Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-11
CAUSE FOR GRATITUDE
Much for Which Americans
Should Give Thanks.
NEVER SUCH PROSPERITY
Farmers and Manufacturers Getting
Unusual Returns.
HIGH PAY FOR WAGE-EARNERs
Crops in Volume and Value Far Ex-
coed All Previous Outputs of the
Agriculturists Of Country.
By WILLIAM F.. CURTIS

Bl WILLIAM r.. CURTIS.
Written for The star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
President Taft will be issuing bis
Thanksgiving proclamation in a day or two.
and Mr.. Adee, assistant secretary of state.
who always prepares such state papers.
has doubtless furnished him a draft al
ready. Sometimes the President accepts
Mr.. Adee's compositions complete in the
original: sometimes he takes the liberty
of making few alterations before he
signs them, but Mr.. Adee has called on the
people to render thanksgiving unto the
Lord for the manifold mercies and bless
ings they have enjoyed at His hands for
more than a third Of a century.
This time there Is great deal to be
thankful for; more than ever before. be-
cause the people of the United States
were never in such condition of pros
perity and happiness as they are today.
There is no trouble at home or abroad,
except about a few little things like the
tariff and the currency and the right OF
the officials of the Federation of Labor
to defy the courts. The farmers never
had such a crop and never sold il for
such high prices: the manufacturers never
had so many orders or so profitable
market: the wage-earners never had so
much to do or received such high wages,
equal to the prosperity of the present.
Record-Breaking Crops.
Secretary Wilson. who is the greatest
source OF information concerning the
farmers, has just been figuring up the
crops Of 1909. which appear to be record
busters in almost every instance. The
corn crop. for example. amounts to 2,I6I.-
$4,000 bushels an Increase of nearly
act
and nearly two hundred million bushels
more than the average for the previous
five years The largest corn crop ever
known was harvested in 1907, ana
amounted to 2,927,O0OOOo bushels. nearly
100 600 bushels more than was gath
cred from the fields this year, but the
present prices are 40 much higher that
the crop of 1909 will bring more money
by many millions than that of 1901
The wheat crop for 1909 Is 124.I6 S.OO
bushels as against 664 6O2, 900 bushels In
1aOS and $50 51O.OOO bushels as the aver
age for the previous five years rms
enormous crop. however. was surpassed
i'm 1907 by 10000 600 bushels and in 1902
by 24.OOO,OOO bushels. But it should be
considered in tbis connection-that the
price of wheat this year is higher than
II ever was before. II has advanced from
q; cents to sl.23 per bushel during the
years for which the estimates are made.
The oat crop is 11S.OO.OOO bushels
greater than 1t was last year and 49,
GHGp bushels greater than the average
of the five years previous. The barley,
rye and buckwheat crops show CORE
spending increase and are record break
ers while the potato crop Is 1861 ,413.OU
bushels as against PISS 900 bushels in
1!NS and an average of 2S9, 100000 for the
quire at your grocery. you will learn that
the prices for potatoes today are unprec-
edented.
The tobacco crop weighs s9s. 1851 900
pounds. as against 7lSO61 900 pounds for
1908 and an average OF SDSOO0,OO0 pounds
for the previous five years. / do not
know whether. everybody would consider
this cause for thanksgiving. but 1t is no
doubt a source Of great satisfaction to
the farmers who will receive the. pro-
ceeds OF it's sale.
The cotton crop. as everybody knows.
is short in quantity. but the price is so
high that the planters will realize more
upon II than they ever did before. And
IL you will go down the whole list of
crops mentioned In the preliminary esti-
| mate Of the bureau of statistics of the
Department of Agriculture you will dis
cover that almost everything shows an
| increase in quantity and also an increase
| In price.
The aggregate production of the farms
OF the United States during the year 1909
| is about per cent greater than last
of the previous FIVE years. and in both
volume and value 1t goes beyond all crops
| in the history of agriculture.
Greater Home Consumption.
II is interesting to know what becomes
OF these vast quantities of food. The
statistics show that we are ourselves eat
nG more and more of our food products
every year, not only as result of in
creased population but there is also a
larger consumption per capita, of every
n IN nd IN fur is ffrih Irf-
ed to the high wages. the increased pur-
chasing power Of the working people Of
the country.
For example. last year the corn crop
was about 1850. OO2 GOD bushels. Of which
o4I 100000 bushels were converted into
cornmeal; 55.OOOUO bushels were ex-
ported to foreign countries; 40.WN,WD
were converted into glucose; 9,0p.W0
into malt liquors: S.WO.OO0 into starch:
l3.OOOO0 bushels were used for seed and
the remainder. about 1900, 900 COO bushels.
was converted into pork and other
meats.
The percentage of the corn crop sent
out OF the country Is ALWAYS much less
than that of wheat. because the popula
ton Of Europe, and particularly Of Eng
land is not 50 partial to cornbread as
we are. The repeated attempts to pro-
mote its consumption have not been very
successful. For several years the Agri-
cul- ,ral Department had a man, familiar
ly known as ''Cornbread Murphy" travel
ing about England. Germany and France
introducing cornbread. and showing peO
pie how to cook it. He persuaded a good
many people. no doubt, but the exports
have gradually been diminishing. until
this year only 81 1865, O4O bushels Of corn
were exported. which is less than any
year since 1895 excepting in 1902. when
the exports were only 2S.OOO,OCO
In 1893 the exports of corn were lila
per cent of the crop. In 1908 they were
PIP per cent; while for 1909 they were
only 1.41 per cent.
Decreased Meat Exports.
The expectations OF meat are decreasing
quite as rapidly. In the case of fresh
There is no food