Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-01

different prices of wheat during those
years? Now let me read rye-I don't
suppose you've got very much rye,
don't raise very much of that here, and
believe l will pass that by, and also
barley. Let me read the market on
oats during these years: In '92, 81
40; '93, 20 40; '94, 80 40; '95, 10
Clio; '96, Is 40; '97, Fl 2-1O; '9S,
25 $40. Now corn-In '92, 80 40; '93,
SO BIO; '94, As ITO; '95, 26 4-1O; '96,
81 5-10; '97, 26 5-1O; '9S, % ITO; 80,
80 $40. These are the average prices
OF the products of the farm for the
years '92 to 80 inclusive, depending,
as the price of any product always de-
ponds upon the supply and the de-
mand.
Horses and Mules Are Prosperous.
Now referring to horses and mules.
II you will turn to your agricultural re-
ports you will find the reason given
Tor the enhanced price of those ami
mails accounted for in an intelligent
manner without any partisanship-to
some extent by the great nunnb
horses and mules raised in the western
country, and to an age which compel
item to be put upon the market. In
'95 and '96, men who We're engaged in
raising horses and mules went out of
the business. And the same report
will show that but very few horses
raised in comparison to the prior
years. Since that time there has been
an exceptional demand, of which you
are undoubtedly all aware of-occa-
stoned not only by the war in this
country, but the war in South Africa.
That disposes substantially of prosper.
ity so far as concerns the products
raised upon the farm
Merchants Getting Poorer.
Let me call your attention to the
business of the merchants, and if there
are any of them here, call upon them
to bear witness. The business of this
country, including this town, is tran.
sacted on a less margin of profits than
1t was two years ago, and for some
time before. This applies not only tc
the wholesale merchants, but to the
retail merchants of this country
Should that be so, or true, when the
prices of the commodities, merchan
disc handled by these same merchants
are much higher than they were fou1
years ago or two years ago, when we
Ieel that the profits on these goods
must be to some one or some person
much greater than they were two and
four years ago? Wholesale merchants
and hardware merchants, dealing in
wire had, as / understand, an agree
ment with the trusts of this country
to receive notice of decline in the
price of that article. They were adj
vised, and when the decline came, the
wholesale merchants had very little
II any of that stock on hand. 1t had
passed down or out of their hands and
into the hands of the retail merchants
or into the possession of the man W..
the hump on his back and the hoe in
his hand. That probably is true. OF
was true, covering two or three occa
slons. But the time came when thai
notice was not given, and the trusts
unloaded, as l am informed, upon the
wholesale men, and they were left tc
hold the bag, when the decline in price
came. | merely cite this showing OF
Illustrating, that the profit or the pros
perlty in that line was neither will
the farmer, with the retail merchant
nor eventually with the wholesale mer
chant, but with the trusts and the
combines.
The Balance of Trade.
AS further evidence of prosperit,
| they claim large balance of trade
; exports in favor of this country. ant
that is covered by a plank in theil
J platform. | have listened to one
speech on that question, and | have
read great many others. But |. have
got the first time yet to read or hea,
OF them telling the people of the
amount of wealth that comes into th1;
country instead of going out. They tel
you OF the millions and millions of dol
lars, amounting to Sl,60O,OOO, 900. tn,
balance of the export trade in favor O
this country, which means til,
wealth that has gone from this coun
Try. But they don't tell you wha
came back to this country in return. I
lney did covering the number of YEAR
That is claimed by these gentlemen
: from which they take the figures pre
, sented to you, and as shown by a tabu
.. lated statement which have here. tn,
{ actual amount, or balance, is about
{ per cent of the amount claimed.
t A Little Courier Advertising.
IhSeiAA IiiSy Chilli that CDlS nation
mas grown so wealthy that we ar,
loaning our money to other nations
and they cite that as an example O
prosperity. Has the time come unde
this administration, that men VIII,
have their money to invest, must leay,
this country and go abroad in order t,
: seek profitable investment for thei
: money? l ask you this question, i
! that is any evidence of prosperity
. Do they tell you anything about you
: financial condition? They do not, bu
| read from the papers which this gen
} tleman represents, that the stronges
} evidence, or evidence which is relic,
, on very much by the gentlemen o.
J the other side of this, claim prosperit,
, is the great amount of money that i
} deposited in the banks now as com
; pared to 1896. Why, almost every is
sue of this paper contains an editoria
on this subject under the head O
!, Facts versus Fiction" and other dill
, ferent heads. think l have three O
: the issues of the paper here And MI
Manning, the vice-president of tn
Iowa National Bank, had occasion t
call his friends attention to that fac
as conclusive or very strong evidenc