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guy AT HOME
AND HELP -
AWSON PROSPER
i, . L. RAINEY
MOST POWERFUL WHISKEY RING IN UNITED STATES IS CAUGHT
JOOTLEG KINGS ARE IN
HIRTY~FIVE ARRESTS M
IN CI ZAN-UP BY FEDERAL
pRO}HBITION OFFICERS.
ROMINENT BANKER IN THE NET
Gupplied Liquor Along Entire Atlant
ic Seaboard. Developments May
Lead to Arrest of Some State and
Federal Officials, It Is Said.
SAVANNAH, Ga—Further devel
pments and arrests are expected in
qannah in the round-up of alleged
jquor dealers which has assumed a
agnitude that startled the city.
More than 35 persons have been ar
osted and the United States commis
oner has established himself on a
boor of one of the largest local hotels
o handle preliminary hearings and
onds.
Automobiles to the value of be
wen $15,000 and $20,000 have been
szed. The persons arrested include
bany who are widely known in Sa
annah.
Banker Held.
John J. Powers, .vice president and
hier of the Exchange bank, was
blen into custody oh a warrant charg
g conspiracy to violate the national
iy law. The exact nature of the
harges against Mr. Powers, who is
rominent in Savannah, have not been
isclosed. He has made bond.
The local round-up follows secret
ok covering a period of two months
v department of justice and internal
venue department men. They secur
i evidence against alleged liquor sell
. and when evidence was in hand
cean to take them into custody.
William Haar, a one-time grocery
erk, is described as the principal
ader of a ring which officials here
aim operated a flotilla of craft, had
s own cement lined store houses in
e swamps along the Georgia and
lorida coasts and supplied enormous
wntities of liquor along the Atlantic
aboard as far east as New Jersey,
ver the south and: as far west as St
ouis, Chicago and Cleveland.
Heading forces of less yvea!th and
frength, according to justice officers,
cre (. Graham Baughn, Richard
aley and Sam Gotdberg. These four
e referred to as the “big four,” and
was said they were known in ‘‘boot
e circles throughout the country.
Haar is alleged to own a number of
ait of British registry which were
ked to import intoxicants from Cuba,
e Bahamas and other points in the
est Indies. But the ring, the story
s, reached out even to Great Brit
n, France and Canada for its sup
is. The craft bringing stocks from
arbv ports would anchor outslde
e three-mile limit, the claim is, and
st motor boats would make the
ansiers to store houses ashore. Dis
ihution then would be made by au
mobiles and trains.
Extensive Operations.
Operations of .the ring are said to
e extended along the east coast of
lorida and the Georgia coast, which,
cause of their numerous bayous and
jicts isclated by large swamps, made
oir operations comparatively free
om detection from shore. Finally
forts were made to break up the
uggling from the sea, but with
indreds of miles of coast line on|
hich to operate the rum runners us—’
Iy were successful in evading cap
re.
It was two years ago that informa
n reached the, department of justice
at Savannah was the port for the
ceipt and distribution of much of
liquor reaching the southern and
stern markets. Mrs. Mabel \'\’alkerl
h.vlvju(, an assistant to the attorney
fieral, who is charged with the en
cement of the prohibition law, or
-1 prohibition enforcement agents
the Georgia city in an effort to
tak up the illicit trade. :
by this time, however, the ring
1 a Dbeginning on a small scale
¢ become, according to officials, a
R‘*'{_lw. powerful organization with
b cfficient “intelligence” department.
tderal and State Officials Implicated.
Savannah has never before known
Investigation of such magnitude
the one under way. It is said that
Te are sixty prohibition enforce
¢ gents and department of jus
-8 n in the city. An entire floor
@ local hotel is employed by the‘
"es. Many persons have been exam
¢l by the officials and two or more
Wects it is reported, were kept u_n-“
- r¢ 01 questions through an entire
Bt While forty or more arrests
w,oten announced it is generally
oo that more are to follow.
