Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1919-01-30
Reconstruction Permits Are
Compared by V1rglnian

49, ~ - . f'AAhH '"'tpi otiit nv
periods. the causes for which | cam
not at present definitely recall. such
for Instance. rs in the fan of IS. when
whtnt. Tor some reason, touched. as I
remember, about s1.25 a bushel. but
dropped back. if | am not mistaken,
the following spring TO about normal
prices.
Following IS and 50. things com
MERGED TO recede. The Barring failure
brought about panicky conditions
which prevailed ON tive downward scale
until the collapse OF 'a3 struck the
country. Merchantile, bank and manu-
featuring wrecks stared YOU in the face
everywhere. Agricultural products
went down to as low. in a good por-
ton OF our western country. as II and
IA cents a bushel for corn o the ear,
30 cents Il bushel for wheat, 20 cents a
bushel for flax. 10 to 20 cents a bushel
for oats, and in western Nebraska and
outlying sections of the corn belt, corn
went as low as Q cents a bushel. Be
cause of its cheapneSs. as compared
with coal, it was used for fuel. The
farmers on our prairies resorted to the
eNpedient of 0wisting up grasses and
straw. somewhat after the fashion that
the Virginia tobacco farmers used to
mould what they called the "Old To-
bacco Twist" and used it as fuel. Po-
tatoes delivered at the starch factories
went as low, | think. as s cents a busllel.
Labor. when one could find employ
ment at hard work. touched. in this
city, as low as 80 cents a day, without
board. and in the larger Industries. !
such as mine stripping. went as low
AS $l.20 a day. with $3.50 to 81 a week |
for board taken out of their wages.
AS late as so corn in Chicago sold as
low as u ar 2S cents a bushel, not
for a day. but limo for the crop year.
In 80 things commenced to- pick up. |
There was a gradual increase, l think,
in the prices of agricultural products
which settled around 25 to 80 cents a
bushel for oats. so cents to ST for 4
wheat, so to rs cents for corn, and after
the beginning of this war in europe.
agricultural products of course were
much higher. since which we have
passed through a period of most re-
markable agricultural prosperity in
every line of product raised in every
section of our country. In so also. |
rallroadlng again started up. with a
gradual increase in volume, at whicn
lime the country labor scale had got
ten as high as s2.75 for ordinary labor. |
settling down around s1.75 to 50 a day.
but common labor in ordinary work
settling down round S1.75 to S "a day.
which held fairly steady until present |
war conditions resulted in the abnor-
NAL wage scale of today.
Therefore. you will. by a little mental
calculation. see that from - to '9S.
inclusive. a period of &c years. there
were is years that could be called
Years of marked depression. and vet
l npo In n rax,iov, of Il /, ,.ho1. .,A.zAsz-l
must come to the conclusion that we
had mad progress. not as rapidly as
during the period from '9S to the pres
ent time. but taken all together. satis- !
factory progress
From IS up to the end OF this war. |
we have gone through a period of 90
years, when taken as a whole, of pros
perity u%neaualled in the history Of ma
tions. and thus we find ourselves more
fortunately situated and better able !
to handle reimbursement following the
war than has been the case with any |
nation in the experience of mankind.
Why should we be faint hearted?
In addition to the evils that we suf-
fered as a result of war. the calamities
that almost overcame the western
country. of crop failures. the grasshop- |
per scourge. and the upsetting m
dltlonS Dy the Barring failure. we went
through a period. commencing in 80
and reaching the high point of depres-
sion in 90. of ~unaccountable plumbers
made by the government, or the po-
iitical parties. such as the passage of
the silver purchase bill, fathered by
Senator Sherman. of the republican
party. which bill. I think. Was passed !
in July. 80. and the great struggle.
headed by the democratic candidate
for president, Hon. William j.. Bryan. |
in '96. We. therefore, see that the at
tempt on the part of the government
TO artificially create value by legis-
lation has proved. in itself. to be dam
gerous.