The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-04-08

remark perhaps applies to the time
present
Farm land values have started fly
ing, and in four years prices of plow
lands in the South have practically
doubled. A statement from the de
partment of agriculture says that in
March, 1916, plow lands in the United
States had the average value of $3.50;
in the same month in 1917 the average
was $6217; in 1918 it was $68.38; in
1919, S74.31; and at the same tine in
the year 1920, $90.0l, bu lding values
in all years not being included in the
average. Among the states that have
high acre values for plow lands are
Iowa with $2l9. Illinois with S170, Cali
fOrnia and Arizona with $3.50, Nebras-
ka with S125, Indiana with $119. Wash
ington with $115, Ohio and Idaho with
sos, Utah with $1O3, and Wisconsin.
Minnesota and Oregon with $100 Irri.
cation has made high values possible
for dry lands in Arizona and other
states
Wheat as the basic food product has
been greatly favored by an arbitrary
enactment Of the government in price
fixing, with the result that an era Of
prosperity hit the rich wheat-produc-
ing areas of the country. Corn. oats,
etc, have enjoyed a prosperous period
All of a sudden new advanced prices
have appeared in all products from the
farms of the country. And presto,
change, right before your eyes, dirt
takes wings, and prices go awaiting.
At the same time the Federal Farm
Loan Board finds its lists of borrow
ors crowded. and in numberless cases
they want TO get more money on their
securities than their lands were con
sidered to be worth in 1914 and 1915.
And it will be all right, perhaps, if
the kite string doesn't break. Bur
should land values ever drop with the
speed that they have risen the pessi-
mists would get all that they ever
prophesied.
. The American Federation of Labor
in the performance Of it's legitimate
functions towards industry is most
worthy and useful national enterprise,
and there are not many people but
who wish it we'll in its work. But
there have been lot Of foolish polit
ical notions floating about during the
past two or three years, and Mr.. Com
pers has led the organization Of which
he is the ttular head to the support
of schemes that should have been
locked up. instead of being permitted
to run at large. For instance, Mr..
GOmpers took a decided stand in favor
Of uniOniZng the letter carriers and
policemen of the United States, and
there was pretty good reason to sus-
pect that the army and navy would
have followed had not this unworthy
scheme gone awry. Mr.. Gompers also
advocated retaining the railroads by
the government for two years longer,
and ultimate government ownership.
He wanted control over credit taken
from fnanciers and invested in a pub
lie agency. The old complaint against
the government protecting its very l'fa
through the use of its machinery in
the courts, especially in the process
of injunctiens, caused Mr. Gompers
to choke on every time the plan was
suggested. And worst of all Mr. Com
pers favored the so-called Plumb plan
for the railroads, which was pure Rus
sian sovietism.
Now, no one has any objection to
Mr.. Gompers forming his individual po-
litical preference with the above stand
ards as basis, but when he assumes
that the American wage workers W II
accept his blacklist of public officials,
calling unworthy of the political sup
port and suffrage of laboring men, the