consumption about 400, 900
bushels. We have, therefore, about 100, OOO,-
600 bushels of wheat for export.
I'VE are SO situated that the export crop
sets the price for which the whole crop is
measured. If we have but one customer who
will buy from us and he is quite Indifferent
about what prices he pays, so long as it is
the lowest possible price that he must pay,
the price that he pays for our products Is
the price that the producer measures the
profits or losses of his toll and industry.
"Now the very necessities of the farmers
compel them to part with their grain in the
early months of the crop year, and by the
very volume of grain thus thrown on the
market assist the gamblers who are utiliz-
ing every means to bear the market at
that time of year when the bulk of the grain
is passing out of the farmers hands. The
farmer is a helpless victim to the natural
conditions which he creates, without any re-
lief of a general character to save him from
the conditions which compels him to part
with his grain and farm products.
eve find that of the 100,0000O0 bushels
of grain that is for export 100000 bushels
is on the Western slope, and as a natural
consequence must be loaded into ships and
sent to foreign markets.
The very instant that vessel clears port
it is registered on the boards of the markets
of the world, such a ship loaded with grain
or produce containing -- bushels Of
grain, destined to Liverpool, Eng, has
cleared.
1.-The moment that these vessels are placed
on the blackboards and marked to arrive
they know that it will arrive some time I'M
less it should encounter storms and go to
the bottom of the ocean. But barring acct
dents it will arrive and the purchaser knows
that he must take it at some figure, and Of
course he will drive as sharp bargain as
possible and bear the market to it's lowest
possible point.
This journey of these ships laden with
one-half OF our entire export grain has a
long and dangerous journey and are from
four to five months sea, making the
trip around Cape Horn and crossing the
equator twice in it's journey.
WESTERN CROP A BEAR" FACTOR.
This immense volume of grain being
'af1oat' and marked to arrive at time
when the bulk of the farmers are parting
with their grain contributes in no small
degree with the establishment of the low
prices that he is forced. to part with his
grain. England is our chief and only
customer on whom we must depend to
take our surplus food crops off our hands,
and a natural consequence any agency
that will create competition and give us
another market for our surplus products
will stimulate the prices which COMPETE
tors will establish in order to secure the
products that they must have. And any
advance on the prices on such products
gained by this agency will go to the pro-
Queer and he at once becomes the benes-
ciary. Thus it will be seen how important
it is that we have market and trade re-
lations with the countries of the Orient,
that we can dispose of that vast volume of
surplus grain on our Western slope which
can be done in four to six weeks and get
this vast volume out of the way and not
have it hang like a milestone around the
neck of prices on our farm products at
time of year when the farmers were market
ing the bulk of their farm products. Why
not then bend every energy of this great
nation to establish new and friendly rela-
lions with Asiatic countries who will take
large share of our surplus products and
take it at a time that will help to stimulate
prices and compel England, practically our
only customer, to come to our Atlantic sea-
board and compete for what is left of
our surplus crops, which they must do if
they wish to get it.
1t has been computed that the estab-
ilshment OF this market will bring from
Is to 20 cents a bushel extra for the ex-
port crop, ana as the expert sets the price
Tor the entire crop the saving to the
American farmer would meet SIC, 900, 900 to
$10O, 900 annually on the item of wheat
alone.
This would mean that this vast saving
would represent an additional profit to the
meagre profits now obtained from the sweat
and toll of farmers life. AS it is we'll
known that bushel of wheat does not rep
resent all profit and it is varously esti-
mated that there is less than 10 cents profit
in raising bushel of grain at the average
prices that have prevailed for the past sew
eral years, this would mean to the American
farmer with the present conditions that
he would receive the profit of three years in
one years crop, or three times his income
as compared with present conditions.
WOULD GIVE ALL WORK.
What would this mean? 1t would mean
a condition OF real prosperity that would re-
v1ve every languishing industry in the coun-
try and put to work every idle mechanic
and laborer to make the goods that this
wave of prosperity would demand from the
homes of the American farmer. We all will
admit that the base Of all real wealth, pros
perity and greatness of this nation is built
on the soil. The farmer is therefore the
bulwark of the nation; make conditions that
will make him prosperous and his prosperity
will bring prosperity to the nation and its
citizens
1T does seem impossible that a great
question like this, where the prosperity OF
all our citizens is involved that it has not
had the attention of our Lawmakers, who
were more busy in the occupation of lay
| ing wires,' putting up fences and kindred
| occupations known to politicians than at