The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-21
CONSPIRACY AGAINST WHEAT.
Crookston Times.

CrOOkStOn Times.
The Times is thoroughly convinced that
there is a conspiracy among wheat buy
ers to lower the price of the staple COM
modify raised by Northwestern farmers,
and to have the market rule considerably
lower than 1t otherwise would during the
early weeks Of the season while the bins
and elevators are being filled for the first
time. If successful in this there Is no
reason why the conspirators should not
continue their scheme of depression tndef-
initely.
The Times believes that the details Of
the conspiracy are so carefully worked
out and the plans laid so systematically
that they have secured control of a num-
Der of the leading newspapers that are
sufficiently influential to depress the
worlds prices to the great detrlment and
personal loss of the farmers of the North
west, and of the state Of Minnesota in
particular.
How otherwise, in the face of the well
known facts in the case, in this year,
when nearly third Of the farmers Of the
Red river valley have plOwed down por-
ton of their grain because it was too
poor to warrant cutting, would these pa
pers publish such gross and evident state
ments of the expected yield? They per-
sistently ignore the opinions of those who
well know the true condition of affairs,
and when not ignoring them they seek
The Minneapolis Journal is one of the
papers that has endeavored to boom the
expected product Of the wheat fields, and
its gross misrepresentation of the yields
are seized by the bear element, and used
to hammer down the wheat markets The
wildly eXtraYagant statements made by
the Journal that the wheat yield of Min
nesota and the two Dakotas would ag-
| gregate 1876 100000 bushels is so absurd
that no one who is really cogniZant of the
conditions will believe its statements,
which are fatty contradicted by the more
conservative and reliable government re-
ports.
The Journals estimate is at least So
GOO, 0G0 bushels above that of the gov
eminent, and the consensus of opinion
among those who have matured their
judgment by close observation since the
recent rains is that 1t is 60,000000 bushels
above the actual yield that will develop.
The Journal seeks to defend its wild
guess by bolstering 1t up with reports
from various localities in which 1t gives
the figures of exceptional yields, failing,
however, to take into account In its esti-
mates the vast area that has been ploWed
under and choosing such extracts from
the reports as give only the roseate side
! of the question.
The Times is aware of the fact that
in taking this stand 1t may possibly dis
courage to a certain extent the sales of
| land in the valley, but it's interests are
! identical with those of the farming COM
munity, and it seeks to benefit the farm
ers at all times, nor should its views be
| taken as a means of depressing real es-
! tate prices or discouraging immigration
Red river valley soil is just as productive
! as ever. There is no country that is not
! subject to an occasional crop failure and
this year comes the nearest to recording
failure of crops that has ever been
known in the valley, and~the same con-
ditions obtain throughout the entire
wheat raising district of the Northwest.
The Journals estimate of twelve or
thirteen bushels to the acre must be
called down at least one-half II order to
bring it into the figure. that will be
shown by the tally boards on the thresh-
ing machines.
Just one example is sufficient to show
how the Journal has arrived at it's 1885,
000,090-bushel estimate. 1t boosted that
the farm operated by N G. LarimOre,
in North Dakota, contained three quar-
ter sections that would yield twenty-five
/ bushels per acre, entirely ignoring the
yield of the remainder Of Mr.. Larimore's
1,4G0 acres of grain, considera bic por-
ton of which was plowed down, while
much OF that which remains will scarcely
pay for the tWine used to bind it.
The publication of such reports as the
1 Journals is used by the bear element
in the market to defraud the farmers,
and they are compelled to take the con-
sequences of lower prices.
The threshing machines are just com
mencing to tell the true story of the
yield and quality and their tale is sad
one. Many farmers who estimated their
crop at eight to twelve bushels, are get
ting from four to six instead, and the
recent rains have brought some of this
into a condition where it is being re-
jected by the elevators.
In South Dakota, where headers have
been extensively used Ihe conditions are
even worse than hereabout.
The Times protests against the gross
Misrepresentation of the Journal and
believes that they are contrary to the
farming interests of the country and the
entire Red river valley.