Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-11-23

and the higher wages he pays for la
bor, CONSERVATION seems to seize the
average city mind.
The Canadian people defeated the
reciprocity arrangement entered in
to between the representatives of this
this country and the Dominion of
Canada, an agreement which would
soon have enabled them to swamp
our northwestern country with the
free food product of the kind produc-
ed in the northwestern states. They
defeated it, not because they did not
recognize that our market would be
4 great benefit to the agricultural
class of Canada, but because they be-
lieved it's final result would be the
ABSORPTION of Canada by it's greater
neighbor. 1t was the spirit of Cana
dian Nationalism that won over the
desire for a mere commercial ad-
vantage. But the action of Canada
ohas mt abated the agitation in this
country against present food prices
an agitation which ignores the real
causes and seeks. to hold the food
producer responsible for them.
The great question which now con-
fronts the American food producer
is not, shall the Canadian food pro-
duct come into this country free,
but shall we permit the whole worlds
product, including that of Canada,
to pass our custom houses without
the payment of cent of duty? Let
no one deceive himself with the idea
that this question will not have to
he met and met soon.
Those who complain of the prices
paid for food for the most part fail
to comprehend that the farmer re-
ceives but meager share of the a.
mount paid by them. do not think
the farmer receives four cents for
the food which constitutes an aver
age meal. After the food product
has left the farmers hands it in
creases in price from a hundred to
several thousand per cent by the time
IL reaches the consumer.
That portion of our population who
know nothing about raising food pro-
ducts, but who eat them three times
a day do not generally appreciate
this condition, and they are therefore
persistently demanding that our own
food producers shall compete with
the food producers of the world.
Will We Be Injured?
There is no use Of any one, demo-
crat or republican, attempting to de-
lude either himself or the public
with the idea that free trade in food
products will not harm us. It will
harm US, and greatly harm us. No
informed man could have failed to
observe the effect of the reciprocity
contest upon the market price of our
cereals. During the many months
the subject was under discussion be-
fore the American congress the
markets responded to every proph-
ecy of success or failure of the pro-
ject. Whenever its passage looked
encouraging, our grain prices went
down; whenever its prospects :oolz-
ed doubtful, prices went up. When
the 61st Congress adjourned with
out its passage, grain prices took Il
great leap upwards and when it be-
came certain that it would pass the
62nd Congress, our prices declined
and continued to decline, although
We had a very poor crop in the great
wheat states, until the day succeed
ing the Canadian. It had reached
its lowest point the day preceding.
Then came the word that the Cana
dian electors had declined our pro-
posal. Within two days wheat ad-
vanced six cents per bushel;' barley,
very high. from five to ten
cents per bushel; and since that day
both have steadily advanced. With
a shortage OF wheat crop in Mime
sofa and the Dakotas and a large
crop in the Canadian northwest, our
markets would easily
have been glutted in case the reci-
procal arrangement had been carried
into effect.
On Oct. 81, this year the differ
ence in the price Of grain between
Fort Williams and Duluth, one, 40
favorably situated as the other, was
wheat II cents. barley averaged a.
bout 80 cents. oats z cents, max Is
cents. ) Had We full reciprocal ar