Cthartment of justice officials de
[’ today that the leaders in the
st and most powerful “bootleg”
i . the United States have been
i, 110 custody in these arrests.
wa 'hal arrests are anticipated and
= ited that the case might lead
HaoC, State and federal officers.
$lO 00 been released under bond
¢ round-up has served to some
oo oS¢ the sale of liquor in Sa-
HBNURN HATCHERY IS
NOW READY TO REOPEN
. 'uge hatchery at Ashburn,
er 25 been closed for the sum
ough g ncoPen. September 11th. Al
i hatchery was installed in
\‘kf“(‘,} Tr}llore than 45,000 baby
D is b ‘;J atched. A record of 75,-
ved for in the coming season.
THE DAWSON NEWS
Says Bible Convinced
Him He Is Bigamist;
Surrenders Himself
ATLANTA, Ga—A man who
his name to local police as J.
ey and claimed he former
ly hv n Bushnell, Fla, last
night walked into police head
quarters and asserted he was a
bigamist. He was influenced in
making his confession, he said, “by
reading the Bible.”
According to his story he has
a wife and a small child living in
Bushnell at the present time. A
few months ago they separated
and he went to Punta Gorda, Fla.
There he met another woman,
whom he married, and with whom
he later moved to Atlanta. They
hla(;re one little 'girl eight weeks
old.
Police officials who paid a visit
to wife No. 2 reported that she told
them she did not know Smate had
another wife at the time he married
her, but that he had since told her.
. Smate is being held on a charge
of bigamy.
’
HERE’S A GOOD CHILL -
WEATHER MAN REPORTS 317
DEGRESS BELOW ZERO AT
. FORTH WORTH, TEXAS.
It's 317 degrees below zero in Fort
Worth, Texas.
And yet the people are mopping
their brows and cussing the weather
man.
Here’s the Joker.
But wait a second! Here the joke.
In the first place, a mere mortal
would break into a thousand pieces
under such a temperature. But there
is no danger. These 317 degrees are
caged up in the helium gas plant of
the United States, just outside the
city, and, by the way, the only one
in the world.
The biggest part of the plant is a
big stecl plant, lined with felt on the
inside. In here is the helium gas,
manufactured by a process which Un
cle Sam is keeping a secret—but surely
the coolest thing under the sun. When
Uncle Sam gets an order for some
helium gas he puts it into a thick steel
tube and ships it. No thief ever tries
to steal it—for a good reason.
Great 'Lifting Power.
Helinm gas, because of its great
lifting power, is a valuable asset to
the air forces of the United States in
time of war.
But it has another power. For in
stance, if a man stuck his finger into
a tank of helium gas, it would be
frozen so hard that he could break it
off. A piece of beefsteak, dipped in
helium gas and then let fall would
smash into slivers.
When the United States first made
helium gas it cost $2,000 a cubic foot.
Now it has been reduced to two cents.
YOUTH RECOGNIZES IN FEL
LOW PRISONER MAN WHO
SOLD HIM STOLEN CAR.
AMERICUS, Ga.—P. A. Ryan and
J. Howard Hunter, alias J. N. Trout
man, are held in jail here charged
with automobile stealing. Both are
white men, and when arrested were
in possession of cars stolen here.
Sheriff Harvey has just returned
from Orlando, Fla., where he went
to bring young Ryan back, Ryan hav
ing been arrested in possession of a
car stolen from Frank Timmerman,
of Plains. The youth told the officer,
while en route here, that he purchased
the car from J. N. Troutman, but was
unable to give any account of where
Troutman lived, or clearly explain de
tails of his purchase. When placed in
jail here he immediately recognized
Hunter as Troutman, and the two
men appeared to be altogether con
‘genial in their relations. Troutman in
‘dicates he will plead guilty when ar
lraigned on a charge of stealing a car
‘belonging to John Council, while
}R_van has engaged Attorney Hilliard
Williams to defend him.
Automobile Joy Riding in America
Costs Human Life Every Fifty Minutes
As a result of America’s present
day joy riding proclivities every
time a clock hand tolls off 50 minutes
some person is killed in an automo
bile accident.
