The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-11-03
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, n 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 and 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 departmen
OF commerce ana LABOR, showing the
purchasing value of a unit of farm
products in 1897 as compared with
the same purchasing value in 1903,
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 tAo
country under the wilson German tar
if, the only democratic tariff Tor nifty
years, and the beginning of the era
of republican tariff under the Ding
ley bill and now continuing under the
Payne tariff bill.
II will cal 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 I pounds OF
ugar. / do not give the fractions.
The same bushel of corr 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 20, 5 gallons. At the present
time it will purchase IL gallons. Elk
pressed in purchasing value in coffee
in 1897 a bushel of cor would pur-
chase 3 pounds of coffee, and in 1903
8 pounds of coffee. In barbed wire,
a bushel of corn in 1897 would pur-
chase IS pounds, and at the present
time it would purchase 33 pounds.
"A bushel of oats in 1897 would buy
8 pounds of sugar, now 10 pounds. II
would buy 3 gallons of oil, now Z gal
Ions. 1t would buy 2 pounds of cOf-
fee, now 6 pounds. The bushel of
oats would buy Il pounds of barbed
wire in 1897, o 22 pounds of barb
ed wire. A sheep in 1897 would buy
40 pounds of sugar now the sheep
will buy Sc pounds of sugar 1t would
buy 20 gallons of Illuminating oil, now
it will buy 62 gallons. The sheep
would buy 10 pounds of coffee in 1897
and now it will buy 50 pounds of cof-
fee. Then ii would buy 100 pounds
of barbed wire, now it will buy 173
pounds. The average hog in 1897
would buy 81 pounds of graduated
sugar, now it will buy 1872 pounds;
the hog in 1907 would buy So gal
Ions of Illuminating oil. now Il will
buy 139 gallons; in 1897 it would buy
AZ pounds OF coffee, now ii will buy
116 pounds of coffee: then it would
buy 227 pounds of barbed wire, now
it will buy 3S7 pounds. A comparison
of the purchasable value of the av-
erage horse in 1897 and 1909 sup
plies some most int eresting figures. In
1897 the horse would buy 700 pounds
of sugar, now he will buy 2,273
pounds, or more han a ton; he would
buy 1854 pounds of barbed wire in
1897, now he will buy 4,5S6 pounds,
and so on through the list.
Surely the farmer has at length
come into his own. These relative
conditions are likely to continue. The
vast areas of native fertile soil in the
humid regions of the United States
,Fare now largely appropriated. The
utilization of new lands suitable for
agriculture can scarcely keep pace
with the increase In our population.
We must depend in large part upon
more intensive cultivation Of our farm
lands and the reclamation of limited
areas by irrigation and swamp drain
age to meet the needs of the people
for food supplies"
South Dakota has prospered under
republican rule to a greater extent
than any other state i'm the union.
This is why the people are thorough.
ly satisfied and why the voters at
the polls on Nov. 8 will by an over
whelmine majority declare in favor
of a continuation of wise and con-
sentative republican rule.
Hot Sprigs Times-Herald: Soule,
the democratic candidate for con-