The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-20
Kansas Civ sfar.

Kansas City Star.
 Tn connection with the recent corner in wheat and the resultant rise in the price, 1t may be interesting to know how similar situations were handled a few hundred years ago. Take as an illustration an incident of the reign of Louis XIV of France-the famine year" of 1894. Whatever else may be said of Louis the Grand" he would
 brook no rival when 1t came to talk ing money from the people, such as creating new taxes, changing the value of coins and levying custom dues, all presumably. within his king ly prerogative. But when associations of men organized for the purpose of
 cornering the market 1t was then that
 Louis "came to the front" as a pro-
 tector of his dearly beloved subjects.
 In the famine year referred to no rain had fallen in France for six
 months and the people were in dire
 straits. An association of Paris mer-
 chants formed a trust. or monopoly. to corner all the available supply of
 breadstuffs. buying cheap and selling to the hungry at a high price. The false and seditious reports" referred to were reports sent out on the condi- ton of the crops and the worlds vis-
 ible supply" as we say today. Com
 missioners were sent out to take an inventory of the supply in France and to discover those that were engaged in the "corner" on breadstuffs. Space forbids going into details of the sub sequent trials and hanging of a num- | Der of those engaged In the corner, the l confscation of their boarded supply | and the selling of it to the people at | SO cents a bushel as against the | former price of $1.10 and S1.60, to 1 which the corner had forced it. But let the newspaper of that day tell the
 story, quoting from an old Mercury as
 Paris, June, Iss4.-Sundry Persons | having made divers Monopolies to pre- vent the bringing of Corn and Wheat
 to Paris, and by other pernicious
 Means enhanced the Price just before | the probability of a Plentiful Harvest. | has occasioned the issuance of several I Decrees The Fear of popular Com motions throughout the Kingdom has eaus'd the ensuing Decree. which was l issu'd the 27th:
 His Majesty being informd that in contempt of his Orders several times
 repeated for the fetohing of Corn from | the several provinces and bringing lt 1 to Paris for the supply and SuDSlSt- ence of the Inhabitants of his good City of Paris, sundry disaffected Per-
 sons have made divers Monopolies to alude the execution of His Majesty's l Orders and under Names unknown, | and different false and suppos'd Pre- | lenses have carry'd away. diverted or detain'd a considerable Part of the Corn which was to have been brought | to Paris and to the Markets round- about within IS or 20 leagues, in such
 manner that by the false reports which they have scatter'd abroad se-
 ditious Discourses. and by other Means
 pernicious to the Publick they have
 just before the Probability of a plen- tiful Harvest of all the Fruits of the 7arth, rais'd the Price again and
 caus'd the Price of Corn to rise con
 boring Markets prop ortionately and
 hinderd the Efficacy of His Majesty's
 Orders and Cares for the easing of
 his People. Against which, being de-
 sirous to provide by exemplary Pun
 ishments of the Authors of these Dis
 orders. His Majesty Ordains that he be
 duly inform'd by the Provost or his
 Lieutenant General of the Civil Gov
 ernment: and that Processes extraor-
 dinary be issued forth against the Au-
 thors and Accomplices of the said
 Monopolies. carrying away of Corn and other Misdemeanors committed in reference to Corn; as also against the Authors and Accomplices of false Re- ports spread abroad and seditious murmurings on purpose to enhance the Price of Corn and Bread and that the