With the same monotonous regu
larity every other stroke of the sec
ond hand marks a fresh bandage or
hospital bed for a victim, more for
tunate only in that death has been
escaped. ;
Some of these motor vehicle cas
ualties are dve to wild-eyed joy rid
ers who end in ditches or against
poles and trees. Others are the result
of attempts to dash over grade cross
ings ahead of trains, and still others
are attributable to “one-armed” driv
in% _
espite the efforts at prevention,
such as safety bureaus and safety
drives, the list of dead and injured
‘mounts steadily. Last year 14,000 per
sons were lowered into graves after
automobile smashups. This year the
lfigm‘e will not be less- than 15,000,
[pfobably more. In 1914 the toll was
14,231. 2
~ Last year insurance estimates plac-
COOLIDGE PLANS T 0
GOLLEGT FOREIGN DEBTS
REGARDS BRITISH AND FIN-j
NISH SETTLEMENTS GOOD
MODELS FOR OTHERS.
’ |
PRESIDENT’S POLICIES OUTLINED
He Will Follow Plans of the Harding
Administration, and There Will Be
No Changes in Cabinét. No Extra
Session of Congress Planned.
WASHINGTON, D. C.—President
Coolidge is viewing the momentous
events in FEurope with anxious eyes
and stands ready to respond to any.
call for help which will not impair
the interests of this country. |
An authorized white house spokes
man said Tuesday that President Cool
idge considers the address of Secre
‘tary Hughes at New Haven last De
sember as the most complete state
ment of the administration’s attitude.
The new president stands ready to
help and co-operate in any way that
will not involve this country. He hes
itates to make any offers of assist
ance, but he promises an earnest re
sponse to any appeal that offers prom
ise of relief without entangling the
United States in unwelcome obliga
tions. |
Regarding our foreign debts Presi-\
dent Ccolidge intends to follow the
policy of his predecessor, insisting up
on payment under conditions that will
be fair to all parties. He regards the
British and Finnish settlements as
good models for the other debtor na
tions to follow, but his main concern
is to do everything he can to collect‘
the money, and details can be adjust
ed to fit particular conditions.
Statements of Policies.
Other statements of policy made by
the white house spokesman may be
summarized as follows:
The policies of the Harding admin-‘
istration will be followed. Whateveri
his policies were, these will be Cool
idge policies. There will be some
changes, as conditions develop, but no
more than President Harding would
have made himself. No mention of
the world court was made but the;
foregoing is assured to cover this. |
Coolidge desires all cabinet mem
bers to remain. Secretary of the Treas
ury Mellon is in Europe but Coolidge
has no expectation that he will want
to resign. Other members have signi
fied their willingness to remain.
There is nothing now that seems
to require an extra session. No one
can tell what emergencies may arise,
but unless something unexpected hap
pens that demands immediate action
by congress there will be no meeting
before the regular December session.
Agriculture.
The president is receiving telegrams
and communications from many peo
ple regarding the distressing condi
tions among the farmers. The sec
retary of agriculture is studying ev
ery suggestion for relief. The presi
dent realizes the situation confronting
the farmers and sympathizes with
them. But nothing in the way of leg
islation has been suggested that
would seem to warrant a special ses
sion.
The coal commission is trying to
mediate between the two parties.
Plans have already been perfected to
furnish substitute fuels in case of a
strike. The situation will not be any
thing like the one last ygar when the
bituminous industry and the railroads
were both at a standstill.
Economy.
The new president will give his full
support to the budget system, which
he believes has been a valuable agent
in reducing government expenditures.
The necessity of economy can not be
too strongly emphasized.
The president is not fully advised
of the situation but understands that
an agreement has been signed or is
about to be signed between the Amer
ican and Mexican commissioners at
Mexico City.
Trips.
The president is not yet entirely
familiar with the routine duties of his
office and feels that he should remain
at Washington where he will be near
the various offices of the government
and available to visitors who have
business with him. He contemplates
no speaking trip in the near future.
ed the injured at 1,500,000. This year,
with the growing number of, accidents,
the injured will total 1,700,000.
Approximately one-fifteenth of the
country’s motor casualties occur in
two of its big cities—New York and
Chicago—which represents eight per
cent of the nation’s population.
The Georgia legislature last week
defeated a bill to require motorists to
come to a stop before crossing a rail
road track.
Florida Puts Embargo
On Georgia Vegetables
The state of Florida has put an
embargo on vegetables from south
ern states, including Georgia, because
of danger from Mexican bean weevil,
which has been doing much damage
in some sections of the south. Georgia
has been forced at times in the past
to institute an embargo’ against veg
etable products from other states to
save its crops from infection by vari
ous insects detrimental to vegetables
and fruits.
DAWSON, GA., TUESDAY EVENING, AUG. 21, 1923
Surgeon’s Glove Is
Found in Bladder of
Man Operated On
SALEM, Ore.— While Jerry
Wyant, of San Francisco, under
went a surgical operation in a local
hospital surgeons found in his blad
der not the malignant cancerous
growth that they feared, but a sur
geon’s rubber glove. Wyant under
went a previous operation in San
Francisco about two years ago. His
physician said that a few months
after the previous operation a doc
tor’s sponge was removed from
Wyant’s abdomen.
LEADING CROPS IN
THE UNITED STATES
CORN COMES FIRST IN AMER
ICA WITH COTTON SECOND,
IT IS STATED.
Though the wheat crop in value
amounts to only about 6 per cent of
agricultural production, it has bcen
attracting more attention and discus
sion in recent weeks than all the rest
of the country’s agricultural produc
tion put together. Same attention
might profitably be given to the oth
er 94 per cent.
The principal crop raised in the
United States is corn. The indicated
crop for this year at the time of the
government report was 2,877,437,000
bushels, or 13,275,000 bushels less than
a year ago. The price of a bushel at
the farm, however, was 86, cents on.
July 1, compared with 62 cents on
the corresponding day of 1922. The
total vaiue of the crop on July 1 last
was $2,488,983,005, an increase of
$690,960,141 over tha value of the 1922
crop.
Two and a Half Billion for Cotton.
The second most valuable crop in
the country is cotton. The indicated
crop on July 1 was 11,412,000 bales,
compared with 9,762,000 bales last
yvear. The price of cotton on July 1
last was also higher than the price a
vear ago, being 26 cents a pound.
compared with 20 cents a pound on
the corresponding day of 1922. ‘The
total value of the cotton crop on July
1 last was $1,500,000, or almost ex
actly 50 per cent more than the value
of the crop at the corresponding time
last year. The total value of oats and
‘barley was also higher on July 1 than
a year ago. : -
~ The federal reserve board attributes
the larger domestic demand for farm
products during the last year to the
larger buying power of industrial
workers arising from fuller employ
ment and wage advances. During the
first five months of 1923, for instance,
the sale of groceries at wholesale ex
ceeded that of ther same period last
vear by 14 per cent, and the sale of
meat increased 20 per cent.
S A \ )
|
REPORT SHOWS ONE FARM IN
EACH 16 IN U. S. CHANGES
HANDS EVERY YEAR. 1‘
Nearly 1,250,000 United States{
farms, or approximately one out of
every five farms in the United States,
changed occupants in 1922, ficcording
to a survey made by the U. S. depart
ment of agriculture.
This is the first survey of the kind
made by the department, and “while
the changes give evidence of consid
erable mobility among American
farmers until comparative figures ‘for
other years are available it will not
be possible to determine whether the
extent of the movement in 1922 was
greater or less than usual,” says Dr.
C. L. Stewart, economist preparing
the report.
Few Changes in New England.
In nine southern states one farm in
every four changed occupants; in six
states in the New England group the
turn-over was one farm in every ten,
and in most of the corn belt and west
ern states between 10 and 15 per cent
of the farms changed occupants.
Changes in ownership of farms took
place on nearly 400,000 farms, or ap
proximately one farm in every sixteen
in the United States. In general, more
farnmss changed owners in the west
and south than in the New England,
middle Atlantic and corn belt states.
