Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-11-02

Why Prices Rise.

ly employed in farm production. This,
in connection with new lands opened
and made available by railroad de-
velopment in America and in Asia, al
most doubled the worlds output of
food products. With no more mouths
to feed and this sudden increase in
quantity of food, the European mar
kets as we'll as our own became glut-
ted. We were selling our surplus in
the worlds market then as now, and
we had to take the worlds price, as
we do today Prices that had pre-
vailed for decades were cut in two.
From the early '70's to the end OF
the century there was a severe depres.
sion in farming the world over. This
accounts largely for the heavy emigra-
ton from the farming countries OF
Northern Europe during that period.
Here in America the emigrants got
virgin soil to "rob," which enabled
them to continue the losing fight of
situation of our farmers Is or 20 years
which had been the mainstay of So
seemed to be doomed.
The Outlook Was Dark.
The outlook was dark for young
men on the farm The farmers call
ing seemed neither profitable nor
pleasant. The cities with their large
opportunities for lucrative employ.
ment and for comforts beckoned them
to come-and come they did in great
numbers. Since 1890, down almost to
the present time, there has been a
veritable exodus from the country to
the cities, not only in America but in
Europe. The great cities and indus.
trial centers of the world have doubled
and trebled in population in the last
two decades. BY this movement of
population the number of people en-.
gagged in producing food has been
relatively decreased and the number
engaged in producing other neces.
saries and comforts of life has been
very greatly increased. I think that
on the whole, the redistribution OF
population made necessary by the in.
vention Of machinery, has probably
been accomplished. AS a result, work
on the farm has become substantially
as remunerative as it is in the indus
tries or in commerce. It is these
economic changes that have bettered
the condition of our farmers in the
last few years. The prices of farm
products have simply risen under the
operation of the general economic law
OF supply and demand, and not by rea-
son of any tariff. The only way the
tariff affects the price of commodity
Is by limiting the supply. The avail
able supply of farm products has been
limited, as I have shown by operation
of natural causes.
How much longer, my farmer
friends, are the trusts qoinq to be able
to pull the wool over your eyes and
make you believe that you are benefit.
ed by the monopoly tariff?
standpat Treachery.
Another evidence of standpat
treachery to the people is furnished
by the history of the railroad bill in
the last congress-. The Republican
party has promised to amend the in.
terstate commerce act. Ostensibly to
redeem this pledge, the attorney gen.
eral, under the presidents direction,
prepared bill which was sent to the
senate for introduction. The bill was
introduced by Sen. Elkins. It was
most generous in it's terms to the
railroads, but appeared to overlook
that the public had any rights. It ere.
ated a new court open to railroads to
enJoln the orders of the interstate
commerce commission, but denied the
public admission to that court upon
equal terms. It denied shippers, CON-
munitles, firms and individuals inter,
ested in defending the orders of the
commission, from appearing by coun.
sci or otherwise to sustain the orders
In court. It repealed the Sherman
ANTITRUST act, so far as railroads were
concerned, and authorized pooling. II
the bill had become law in the form
in which it came from the White
House, every shipper and every indus.
try in this country would have been
at the absolute mercy Of Wall street.
People Owe Much to CIapp.
Sen. Clapp is entitled to the graft.
tude of ethe people of this state for
the able and fearless manner in
which he combatted the vicious provi-
sions of that bill. On April 26 last, he
gave voice on the floor of the senate
| to the indignation he felt over the un.
scrupulOus methods resorted to by
| the president and his attorney general
to force this measure through con.
| gress. He said: when this bill came
from the committee, it was with a
declaration more or less official-lf
we are to regard as official the die.
Gates of anyone-that it should be
| passed without crossing t. or dot.
| ting an L. More than that, we were
told. with an assumption of authority
n the widespread publicity given to q
declaration which l cannot question
that the test of party loyalty would
be to pass this bill without question
ing it's provisions. More than that
we were told that the protests which
minority members of the committee
might make to the provisions of this
bill, while no power could prevent oul
making our protests, would be me,
with that condition which, in militar,
parlance, is clothed in the expression
Give them the cold STEEL and ir
parliamentary parlance with the ex
preston, Give them the roll call.
| finally reached a point where those
who would seek to defend this bill
have been obliged to meet debate will
| debate"
Sen. Dolliver Of Iowa said on thu
same subject, I'm common with goo(
citizens everywhere, I share the uni
versal disgust which has arisen or
seeing the greatest executive depart
ment, those departments which touch
the business of the nation most init
mately, made a headquarters for the
awkward squad of politics, buckle
shops for dealing in political future.
upon margins calculated daily from
the record of the yeas and nays.
1T does not trouble me very mucl
to be relieved from participating il