River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-15
Effect 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 Administration-Rise in Values.

1t has been quite customary for Dem
ocratic writer's and speakers to attribute
tine 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 (1893-189O,
it 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 chat while there
have been many Vicissitudes during the
last eight years in crop conditions, yet
there has all this time been more or
less steady and big increase in the cash
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, 500, 76S for their
corn of that Republican year as against
$491 OO6,967 for their corn Of the Dem
ocratic year 1896, which was a fiat
year." as regards naturally splendid
crop conditions, but lean year indeed,
as regards prices The Republican year
1901 was thus a 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 77H to>90H cents;
in August, 1902, it was GSA to 76 cents;
in August, 1901 it was 66B to II cents;
in August, 1900 it was 714 to 76A
cents; in August 1899 it was 50 to "a u
cents; in August, 1898, it was 651a to
rs cents; in August, 1897, it was 1914
to SLOT; in August, 1896, it was SO to
G3b cents; in August, 1895, it was 1914
to ~ cents; IN AUGUST, 1894, IT
WAS 51H TO 1917 CENTS.
AT PRESENT WRITING THE
CASH PRICE OF CORN AT CHI
CAGO IS So CENTS. In August, 1903
it was 50K to 50 cents in August, 1902,
it was 80 to 60 cents; in August, 1901
il was 53A to 571a cents; in August,
To in A II.
gust. 1890, it was 3O1b to SO cents; in
August. 1898, it was 29M to 1894 cents;
in August, 1897, it was 261a to 1925
cents; IN AUGUST, 1896, 1T WAS
2015 TO % CENTS.
Yard Stick o. 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 a staff of life" but
it is also, as regards it's consumption,
yard-stick of national progress. The
more people advance in civilization and
in prosperity the more wheat flour 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
Gour through the ''open door" to these ma
tions 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 Clikely to have
this year crop of $500 100000 bush
els. corn is now about 30 cents per
bushel at Chicago In 1896 the total
crop was 1882, S75, 165 bushels, but the
price in August of that. year was 201a
to % cents at Chicago-not half what
it is nowl
Per Capita Consum ption 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:
Wheat and wheat -four retained for
home consumption: