The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-01-22
THE FARMERS CASE.

THE FARMERS CASE.
Whatever results may follow fhs
various legislative attempts to relieve
the situation the farmer finds himself
In, it must be admitted that he, like
most other residents of the nation, is
not in an enviable position just now
Senator Capper, of Kansas, recently
recited some figures that illustrate
graphically the hole the agriculturist
is occupying. Not long ago, the
senator pointed out, 80 bushels of corn
would buy suit of clothes which now
is valued at 100 bushels. A bushel of
wheat few months ago would buy
10 gallons of gasoline, while now it
will put but five gallons in the fuel
and so cents in money is the present
price of a pair OF shoes for a farmers
wife. One instance is submitted
where farmer shipped two beef
hides weighing 40 pounds from Ten
nessee to st. Louis, receiving in re-
turn after all overhead" had been
taken out 40 cents Kansas City
banks not long ago refused to loan 80
cents bushel on wheat Livestock
growers have begun to sell their
breeding stock, according to Senator
Capper, which cannot but have a bad
effect on the future of the industry.
1t is such instances as these that
convince the farmer he cannot con
tinue to pay the inflated taxes of re-
cent years.
1t was such instances, too, brought
out in the senate and house commit
tee hearings, that resulted in the re-
viyal of the war finance act. The fed
eral reserve board also has been
pressed to be liberal in extending |
farm credits. But with the country |
well aroused to the seriousness of the |
farmers case it may be expected he
will find ''better hole" than his pres
ent domicile, which is in the nature
of a cyclone cellar And when the
prevalent economic storm blows over
the hardy agriculturist is likely to be
among the first to say, 1T never
- - -
ARE FARMERS bad OFF?"
Wheat No. /, per bushel Al cents;
timothy hay, per ton, $40; wheat hay
IS to $3.50; oats per hundred 80 to
S cents; butter 171a cents; eggs 25
ents per dozen; potatoes 80 cents per
-four $1.5O per hundred;
chickens So per Dozen
The above prices were taken from s
he Genesee Qdaho) News of January, t
901, just 20 years ago this week. The l
armers who were paid those prices, +
r many of them at least, are still Is
lrming in Latah county, although a G
irge per cent of them made money u
naugh to retire and live on the inter :,
st of their investments or from the
snt of their lands They must have 10
ade money at those prices or they W
)uld not have bought more land to ~
Use more wheat to get more money fo
buy more land to raise more wheat. at
The farmers who are complaining ey
'er present prices can get from 700
300 per cent more than the prices ~
loted for every one OF these articles sn
1t us look backward when we are an
clined to be discouraged and remain ilq
+ the prices that were paid for farm -
oducts 20, or 10, or 10, or even five OF
ars ago and realize that the farmers
e far better off today than they were
any of the times mentioned Ii this
untry has good crop his year, ~,
hough it is not likely wheat will his
] for much more than 81 per old
shell, the farmers are in line to make gel
I'd profits and get back to normal" - E
farming operations. Ne
~ ~ n "Tl
In Idaho eychanga sneaks If /. ,co bel
n having gone to ST. Anthony on a for,
o.' In the old days, when Idaho be
) wet" people often went on a cap
ar" and we suppose the word wal
}" is a dry tear"
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