Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-09-16
ect of Republican Policies in the Corn Belt
and Wheat Growing States.
VALUE OF LANDS GREATLY INCREASED
Prices of Cereals in "Lean" and "Fat" Years
Market Demand Affected by Action of Ma
tionaI MISUNDERSTANDING in Values.

1t has been quite customary for Dem
ocratic writer's and speakers TO attribute
the extraordinary prosperity of the last
eight years to Providence, and to deny
that the Republican party could be espe-
cially allied with Providence
In answer to this contention President
Roosevelt, in one of his campaign
speeches in 1900, made the witty remark
that the Democratic party had fused
with about everything except Provi-
dence."
In relation to the remarkable increase
in the agricultural prosperity of the
United States during the years Of Re
publican rule subsequent to the last
Democratic administration 1888 1890,
Il is the Democratic policy to sneeringly
ask if the Republican party produced the
bountiful crops, or had anything to do
with the droughts, the rust, or other in
fuences bullishly affecting the prices of
commodities the farmer had to sell.
Such sneering remarks, however, can
not suppress the fact that while there
have been many vicisstudes during the
last eight years in crop conditions, yet
there has all this time been a mere or
less steady and big increase in the cash
income from American farms.
In 1901, for instance owing to hot
winds and drought there was a lean
year in corn and yet the farmers Of the
United States got 1921 $50, T6S for their
corn of that Republican year as against
$491, 006,9 67 for their corn of the Dem
ocratic year 1896, which was "fat
year. as regards naturally splendid
crop conditions, but a lean year indeed
as regards prices. The Republican year
1901 was thus year in which prosper
ity for the Corn Belt farmers was pre-
served despite a great natural disaster
to the corn crop, while the Democratic
year 1896 was a year in which there was
no prosperity in the Corn Belt despite
the especially bountiful size of the corn
crop.
Dollar Wheat VS.. Fifty Centwheat.
AT THE PRESENT WRITING
THE CASH PRICE OF WHEAT AT
CHICAGO is ABOUT $1.10. In Au-
gust, 1908. it was TIA to 90A cents;
ia August. 1902. it was 6SA to IS cents;
in August, 1901. it was 665s to II cents;
In August. 1900, it was Tx to I6H
cents; in August, 1899. it was go to "a a
cents in August, 1898. it was 651a to
Is cents; in August. 1897. it was 1914
to SLOT; in August 1896, it was 53 to
631s cents; in August. 1925. it was 5SA
to ~ cents; IN AUGUST, 1894, 1T
WAS 511A TO 5S1a CENTS.
AT PRESENT WRITING THE
CASH PRICE OF CORN AT CHI
CAGO is Sc CENTS. In August, 1903,
it was 501a to SO cents; in August, 1902.
1t was 80 to go cents; in August, 1901,
il was 53A to 5T1a cents; in August,
1900, it was 37A to 41A cents; in Au-
gust, 1899. it was 30ls to 33 cents; in
August, 1898, it was 294 to 33% cents:
in August. 1897. it was 261s to 32S
cents; IN AUGUST, 1896, 1T WAS
201a TO % CENTS.
Yard Stick of Republican Prosperity.
The general drift of these price fig
ures, covering a period of about eight
years, has been of course significant not
merely of the size of the crops of these
particular years, but Of the general
steady increase in market demand.
Wheat is not only staff OF life" but
it is also, as regards its consumption.
yard-stick Of national progress. The
more people advance in civilization and
in prosperity the more wheat -four will
they consume. The present great awak-
ening amongst the Oriental races is syn
chronous with the development of an
enormous trade in Pacific Coast wheat
-four through the ''open door" to these ma
tons of the Orient.
In the case of corn it is certainly
fact worthy of much attentive interest,
that despite the high prices for corn dur
ing the last three years. the demand even
at these high prices has not abated And
notwithstanding we seem likely to have
this year crop of 2.50O,000,000 bush
els, corn is now about 90 cents per
bushel at Chicago In 1896 the total
crop was 1922. S75. 1856 bushels. but the
price in August of that year was 20I2
to 20 cents at Chicago--not half what
1t is nowi
Per Capita Consumption of Wheat
Increases.
The Republican policy of building up
the manufactures of the United States
of placing the factory beside the farm
accounts for the broader and better
market the farmer during the last eight
years has been steadily getting for his
products. This is noticeable in the case
of practically everything he has to sell
increasing consumption making prices
relatively better no matter what the size
of his crops.
Figures of the Bureau of Statistics
show that the wheat consumption of the
United States in the fiscal year 1904
was the largest in the history of the
country. The table which follows shows
the quantity of wheat retained for con-
sumption in total and per capita in each
fiscal year from 1890 to and including
1904:
home consumption:
Fiscal To+oI De- ~ ,;ko