The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-09-29
BY Judson c WeIliver

q day. They buy new clothes few
times year"
That was the sententious phrase In
which Edwin B. Sweet, Assistant SIC
TRY of Commerce. answered my
question, which had struck me as
d poser.
We had been talking about the ef-
fects OF the foreign war on business
in this country, especially on agricul-
ture; and | had asked:
why does wheat go skyrocketing
upward while cotton bumps down
ward ten points at timer"
1t is perfectly plain that Europe's
armies need clothes as well as food;
we have the cotton and all the world
wears cotton, whether in peace or
war.
Yet as soon as the war scare was
fairly on. wheat went upward and
cotton downward.
Secretary Sweets reply apparently
covered the ground. The first thing
folks think about when they face
such stress as that before Europe
now, Is eating. They can wear their
old clothes quite a spell; they can't
wear yesterdays dinner.
Mr.. Sweet Is in the wheat bust.
ness. He's a lawyer in Grand Rap.
ids, and served spell in Congress.
He's also a farmer in North Dakota
where he has thousand acre farm;
and he is Assistant Secretary Of Com
merce here in Washington, running
the big department while Secretary
Redfield is away on his vacation.
| tried to get him to express an
opinion about wheat's prospective
price, but he was canny. 1t wouldn't
be proper for man In his position,
/ guess to seem to advise people to
put an upset price on wheat at this
time. He wanted to know what
was doing with mine.
Demand for Cotton viii Come Back
Expecting to get ST. so a bushel
it, said. and not expecting to
hold 1t till May for that price either"
We had big crop of wheat in
Maryland this year. To be specific
l have threshed ten acres of mine,
and it turned out 81 IL bushels to
the acre.
And still some folks have, the i'm
preston that there are not good
farms in the East!
The most / can say as to Mr..
Sweets impression concerning my
81 80 wheat theory is that he didn't
look shocked, and didn't advise me
TO sell at S1.49. / didn't ask him
whether he intended to hold his own,
but my guess is that he will do Just
tina.
But to get back to the question of
wheat and cotton.
Mr.. Sweet was inclined to be op.
timistic about the cotton prospect.
IT'S a question of making it posi-
BILE for the cotton producers to hold
their cotton until the demand comes
back, which 1t must do he said.
They are thinking just now about
things to eat, because that's n daily
problem. So grains and meat go up.
They are not so excited yet about
cotton. 1t must be made into Goth
before 1t can be used. The Southern
people have not the financial reserves
that Northern ones have they raise
crops whose value is to a great ex-
tent pledged and used before they are
harvested, and when the new crop
comes on at a time when the price
is suddenly pounded downward its
mighty serious affair for them.
The administration is going 20 do
everything possible to help tide the
South over this situation. Money as
/ understand, viii be deposited where
it will be available to meet the nee
ossities of people without sacrificing
their crops, | don't know what con
sderation is being given to the p an
Of establishing repositories for cot
ton, issuing certificates against 1t
and making these available as a bas,
- for issues Of money as certain 9TH
er securities now are available. l
doubt IL very serious consideration
has been given to that, or win be