The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-12-17
PLEA FOR FEE
ADMISSION Of
CANADIAN WHEAT
Northwest Miller Says Wheat
Grower Has Bread Eater
At His Mercy
RECENT ELECTION INDICATES
REVOLT AGAINST HIGH WHEAT
Consumers in the United States De.
mand That the Tariff Wall Be
Broken Down, Declares the Miller
Dog.in.the. Manager Attitude.

DEVhCu UOWuS DcCl0EtS tuc MlllcE-
Dog.in.the. Manger Attitude.
Minneapolis, Dec. 17-Arguing
that the recent election results indi-
cate revolt of the people against the
high cost of living; that the cost of
bread is factor of importance and
that the American wheat producer
has the bread consumer at his mercy,
the Northwest Miller, in its issue of
Friday advocates the free admission
of Canadian wheat.
Under the heading "Open the gates
for free wheat" the Miller says the
consumer is demanding that the arti-
fetal barrier be broken down; that
the American farmer is not producing
enough wheat because other crops pay
better, but does not want wheat that
is produced elsewhere to come in.
The country is near the danger line OF
wheat shortage, the article says, and
the last great wheat fields of this con-
tinent lie across the line in Canada,
from which the import duty shuts out
the product, but the people must have
bread and must have it cheap. The
Miller says that it would rather see
both wheat and flour admitted free
than 10 see wheat barred out.
The article in full is as follows:
"If tie results of recent elections
mean anything, and they are constru-
ed by the best political authorities to
be very significant, they indicate that
the mass OF people are in revolt
tnarooco1
of living and are determined to bring
down the price of the necessarles or
life TO a lower scale.
One Of the first things that will be
considered is the price of bread. The
consumer has awakened to the fact,
that bread is high because flour is
hish, and -four is high because grain
costs so much and wheat brings the
price it does because Canadian wheat.
which is accessible, and both good and
cheap, is shut out by a prohibitory
duty, while the American farmer re-
fuses to exert himself to produce suf-
ficient wheat to feed the people at a
reasonable aost.
Dog-in.the- -Manger Act
"The American farmer has been do
ing the g-in-the-nanger act for sew
eral years. He will not raise more
than a certain amount of wheat be-
cause other crops pay him better, and
he stubbornly refuses to allow any
one else to undertake the contract of
feeding the people at a reasonable
cost, which, yet he himself declined to
fill. He desires an absolute and pro-
tected monopoly of the business OF
wheat raising, but In order to hold
it he is not willing either to increase
the yield or the acreage, far less to
reduce the price.
at is very apparent that the time
has at last arrived when the American
wheat raiser can no longer keep the
bread consumer at his mercy. The lat
ter is determined to have his food,
and he does not propose to pay an in
0ated price for it forever. He rea-
Lies that Just over the border there
are possibilities in wheat raising suf-
fcient to supply this country with
cheap bread for half a century to come
that this is the natural market for
Canadian wheat, and tht it is prevent
ed from entering by arbitrary duty.
Demands Barrier Be Removed
The consumer demands that this
artificial barrier be broken down. If
the American farmer cannot raise
sufficient wheat to supply the demand,
the consumer does not propose to go
hungry or to pay an exorbitant price
for bread. He insists that wheat
growers elsewhere be given q fair
Chance 70 compete, and, sooner or
later, he will have his way. the
american farmer to the contrary.
"The pending treaty with Canada
will probably be concluded with con-
cessions to Canadian raw material
This will include a reduction of the
duty Oh wheat. It should properly
provide for its free admission. The
Northwestern Miller has been asked
!. it would also favor the free ad-
mission of Canadian -four. II we are
supposed to be living under protec-
tive system, there is nothing incon-
alstent with that policy in admitting
raw material free and .Iutting duty
OF the manufactured product. There
fore. it is not apparent that the free
admission Of Canadian wheat neces.
sarily implies as a corollary the re-
uoval OF duty on flour.
.'Granting that 1t does. however, and
that there can be no free wheat unit
-four is free, then the Northwestern
Miller is so profoundly convinced thai
the welfare Of bread consumers is thu
f,rst consideration and the highest OBJ
lication of all that 1t would rather set
both commodities admitted absolutel!
free Of duty than to have the whea'
barred out.
Almost 4 Wheat Shortage
"This country has actually beer
near the danger line Of actual whea
shortage for several years. The tor
MGR reserves have been practicall!
exhausted and the American farm
err have had the incentive Of higl