Willmar tribune., 1899-07-12
PROSPERITY TALK

IN CONNECTION WITH STATE AND
NATIONAL POLITICS.
People Looking In Vain for tho Real
Article, and Very Greatly Disg usted
With tR" Trust and Combine Sort.
Trust Prices Versus Farm Products
Tho Real Situation-Nationai Politics.
Old Kaintuck Leads or for Bryan His
Renomipstion by Acclamation-state
Politics-Governor Linda sixteen-Inch
Shot on the Railroad Bill veto-state
Capitol Notes Twin City Politics.
Mayor Gray's ''Get There"-Return of
william Henry Eustis' Guaranty Loan
President-The Flour Mill Trust q Go
After All-Note and Comment of the
Week.
Reform Press Bureau.
ST. PAUL. July 8, 1899.
are either sputtering or leaving their
"bad taste in the mouth" it is a good
time to reflect on the political situation,
and what the people are "going to do
about it" nationally. But what a
dampener it has been to the true spirit
of patriotism, that while we celebrate
the possession of liberty our brave SOL
diers in far distant cline, are loyalty
obeying the commands of officers set
over them. are destroying a people
struggling for their own liberty which
they had we'll nigh won from Spain
when America stepped in and claimed
them and theirs for our own.
What the people want to get at is the
actual condition of things. Each per-
son knows his individual situation, but
not much about that of the community
at large until he investigates. Each
individual knows how much his salary
has been increased or reduced, as the
case may be, and each business man
knows the increase or loss in his aver
age profits. Everybody knows that
there has been an immense arbitrary, if
not artificial increase in the price of ar
ticles of manufacture, combine and
trust controlled. This has stimulated
the benefited concerns until they cry
prosperity" There has been much
much stimulation of most lines BY the
enormous war expenditures of the last
year, estimated to be $3.50, ,O00, 600 or less
Without both Of these, what, let us ask.
would be the condition of the country?
What has there been, besides these
agencies, to improve general conditions2
Only in the concerns possessing enor-
nous special privileges or advantages,
like the trusts. under tariff protection,
street railways possessing their fran
chises, untaxed, as bonuses; lumber,
specially protected, and the like, have
labor and general employees had pay
increased. Merchants. with raise after
raise on their trust goods, and profits
thus made less, have not been and will
not be able to increase salaries, nor will
farmers nor general employers Of labor.
Skilled labor is able by dint of the most
rigid organization, which employers
would break if they dared, or knew
how, are able to degree to maintain
scales. They cannot long maintain
them, however, when, the increased
cost of trust materials leaves no profit
to those who employ them.
But our producers, almost without
exception, are as deep in the slough as
ever. Prices for what they sell are at a
standstill, or going the other way, while
all that they have to buy is up in trust
prices. The Government commission
developed testimony that the productive
industries of the South. were never at
so low state before, in their staples of
cotton. corn, grain, tobacco, etc. Cotton
is the lowest known, abouts 4 cents a
pound. But why go to the South, or
East, or the West. for what is the case
with our own home producers? We
find that the following have been the
average prices realized for Minnesota
products during the past six months at
the home markets at an average in.
terror distance: Wheat St cents, oats
II, corn IL, ba riley 23 to 25, flax 81, hogs
b. 80 to So. 10, and until recently, butter
II to 1a. and eggs to 9 cents.
| State Senator Valentine Batz of
Stearns coun} y, who is a large country
merchant, brought car load Of hogs to
market, for which he paid farmers So.
He sold them fairly we'll, but had little
profit after the heavy freight was paid.
Speaking on this very subject Senator
! Batz said: Il have not been able to
pay farmers any more, nor SO much for
their produce, but have had to raise,
over and over again, the goods sell
them, becaq qse raised on me daily. ]
ordered cd arload of lath, and it cost
me 81. 80 pet M, when the last notice
was $1.30. A carload of shingles that
should hay e been $40. was $780,
Barbed wire that used to be $1.75 was
b3, and so On. More for everything you
have to buy, and less for what you have
to sell, and less and less margins on the
business 20 do"
Senator Batz said that while he was
not talking politics he found mighty
few in his part of the state who are
fascinated with the Mckinley article Of
''prosperi1 1y."
A leadi4 g organ of latter-day Repub
Gcaqism poastingly remarks that al
legislation hostile to trusts has origin
ated with the Republican party; that
no other political organization is en-