The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1918-03-07
FARMER PROTESTS WHEAT
PRICE
VIM. Potter, Prominent Agriculturist
Of This Section, Writes BOrah.

west of this city, has been In CORES
pondence with our representatives In
congress relative to the fixing Of the
price for the 1918 wheat crop. How
ever. while the correspondence was GO
ing on, the president steps in and fixed
the price at the same as obtained last
year. Mr.. Potter Is Of the opinion that
congress could override the president
and to this end has written Senator
w. Il. Borah setting forth his views
OH the wheat matter. Mr.. Potter was
present at the weekly luncheon of the
Commercial club last week and read
the letter and asked for the indorse-
ment of that body. The letter Is as
follows:
Beg to acknowledge receipt Of your
favor Of the 10th, for which / thank
you.
Late developments In the wheat sit
uation makes it seem necessary to me
to take advantage Of your kindness,
and write you further in the matter.
The developments referred to is
the proclamation of President Wilson,
fixing the 1918 wheat price. II this
stands, and is not overruled by con-
gress, or his own better judgement,
1t will go down in history as one of
the greatest mistakes I'm this world
war.
It seems to be his impression that
the present shortage is caused by the
farmers holding the wheat on the farm,
and it would not do to increase the
price on the 1918 wheat crop, for fear
the farmer would hold his 1917 crop
over for that price.
1 know nothing about the facts In
this case except In my own locality.
Here as soon as we learned last fall
that the price was fixed, every bushel
that was not required for feed was
hauled to the warehouse as quickly as
possible 1 believe this will be found
to be the condition throughout the
u. 8.
The farmers may not be very wise
as a class, but / do not think they
would be foolish enough to hold their
wheat when there was no possibility
of an increase In price, and pay from
seven to ten per cent interest on their
money. OF course a great many of
them might as well have held their
wheat as they did not get their money,
but they did not know this.
shipped my wheat last November,
and have not gotten my returns yet.
noticed by comments of the press
tudt blttIC was a oiuNhihS uP III thO
flow of wheat and they laid it to the
agitation in congress for an increased
price on the 1918 crop. I sincerely
hope that this is the case, but common
sense tells me that they are just getting
the tail end Of the 1917 crop.
I wish to go on record right now
without statistics before mel that we
win have to go entirely without white
bread months before the new harvest
and that this condition was caused by
fixing the price so low on wheat that
It was fed promiscuously to domestic
animals. Mr.. wilson sCys. "this guar
anteed price assures the FARMER a
reasonable profit" on this assertion
take Issue.
Since Adams time the farmer has
been the under dog: when this wal
broke ont all manufacturing interests
in this country started to pile uD theil
millions: finally after the production
in Europe had been crippled the farmer
Thought he saw an opportunity To make
few dollars. which I believe he was
entitled to. hut before he had chance
to receive any henef;t the government
steps in and nuts fixed price or
wheat Rut they let everything elst
go sky high In consequence whea'
farming is not as profitable as 1t was
two wears ago. Everybody boilers II
the farmer to forget about the dollal
and he patriotic: is he the only one
who should he patriotic? Tt is hare
to FORGET about the dollar when the
need Of II stares YOU in the face.
Does Mr. Wilson know that this u
machinery age? And tha+ the on
snot on earth more than any other Il
regulate the nrices of farm products
Is at the offices Of the Internatiena
Harvester COMPANY at Ch'cs gcP tn
farmers machinery made M Of stee
and cast iron--hetter than fifty ne
cent cast iron--costs him fror' ~ INV
dred to nine hundred dollars ner ton.
IT takes from three TO six bushels q
wheat to buy pair Of shoes 7 thinl
that Armour and his kind should SHOW
a little patriotism too.
Mr.. Wilson SAYS. "to increase tn
price of wheat would dislocate all tn
present wage levels"
The government statistiee give fiv
bushels of wheat as the average con
sumption After careful Investigation
I find this LITTLE strong. hut for argu
ment's sake we win admit 1t: thi
would he approximately ten dollars
wear at the present price, II we III
creased the price TO three dollars,
would he fifteen dollars n wear
have ont a standing offer right nov
in order TO contract harvest labo
ahead one wears SIMPLY Of -four for
dav and half work. common labor
one wears supply for one days worl
exnert labor
If nv increasing the price of whea
one dollar per husneI we could IN
crease the production 40 that ever
one could have all they wanted. he
Iinve taking into consideration tn
nrice Of other food stnffs. that Their
are millions Of people TINT would liv
almost entirely ON wheat -four. an
they would he more healthy. too.
II this Is the case and they shoul
then cost them thirty dollars per yea