Of the 2,300,000 or more farm ten
ants in the United States more than
625,000 changed the scene of their
operations during the year. More than
75 per cent of these tenant changes
occurred in the 15 southern states. In
both Georgia and Texas more than
70,000 tenant farms changed tenants
in 1922,
The percentage of tenant farms
changing tenants during the year
ranges 'irom 3 per cent in Maine to
98 per cent in Oklahoma. Seven
southern states show a change of
more than 30 per cent. In corn belt
states the range is from 14 per cent in
Illinois to 22 per cent in Missouri,
and in mountain and Pacific states
from 12 per cent in California to 26
per cent in Colorado.
230,000 Leave Farms.
Although the number of tenant
farms in the United States shows a
net increase of 27,000 for the year,
more than 230,000 tenants either dis
continued farming for some other oc
cupation or left their communities. A
percentage decrease in tenmant farms
is shownl: in only 10 states and in t::
states the percentage was unchang
In general, the largest exodus of ten
ants occurred in the south and west.
AMERIGANS TAKING 0
THE CONCRETE TRAILS
DAD AND MOTHER AND KIDS
GO “FLIVVERING” AND PITCH
CAMP AT NIGHTFALL.
Yield to the Lure of the Open Entize
Families Hit the High Road for
Brief Tour of Adventure and Rec
reation. Is Great Fun.
Americans are becoming a nation of
gipsies. The smooth, hard ribbons of
concrete criss-crossing the country are
the gipsy trails. The “flivver,” or the
automobile of more pretentious de
sign, is the gipsy conveyance.
The lure of the open places, the call
of the strange scenes, are causing the
American gipsy to bundle his brood
into the flivver, wrap a few utensils
in a canvas tent, and hit the high
road for a brief tour of adventure,
rest. and recreation.
_ Party Haited.
Statisticians say there is one auto
mobile to every nine persons in this
country. If one takes a place on a
prominent highway, for instance, and
observes the number of gipsies hit
ting that concrete trail he will get
the impression that half the machines
are lfiin.g used by half the people of
the United States on their vacation
trips.
Newspapers recently recounted the
incident of a vacation party—dad and
mother and the kids—Aflivvering west
through the state of Kansas. A heavy
rain washed out a bridge on the high
wa{ and the party was halted.
I¥ was dusk and there was nothing
to do but camp on the road side. Dad
ran the flivver into a field, detached
the tent from the side of the car. un
rolled it and began making camp for
the night.
The party was hardly set before an
other band of gipsies came along and
camped on the same field. By the time
darkness had set in the field was dott
ed with tents. Tt simply gives an idea
of the number of vacationists on the
open road this summer,
Great Fun. l
It’s great fun. Folks who never
thQ‘ught of taking a vacation trip sev
eral years ago are now being lured
to the high road of adventure in the
old gas buggy.
A night under the stars, the before
bed pipe at the tent entrance with the
breeze murmuring in the trees, the
music of a nearhy brook, the voices
of the night, the silence and peace of
it, away from the hectic life of cities
—such is the exhilarating experience
of the camp at dusk by those thous
ands and hundreds of thousands of
gipsies, the twentieth century knights
of the open road, whose steed is the
flivver, and who have bid adieu to
factory and office for a brief spell to
go adventuring.
Under the Stars.
There are some tourists who stay]
at hotels during the night, but by far
the larger number have their tents
strapped to the side of the machines.
Half the zest of adventuring—and
these flivver vacationists are all ad
venturers—is not to be governed by
any sort of schedule. :
There may be a destination in view,
but there is no set time to get there.
Wherever twilight finds them there
the camp is pitched. Or if not a camp,
a farmer’s hay loft will do just as
well. On a clear night, what’s the use
of putting up the tent? Rolling them
selves Arab-like in blankets the sky is
their canopy.
Tourists camps are everywhere. A
city that has not a camp on'its out
skirts to offer the wayfarers is ac
counted woefully behind the times—
an inhospitable burg. At these camps
are fireplaces with stove wood piled
conveniently near or readily picked
up, and fresh water for the making of
coffee or for the thermos bottle for
a cool drink en route.
| Cities Not for Them.
