Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-11-04
HOW THE FARMERS HAVE BEEN
BENEFITED BY REPUBLICAN
RULE

The farmers of South Dakota and
their brethren in other states have
prospered greatly under republican
rule in the state and nation, and at
the election in November will vote
to continue such rule, not caring to
experiment with ineffective democrat
ic rule in the lower house of con-
gress, which always has been follow
ed by a period of depression n low
pricse of farm products.
Congressman Martin, in a speech
delivered in congress last May, call
ed attention to striking facts disclosed
by a table prepared by the department
OF Commerce ana IaDOr, showing tho
purchasing value of a unit of farm
products in 1897 as compared with
the same purchasing value in 1909.
expressed in almost all commodities
that the farmer must buy. Mr.. Mar
tin spoke in part as follows:
This period of 1897 represents the
termination of the experience of the
country under the WilsOn-Gorman tar
III, the only democratic tariff fer Atty
years, and the beginning of the era
of republican tariff under the Ding
ley bill and now continuing under the
Payne tariff bill.
Il will call attention to a few
items only. Wheat has less variation
in purchasing value today as compar-
ed with other commodities than any
other article produced on the farm,
as the table shows.
The market given-because some
market had to be selected-was the
market value in New York. A bushel
of corn, as shown by this table, in
1897. would purchase Z pounds of
sugar. / do not give the fractions.
The same bushel of corn will now
purchase 16 pounds of sugar. or more
than double the quantity. A bushel of
corn would purchase in Illuminating
oil, according to the table twelve
years ago, 5 gallons. At the present
time it will purchase IL gallons. Elk,
pressed in purchasing value in coffee
J in 1897 a bushel of corn would pur-
chase 3 pounds Of coffee, and in 1909
8 pounds OF coffee. III baTbed wire,
a bushel of corn in 1897 would pur-
5 chase Is pounds, and at the present
time It would purchase 33 pounds.
5 "A bushel of oats in 1897 would buy
5 pounds of sugar, now 10 pounds. II
would buy 3 gallons of oil, now 7 gal.
Ions. 1t would buy 2 pounds of cot
> fee. now 6 pounds. The busheI OF
oats would buy 13 pounds of barbed
wire in 1897, now % pounds of barb
ed wire. A sheep in 1897 would buy
. 40 pounds OF sugar.: now the sheep
will buy SO pounds of sugar. 1t would
buy % gallons of Illuminating oil, now
1t will buy 81 gallons. The sheer
would buy 10 pounds of coffee in 1897
and now 1t will buy 50 pounds of cof-
: fee, Then 1t would buy 100 pounds
of barbed wire, now it will buy 179
= pounds. The average hog in 1891
$ would buy 81 pounds Of ~granulatet
( sugar, now 1t will buy 1872 pounds
the hog in 1907 would buy SIS gal
Ions of illuminating oil, now ii will
buy 139 gallons: in 1897 1t would blu,
: AZ pounds of coffee, now IL will buy
4 116 pounds of coffee; then it woulC
r buy 227 pounds of barbed wire, nov
{ II will buy 3S7 pounds. A comparison
OF the purchasable value of the av
i erage horse in 1897 and 1909 sup
: plies some most interesting figures. Ii
1897 the horse would buy TOO pounds
of sugar, now ne will buy 2,27;
pounds, or more than a ton; he would
S buy 1,754 pounds of barbed wire 1,
, 1897. now he will buy 4,5S6 pounds
> and so on through the list.
Surely the farmer has at length
r come into his own. These relativ
$ conditions are likely to continue. TIL
vast areas of native fertile soil in tn,
s humid regions OF the United State
are now largely appropriated. Tn
utilization OF new lands suitable 70
agriculture can scarcely keep pac
= with the increase In our population
We must depend in large part upoI
> more intensive cultivation of our farr
|. lands and the reclamation of Unite
areas by irrigation and swamp drain
: age to meet the needs Of the peopl
! for food supplies"
South Dakota has prospered unde
republican rule to a greater exten
Z than any other state In the unior
= This Is why the people are thorough
1y satisfied and why the voters a
the polls on Nov. 8 will by an over
whelming majority declare IN favo
OF a continuation of wise and COZ
scrvative republican rule.