The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-05-08
THE WEEK
Another earn King
Flour Spectators Hit
We Must Dictate to Europe
War Aims or Ads?

War Aims or Ads?
"New Corn King clears $2,O0O,OOO,"
runs headline Of the week. 1t seems
that while big, Chicago pool, the ex-
istence Of which would have been hotly
, denied two weeks ago was hammer
ing down the price Of corn, certain
gambler by the name of Roberts was
buying up. The market began to rise
recently due to corn shortage and
Roberts was able to sell out at profit
of so cents bushel.
When the farmers were selling dur
ing the fall and winter the Chicago
pool was making money by forcing the
price of corn down. Now along
comes Roberts and probably good
many others and makes 60 cents a
bushe1 by forcing corn up when
other farmers have to buy. By
selling futures these middlemen
turn an abundant crop into loss for
the raisers of corn; by buying futures
they make little shortage look like
famine. Far from steadying the
market, as the department Of agricul-
ture would say, they make it's fuctu-
ations worse How much longer will
sensible people tolerate their system.
And now comes julius Barnes, head
of the government grain corporation
with one method Of knocking out this
profitable little sport Of specializing
The milling combine has been having
a royal time with flour and mill, feeds
since the restrictions were taken off.
It filled upon wheat bought at the
government minimum price and then
started the products of this wheat to-
ward heaven. At least it would ap-
! pear that neither the flour nor the
mill feeds were intended for earthly
consumption and that the trust was
engaged in another of those conser-
vation campaigns, the guiding prin-
ciple of which is to keep the people
from eating regularly.
Barnes has been buying up lot OF
flour to send to hungry Europe, and
now he finds so many hungry at home
that he promises to sell some Of this
flour to the. local market Mo@4t the
market price, however, but at $11.5O,
or about $1.50 to 81 under the specu-
lators' price. Government operation
and control is going to be mighty un-
popular now-among the spectators
and that means also the big city
press. =.
It's one way of reaching the big
spectators like Corn King Roberts.
Does any one know of any other way
that could be effective before we are
ready for heaven, where we will be
able to pay all the spectators ask,
that is, if there happens to be any of
that tribe there?
Why not also give the organized
farmers and the organized workers
credit for holding up the arms Of the
redoubtable Mr.. Barnes? No public
man can take stand like this with
out pretty big support.
A new horror has been discovered.
America is trying to dictate to Europe.
Allied statesmen had nice new map
of Europe worked out in their secret
treaties. America is now interfering
with the map makers.
If our memory serves US right, how
ever, it wasn't SO long ago that men
were called from our factories Of our
East and the farms of our West to
help Europe out of map-making
spasm. If we have to straighten out
the spasms, we surely should have
something to say about the new map
making lest another spasm quickly de-
velop and lest we again be called on
for our blood and treasure. To defend
herself America must see to it that
the new map of Europe removes
causes for war rather than ads new
!, ones, as Italy's Fiume grab and the
permanent frontier" ideas Of French
imperialists provide. The world is too
small these days for US to disregard
what is going on in any part Of it.
/ The opposition and the fault finding
of the more reactionary press on
President Wilson's Fiume policy prob
Eably has two explanations. There is
desire to discredit Wilson at any cost,
but more than this is the more or less
open hostility to our war and peace
aims as announced by the government
in the midst Of the conflict. These
sedition- hunting papers and the inter-
Tests back Of them merely tolerated
these aims as means Of arousing
war enthusiasm, and they had little
idea that Wilson would try to make
good on them. They are greatly
troubled that what they thought was
to be mere advertising to. put the
war across on the gullible people at
home, should figure in actual peace
making. III e.
i We are getting ready 70 do NUM-
Der Of things in line with Italy's grab
hing Of Plume and Japan's grabbing Of
/ Chinese territory, and the squelching
TxS.D. ~ 81