The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-04-17

pointer The whole man became
absorbed in explaining his cor.
ner."'
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 at so or 80 cents a bushel
netted them less than they could
get for almost any other crop.
But while that went on the
country didn't stop eating white
bread. The taste for it grew. For
eigners who came ate rye bread at
first. But as they became more
Americanized they thought the
dark bread plebeian.
80 we've become a nation of
white bread eaters.
THAT means just one thing, or
at least l diagnosed the case that
way. Higher prices had to be
brought about to induce the farm
ers to raise wheat Somebody had
to do it, and so why not /?
But more than that This. year
| saw that the crop of wheat was
going to be smaller than usual. The
| drought made the soil in Kansas
like powder when it was sown. 1t
hadn't come up by Christmas.
There are droughts in many places
now. And in South America,
where much of the wheat for
Europe is grown, the January crop
was less than two thirds what it
was last year. That meant that
United States wheat would be
bought up by the exporters and
leave this country with no wheat
at all The same thing happened
in India two years ago, and it
brought famine.
These are the conditions that
made me help put wheat up to a
price that kept it from being sent
out of the country. 1t was simply
protecting our necessary home
product, just as a tariff would have
/ done"
Are bread prices going any
| higher | asked
Patten drummed his cigar
against the chair arm. Il do not be-
lieve now that bread will go above
6 cents a loaf, and cents loaf
is a lot better than no bread. At
least, I shall do nothing to force
prices higher. All | want is to
keep them above the exporters
grab. Why, the very thing I've
been doing this week by selling is
keeping wheat from soaring and
the market going wild.
However, that doesn't apply to
the soft winter wheat -four from
which hot breads, fine rolls, etc.
are made. The south and fastidi
Gus roll eaters will have to pay for
what they want, for | don't be
lieve there is enough of that wheat
left to last a month.
THE whole pinch will come
after June H.
The coming pinch" didn't seen
to weigh on the wheat king
spirits. In another breath he was
laughing about how his youngest
son Jack, age IS. played joke Oh
him at dinner the night before.
Jack asked me what the presi
dents name was 40 years ago. he
said. 81 foundered around from
Johnson to Grant
Jack shook his head.
Finally | had to ask.
Taft he chuckled, and Of
course it was. You see / bite or
other peoples games. Wheats the
only one | know"
] wanted Patten to tell me wha
he thought of the morals of gam
bling in staple necessities. Highel
prices for bread is a tax on WON
en-. wondered if this man real
lied what a penny more da!
meant to the average housewife
| or a thinner slice of bread mean
to tenement child. He sees NJ
wrong in what he has done. HI
thinks it Is only fair trading
= But said he, I'm not arguin
{ that don't like to make money
0 In that respect I'm like SO out O
e every 100 men. | like to make
l. and spend it, l have no fads TO
r spending it,
= 81 worked on a farm 60 mile
from here till / was %. Then
r came to the city and went with
o grain inspecting firm. After fou
S years il went to pieces and gail
: erad up the remains.
/, y had to learn about the wa
e things go on the grain market, jus
!. as man who goes to church a
= the time has to know somethin
r about religion"
s. Suddenly he jumped to his fec
n and squared round earnestly, del
o antly.
"But there's one thing