Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-13
The Price Of Wheat.


In Mr.. Bryan's David and Absalom''
speech at st. Louis several days ago, he
assumed to quote "statistics' to show that
the standard farm products of the coun-
try have greatly declined in price under
Mr.. McKinley's administration, and, among
other things equally erroneous. he stated
that the average price of wheat for the
year 1899 was 5s.4 cents per bushel; when,
in fact, as shown by the Year Book Of
the Agricultural Department for that year,
1t was 11.5i cents and not bS.4, as asserted
By Mr.. Bryan and the national democratic
committee. whose garbled figures were used
on this occasion
And to show the utter unreliability of
that committees figures this subject, as
we'll as on others treated Of in the same
manner. 1t needs only to be stated that on
page f6O or the year book referred to, and
which is accessible to all, it is distinctly
stated that the figures used by Mr.. Bryan
on the occasion referred to $50 were for
one day only-December 1, 1S99-and the
lowest figure reached in the Chicago mar
ket that year. Yet Mr.. Bryan and his ma
tional committee seem to have deliberate
ly and designedly given them out to the
unwary public as the average price for the
whole year. And that is the way they are
combating manifest prosperity on every
hand
For the year 1896 Mr. Bryan puts the
average figure at 726 when in fact it was
only 66.s4. For the year 1897 CMr. McKin-
ley's first year, the average rose to SCI
but Mr.. Bryan says it sos; and for the
year 1898 he is only 81 SO cents short of the
real average, which was 50 76, instead of
So, as perverted by Mr.. Bryan and his
versatile committee-for votes only. OF
course it is well known in this community,
as we'll as elsewhere, that Mr. Bryan'S fig
ures are grossly erroneous, and will, If
anything, injure rather than aid his los
ing cause with intelligent and wel-inform-
ed people.
There seems to be no excuse for such
perverSion of facts, and the motto, "falsum
in uno, falsum in omnibus" may be safely
and justly applied to all such campaign lit
erature emanating from that source. Why,
even the unfortunate and lamented Absa-
lom himself would have blushed at such
an unblushing course
If may be allowed to cite a further COM
parison on this subject. it will be seen from
the same year book-not prepared for per-
Verted political purposes, but for the cor
rect information of all-that the average
price of wheat during the last three years
OF democratic rule was only III. 90 cent per
bushel, while for the first three years i'm
mediately following, under Mr.. Mckinley,
it was S2.5 cents, thus showing an in
crease-not decline--of more than 20 cents
hUshel in favor of republican rule: with
corn, oats, rye. cotton, wool and tobacco all
far advanced today in prices over those of
last year, showing a steady increase to
the farmer in favor of all farm products,
with an increasing demand therefor in all
the busy manufacturing centers of the
whole country. because Of better wages and
more money with which to buy.
In conclusion, 1t appears that while Mr..
Bryan or late seems so SuperSenSltlVe lest
he himself should be misrepresented. yet
1t is not so apparent that he is at all sensi-
tive to the Misrepresentation Of others in
his present unseemly scramble for unmerit-
ed honor and dangerous power In the land.
And inasmuch as Mr.. Bryan is so fond of
quoting Scripture. the golden rule might
not be amiss in this connection.
AGRICULTURAL.