Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-04-19
WHEAT CROP
The Enormous Surplus Raised
Has Depressed Prices.
PROTECTION DOES NOT PROTECT.

Price of Farm Products Governed
by the Demand The Democratic
Policy Would Protect the ISurrcr
and Other Consumers From Trust
Plundcring.
II wheat crop of the world for 1908
IS estimated from data in the LIVERPOOL
market, as compiled by Dornbusch's
list, at 1881, 100000 bushels, which is
$50, 100000 bushels more than the crop
OF 1904. The estimate of the croD of
the United States for 1909 is COG ,uOO.-
600 bushels, an excess over the preyi-
Gus year of 1O4, 100000 bushels. There
was very little of the crop of 1904 re-
manning when the crop of 1908 began
to be marketed, and the worlds crop
of 1904 Of 2.S42,O 100000 bushels is prob
ably very close to the actual needs of
the worlds consumers. There was a
very small surplus over home require
ments raised in the United States in
1904, which indicates nearly an aver
age per capita consumption of six and
nine-tenths bushels, or thirty-four and
one-half bushels for the average fam.
lily of five persons.
The United States, therefore, has at
least 104, O0O, 900 bushels to DISPOSE of
in the markets of the world, which
market also has a further apparent sur
plus Of 435, 10000 bushels.
This accounts for the drop in the
price of wheat in foreign markets and
also in this country and would indi-
cate that from now until the prospect
Of the crop of this year is certain the
price here will have to be on the ship
ping b~asis-that is, the Chicago price
will be the Liverpool price, with the
transportation and other charges de-
Quoted.
There is no protection from the tariff,
therefore, for the grower Of wheat in
the United States, although the tariff
law provides for % cents 4 bushel on
wheat imported, but as no wheat is i'm
ported and III the other hand our sur
plus YER what is consumed here must
be sold abroad, the price both at home
and abroad is fixed by the amount Of
fered on the foreign market and the
general demand for it everywhere.
Those farmers who are holding wheat
for a higher price should be prepared
to hold it until the prospects of the
coming crop are known in this and
other countries. If the average pros
poets are poor, the price will advance,
and if good crops are promised the
price will remain low.
The pretended protection for the
American farmer that the Republican
policy of protection offers is therefore
a delusion and a mar to induce him
to vote to continue the policy that pro
tects the trusts and combines, but
leaves the wheat grower and the cot.
ton, corn, hog and cattle grower tc
compete with the "pauper labor" of all
countries that produce those l~ecessi-
ties. The farmer that votes for Repub.
lican candidates for congress and Re.
publican candidates for the legislature
in those states where United States
A"lo AZ ~ NC SllCocu Is NOllilS u
increase the cost Of everything he buys.
with no corresponding advance in the
price Of what he sells.
The Democratic policy is to so revis,
the tariff that the protection which the
trusts now enjoy would be eliminated
and thus, through the threatened com
petition of foreign products. compel
the trusts to reduce the price of theil
products to a reasonable basis. That
would not exactly put the trusts or
the same footing as the farmers, for
the trusts would still have some pro,
lection, while the farmers have none.
but the latter would gain because the
cost Of what the farmer buys would be
less. In fact, all consumers would
benefit alike under the Democratic poi.
icy and no one would suffer except the
plundering combines and trusts and
the Republican politicians who are in
league with them and who the trusts
supply with campaign funds to keep
the party that protects them in power.
Those Slaughtered Moros.
Perhaps those Of the 600 Moros