The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-07-21
SENATOR SHOOTS GREAT
SPEECH.


It goes without saying that the
farmers OF the United States are en- |
joying as much, II not more, OF the /
fruits OF prosperity tina any other |
class. While food prices are high the |
farmer gets the direct benefit and ne
has increased nightly g., basket and |
store during the past Few years.
The American Economist prints a
cartoon OF a farmer looking az a
comparison Of prices OF farm products
in 1896 and 1910. and az the bottom
OF the picture is printed the words
''See Senator Shoots speech"
The speech alluded 20 was delivered
IN the Senate last May and was on the
exchange value OF farm products. 1t
was shown that the financial condi-
ton OF the grain raiser. general
farmer and cotton planter was better
than ever before.
In beginning Senator Smoot said
that all the prices used in the tables
presented were bulletins Of the United
states bureau Of labor and were
therefore authentic. The Senator
showed by comparison that prices Of
farm products had made a wonderful
advance in the fourteen-year period
from 1896 to 1910.
In corn the advance amounted 20
1884 per cent. Wheat advanced Ssh
per cent. Cotton advanced 92.2 per
cent oats advanced 1922 per cent
Rye advanced III per cent Barley
advanced 1865 per cent Hops adj
vaneed 34O per cent. Potatoes ad-
vanced 73.7 per cent Flaxseed ad-
vauced 1924 per cent Fat cattle adj
-ed 92.T per cent Fat hogs adj
w. 172 per cent Dairy butter
adv ed 57.5 per cent. Eggs adj
vanced 1913 per cent
Then the Senator proceeded as fol-
lows.
The real value OF any article is its
exchange value. The real worth
OF farm products is measured by
their value when compared with
the value OF articles which tEe
farmer desires 10 purchase. NJ
compilation OF retail prices for
1910 and 1895 are available, but
the retail price or any commOd-
ity follows in a general way. the
wholesale price. without retail
prices Il IS impossible to measure
the exact purchasing power OF
farm products. but the proper
Tomato change in PURCHASING
power e. practically the same
when wholesale prices are used
as when retail prices are used
Ten bushels OF corn cqualed I'm value
20 pounds OF Rio coffee I'm March
1910. aud II pounds in March
1895.
Ten bushels Of corn equaled I'm value
1s gallons Of New Orleans mo-
lasses In March, 1910. and gal
Ions In March. 1896.
Zen bushels 81 corn equaled in value
131 pounds Of sugar I'm March
1910. and 50 pounds in March
1896.
Ten bushels OF corn eaualed I'm value
so yards Of brown sheetinrs in
March 1910. and 81 yards in
Ten bushels Of corn equaIed I'm value
- yards % cashmere all-wool
dress goods in March. 1910. and
u yards I'm March. 1896.
Ten bushels OF corn eauaIed in value
3 bushels OF anthracite stove
coal In March 1910. and % bush
els I'm March. 1895.
Ten bushels Of corn equalcd in value
81 gallons 81 refined petroleum
in March. 1910. and % gallons
in March, 1896.
Ten bushels OF corn eoualcd I'm value
$50 pounds OF wire nails IN
March, 1910. and % pounds in
March. 1895.
Ten bushels Of corn equaIed in value
loo brick in March. 1910. and
5i9 IN March. 1896.
Ten bushels Of corn equaled I'm value
barrels OF Portland cement I'm
March. 1910. and i barrel in
March. 1895.
Taking ten bushels OF wheat. a bale
OF cotton. twenty bushels OF oats.
twenty bushels Of rye. twenty bushels
OF barley. one ton Of hay. 100 pounds
OF hops, twenty bushels Of potatoes.
twenty bushels Of fiaxseed. a choice
10 extra steer. s0O-pound hog. twenty
pounds Of butter and case OF eggs.
All the articles being farm products.
Tor purposes Of comparison. the SEN
ator showed the increased exchange
value to pc relatively as great as that
I'm the case OF corn.
For instance, n 300-pound hog could
be exchanged for cighty-seven pounds
OF Rio coffee in March. 1895. while In
the same month Of 1910 a porker OF
Ike weight would be worth 2e1
pounds OF coffee. IT the tables pre-
sented there we're hundreds OF sim
liar instances. and the farmer was
shown 10 have been extraordinarily
well paid for his labor under Repub-
lican rule.
The speech Of Senator Smoot was
widely quoted Immediately following
its delivery last May. and has been
referred % BY leading political econo-
mists ever since. During the con-
gressional campaign IL will be used
with good effect I'm those rural dis
tricts where calamity howlers abound
and where an effort IL being made e
persuade the farmers that they are
not as prosperous a. they should be-