Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-06-08
Western. N. D. Farmer
Is Satisfied With The
Conditions Out There
To The Herald

- @S4o4N
AS q grain-grower Of the western
part OF North Dakota, I will have to
ADMIT the fact that many Of us are
hard up" at this time. But I can not
agree with the ~stereotyped Non
partisan claim that profteers. big
BUSINESS and old time politicians alone
are ~ blame for this condition. we
All Know, or ought to know, that the
night crop Of 1916 and a still poorer
yield IN 1917 have 'robbed"r us OF our
usual incomes, while our expenses
pave been heavier than. ever before
ana that the present condition is
simply the result Of these two poor
crops in succession.
II we, against our better Judgment,
should try to charge our present
financial stress to the politicians or
the state administration; If we should
argue that all the "hot air. emitted
from Townley and his hirelings has
helped to dry up our crops, then the
Nonpartisan league would have much
to answer for, because we have never
q such poor crops before these self
appointed farmers guardians invaded
our state.
We farmers. Of North Dakota are
q! right. however. II w can raise a
fair CROP; and in this year Of. our
Lord, 1918, we are going to see one
OF the largest wheat crops North Da-
kota ever produced. We have had
bumper crops every three years since
I came to this state-in 1906, 1909,
1912, 1915, and the next one Is due
this year.. We have even had fair
crops In between the men.
toned before the Bolsheviki came on
the scene.
Take our big crop Of 1915, for in
stance. and remember how we PROS
pered by It, ven at q local price Of
about q dollar per bushel! We had
most OF our wheat stored in our own
elevators, because we did not need the
money. and many Of us kept our
storage tickets till the spring Of 1915.
the grain to tho terminals, for want Of
room. whore they sold It and hedged
IT. and the commission have told
DIS thai they held millions OF dollars
OF North Dakota farmers money for
many months. on which they paid us
interest at the rate Of 8 to z per cent.
The local banks ever in this western
part Of our state said they could not
use any Of this Idle money ct ours,
held by the commission men, having
more money than the law required for
reserve and the demand for money
being slow. When a good crop Of
wheat at a dollar q bushelscould bring
such prosperity at that time, what
would . bumper crop mean to us
farmen this year at the present
But they tell us that everything we
farmers have g buy is 80 high that =
any L4t usIsee; Political economists
teach us that high prices lwhich.reia-
lively means cheap money! VIII he1e-
Mt the borrower and The producer; but
we don't need to consult authorities
on that score. a. common sense will
tell us that any person who produces
and sells o than he buys will be
tho gamer by universal high prices.
Wheat = the only true measure OF
product. especially this year when we
al are striving to produce Q bumper
wheat crop and thus help to win the
war. We do not grow money--we
can't dig It put Of the ground, nor do
the douers krow on trees. We raise
wheat naashould nse It "a = basis sof
value. s
soSasssfIhymials4 brsthrsn COM
plain of the banker and say the rate
not pressntlng any brief for the bank
en- generally - ! take it8for grAntsd
that they ail charge enough and are
abs 70 taES car Of themselves nicsly;;
the truth o. t61 matter n thA&, taAaS.
IurSd with wheat, the bank1sf money
- now worth only about on1-hAlf Of
What 4 wasa Sew pears go, and con-
stquentlya tn rAte Of tntersst has
practjeAllys bssn ont a two.
lonEA p5e6e ~ lAnl, and that loan reb-
se.sented apout 400 Bushels q so6d
[Nkeats Wien + hAyvS6t my crop next
t44H 2ssc6a409b Ay tli4fs Io41 With Only