Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-03-30
OBJECTION TO
RECIPROCITY BILL
N. g. Larimore of Grand Forks
County Gives Reasons for OPP
position to Bill


n. G. Larimore, one of the we'll
known farmers of the eastern part of
the state, believes that the Canadian
reciprocity bill will be very disastrous
in its effects on the business and well
fare of the people of this state. His
reasons for opposing it are given as
follows:
The writer has been anxiously
seeking to discover some enterprise
or individual outside of the manufac-
turer that will be benefited by the
Canadian reciprocity. President
Taft says it will greatly reduce the
cost of living. Let us analyze to
what extent the~ccst OF living will
be reduced. The estimated per cap
ita consumption of wheat is five BUSH
els per annum. If reciprocity reduces
the price OF wheat twenty cents per
bushel it makes per capita saving
In the cost of living, of only one dol
lar per annum and at the same time
it would bankrupt the farmer. When
the farmer is not prosperous, the
whole country is demoralized, and
every one suffers. President Taft
gives as another reason for advocat-
ing the treaty that it would stop
speculation, Does he realize that
speculation down" is far more dis
astrous to our people than specula-
tion. ''up?" The writer has been in
the grain business nearly fifty years;
about half the time as dealer, and
half as farmer. He we'll remembers
that some years ago when he raised
a large surplus of wheat and corn
the bears would raid the market
and while they made millions of mon
ey, they enabled Europe to buy our
surplus far below it's normal value
causing the farmer, and the country
genefal1yzto suffer far more than any
uup,' speculation could possibly have
done, for all know what the farmer
makes is soon distributed among all
our people.
OF late years the "bear" element has
been eliminated and the country has
been prosperous. If this Canadian
grain is dumped on our market the
old time "bear" element will come
out of it's "hole" and we will have q
repetition of As cent to so cent
wheat; Europe will be benefited and
our farmers bankrupted.
President Taft says Liverpool con.
trolls prices for the world. While
theoretically that is true, practically
it is not. During my long experience
in the grain trade have observed
that Liverpool is frequently influenc'
ed by the American markets and 1t Is
we'll known that large part of the
time Minneapolis and Liverpool prices
are practically the same; yet oul
mills run night and day, shipping q
large part of their output to foreign
markets by reason of standing orders
for -four made from our choice wheat
enabling the miller to pay the farm
er practically Liverpool prices.
It is we'll known fact, in this
grain trade that little, If any, of ou'
choice winter or spring wheat is
shipped to Liverpool without first
passing through the hospital. If the
Canadian wheat is dumped on oul
market, with the aid of the "bears'
the miller and Europe will buy ou,
wheat at their own figures. Who
will be the sufferers? First, the
farmer; when he suffers the whole
country feels it.
If the Canadian treaty becomes
law, the writer knows farm OF nj
teen thousand acres located in the
Red river valley of North Dakota, az
good land as lays out of doors, that
can be bought for 60 per cent OF the
price Mr.. Hill, in his address last
fall at the banquet of the State Uni
yersity of North Dakota at Grand
Forks, named as the value of Red
river land.