Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-10-02
Democrats Quietly" Conducting
Personal Canvass.
HOW THEY WORK THE FARMER
Endeavor to Convince TilIer of the
Soil and the Laborins Man That
They Are Worse Off Than They
Were in 1896.


that the democrats are engaged in
conducting quiet personal canvass
in the localities where they have any
hope of success. Voters are approach
ed by friends of the democratic candi-
dates for congress or county offices
and are urged to give them compli-
mentary vote. The men conducting
this canvass never fail to impress upon
the voter the great danger of trusts
and combination, and the assurance is
given that the only way to destroy
these evils is to elect a democratic
congress. Just how deIlocratic con-
gress Is to accomplish anything is not
made clear, for the only branch of the
law-making power which, by any pos
sibility. can become democratic as a
result of this falls election, is the
house. Dispatches from Washington
say that the trusts are contributing
money to the democratic campaign
fund in the hope that democratic
house may be elected. They hope
that with the house democratic and
the senate republican, they will be able
to stir up enough strife to prevent any
antitrust legislation. The republican
party, through it's platforms, the decla-
rations of President Roosevelt and
other leaders. is pledged to legislation
against monopolies, and only by re-
publican success can anything be ac-
complished along this line.
The Cry for "Relief."
The democratic orators are also en-
deavoring to make the farmers and the.
laboring men believe that they are
worse off than in 1896. Judge Wade,
democratic candidate for congress in
the second district, declares that the
cry for relief which comes from the
laborer, the business man and the In
dependent manufacturer, will not be
silenced. 1t cannot be hushed by the
full portrayal of the full dinner-pail-
it cannot be stilled by the cry of pros
perity-it cannot be hushed by the
fairy tale of protecting agricultural in
terests by protective tariff" The
Judge does not make it exactly clear
what the people want. He does not
think the full dinner pail amounts to
much. Prosperity is meer bauble to
be sacrificed on the altar of reform, in
his opinion. Protection is of little val
lie to the farmer, he says, although
the prices of their products have vast
ly increased since the republicans have
had control of the government 1t is
true that the farmers are paying lit
tie more for some of the things that
they have to buy The increase along
these lines is only 1.-THE, however,
as compared with the increase in the
prices of the things they have to SELL
The following extracts from a recent
editorial in the Chicago Inter-Ocean
conclusively prove this statement:
A Comparison That Poorly Compared.
"The farmer can buy reaper, now
er, wagon. plow, corn cultivator and
wheat drill for $3.50, for which. he
would have paid 1927 in 1896 his
equipment of implements and machin-
cry would have cost him 500 bushels
of wheat, or 1885 bushels of corn, or
1908 bushels of oats, or II steers or
46 hogs of average weight.
In 1902 the same equipment costs
3S2 bushels of wheat, or SIS bushels
of corn, or 764 bushels of oats, or 8
steers or 90 hogs.
Reapers. mowers, plows and cult.
vators are quoted by manufacturers
and dealers at substantially the same
wheat drills show a slight increase
General hardware is, in fact, no high
er, than in 1896. Nails and wire are
about the same. Stoves show an in
crease of from 5 to 10 per cent. Dry
goods are shade higher, shoes
shade lower. and clothing is cheaper,
Staple of groceries used by farmers
are as rule lower than in 1896.
This is the record on one side. On
the other side, cattle hogs and sheep
have doubled in value. Wheat sold at
AS cents in 1896, and at "a cents in
1902; corn at 90 cents, in 1896 and
at IS cents in 1902. Hay that sold for
$500 to $500 per ton in 1896 has
sold this year at $3.50. Oats quoted
at Is cents per bushel in 1896, have
sold as high as As cents in 1902
Chickens and eggs have increased
nearly 10 per cent. in price, and but.
ter is higher"