The Detroit times., 1909-04-13

made. And $4,000
900 represents
~ only a fraction OF
DOROTHY pAI.r.. what he has made
In his corner which has driven prices
higher than for IL years. and he will,
he says. win millions more
came to Chicago 10 look into the
face OF this wonderful man and have
him tell me his Dorothy Dale story.
As | was ushered into the Offices of
Bartlett, Patten & Co. just across
from the Board of Trade building
where dealers were bowling and fight
ing like madmen, the big man sat, hat
on, cigar in mouth, In a leather chair
against the wall. trying To balance
two miniature sacks of wheat on his
+ knees.
In each hand ne held little mound
Of the precious grain.
First he poked up one, smelled OF
II. and then did the same TO the other
His unlined, genial face looked un.
troubled.
Want to talk with me-" he grum.
bled. Why. I'm nothing but farmer
clod. I'm freak an accident; no
education nothing of that kind. All |
know Is wheat
= A bag slipped. Kernels poured out
and filled his lap. Little heaps trick
led TO the marble floor. He didn't
shake them OF or order them swept
mp.
You see my business is exactly
like Doctors he said IL have TO
diagnose the case carefully. | have
to look out for all kinds of symptoms.
And after I'd done that on the wheat
question I decided IL needed a cure,
SO / set about IT,"
Explains Famous Corner.
The grumble was all gone The
unlit cigar was used as sort OF point
CT. The whole man became absorbed
in explaining his corner"
Farmers all over the country have
been steadily giving up the growing
,.of wheat" he went on They could
grow only about Is bushels TO the
acre, and selling that al 50 OF 80 cents
bushel netted them less than they
could get for almost any other crop
but while that went on the coun-
try didn't stop eating white bread.
The taste for II grew Foreigners
who came ate rye brea dat first. Bet
as they became more Amerlcanized
they thought the dark bread plebeian.
go we've become a nation or white
breat eaters.
THAT means Just one thing. or at
least | diagnosed the case that way.
Higher prices had to DE brought
about to induce the farmers to raise
wheat. Somebody had 10 do IT. ana
SO why not /?
But more than that. This year
saw that the crop OF wheat was going
"A he smaller than usual The drought
made the soil in Kansas like powder
when il was sown. 1t hadn't come up
nv Christmas There are droughts IN
many places now. And in South Amer
ica where much OF the wheat fo'
Europe is grown, the January crop
was less than two-thirds what II was
,ast wear. That meant that united
states wheat would be brought up by
tho exnorters and leave this country
with no wheat ~ all The same thin&
hammered In India two years ago, anc
l. II brought famine.
"Tbese are the conditions that made
me helm put wheat UP to price that
kent Il from being sent out or the
country. IL was simply protecting our
necessary home product just as tarin
would have done"
"Are bread prices going any
higher" / asked.
Controls Wheat Market.
Patten drummed his cigar against
the chair arm. II 10 not believe now
that bread will go above cents n
loaf, and cents loaf is a lot bet
Ter than no bread At least, | shall
do nothing 10 force prices higher. All
want Is To keep them above the ex-
porters grab. Why, the very thing
rye been doing this week by selling
irtU an Il
he market going w.id.
However. that doesn't apply TO the
soft winter wheat flour from which
\ hot breads, fine rolls. etc. are made.
The south and fastidious roll eaters
will have To pay for what they want.
for don't believe there is enough OF
that wheat left To last a month
Pinch VIII Come After June I.
The coming pinch" didn't seem to
weigh on the whea. kings spirits. II.
another breath he was laughing about
how his youngest son Jack. %. played
a Joke ON his AT dinner the night be
fore
+ Jack asked me what the presi.
dents name was 40 years ago" he
said Il foundered around from John
son to Grant.
Jack shook his head
Finally | had 10 ask
Taft, he chu6kled. and of ou~cc
IL was Ycu see I bite on other PEG.
pies games. Whest& the only one J
know
| wanted Patten To- tell me what he
thought OF the morals of gambling in
staple necessities Higher prices for
bread is a tax on women. | wondered