. “Tourists Welcome,” is the sign
that greets these wayfarers along the
road. The cities see the gipsies pass
ing through; they are known by the
‘dnst on their machines, by the lug
‘gage strapped on the sides. The stifling
cities are not for them.
Users of Gasoline and Tobacco Will
Pay The State Five Millions in Taxes
The legislature passed and the gov
ernor signed two laws that it is esti
mated will bring the state five million
dollars of revenue.
The first was a measure to increase
the tax on gasoline from 1 to 3 cents
a gallon, which is expected to bring
in at ieast $3,000000 a wvear. The
money derived from this source is to
be divided as follows: One-third to be
used in_retiring outstanding Western
& Atlantic railroad bonds, which were
sold by former Governor Hardwick;
one-third to the state highway depart
ment for maintenance and construc
tion and one-third to be apportioned
among the counties on the basis of
each county’s total mileage of' rural
mail routes. :
A sales tax on tobacco was lm;)os-‘
ed. This bill, which levies a 10 per
cent tax on the sale price of cigars
and ' cigarettes, is expected to raise
$1,500,000 annuaily. The Alto tuber
cular sanitarium, under provisions of
the measure, is to receive $250,000
during each of the years 1924 and
1925. All revenues derived from the
¢ 35 .
Plug” Chewing Bout
Lasts Sixty-Nine Hours
In Town of [onesboro
JONESBORO, Ga.—Jonesboro,
Clayton county, is not to be out
done by some of our larger cities,
where the long distance marathon
endurance contests are all the
vogue and many of the fair dan
cers have established records for
these marathons running up to
n(liany hours before a halt was call
ed.
Dan Henderson won the long
distance marathon chewing contest
held in Jonesboro recently by
chewing tobacco for 69 hours with
out stopping. During the contest
a total of 46 plugs of tobacco were
used, and sleep and nourishment
were administered without halting
the contest.
The Jonesboro city council and
the street committee have express
ed themselves as being greatly op
posed to the holding of future to
bacco chewing contests in the city
limits and may propose legislation
against it.
'WIDOW OF LATE PRESIDENT
~ CHIEF BENEFICIARY UNDER
WILL RECENTLY MADE.
WASHINGTON, D. C.—The late
President Harding was worth about
three-quarters of a million dollars at
the time of his death and most of
this will go to Mrs. Florence Kling
Harding, his widow.
He made a new will shortly before
he left Washington last June for
Alaska, and placed all his personal
affairs in such shape that in the event
of his failure to return alive they
would be in such shape as to give his
widow the least concern and worry
after his death.
It is learned tonight that the will is
to be filed at Marion, 0., probably
during the coming week, and that it
wiil he probated in the old court
house at that place. The will dispos
es of an estate worth, it is stated,
about $750,000 and Mrs. Harding is
the chief beneficiary. She will not re
ceive the entire estate, as there are
some minor bequests to persons Mr.
Harding wished to remember in this
way. In addition to being the chief
beneficiary named in the will, Mrs.
Harding is already well-to-do in her
own right. She is not a rich woman,
but has a considerable estate of her
own.
06 »” ’
TWO GUN” W’COY IS
’
FOUND RAISIN’ MELONS
SCARRED VETERAN OF FEUD
IN HIDING FROM SPOUSE.
DONE WITH KILLING. ‘
“Two Gun” Lee McCoy, the onlyi
McCoy who ever ran away from
trouble, is not dead. He has just been
found in hiding—very much alive.
And when this aged veferan of the
Hatfield-McCoy feud disappeared
mysteriously from home two months
ago he was not running away from a
quick-on-the-trigger Hatfield; he was
merelv running away from his wife.
Last of His Name. r
Today “Two Gun” Lee, the last of
his name, who can tell the complete
story of the world famous mountain
vendetta, is done with attending fun
erals in bloody Mingo county, W.
Va. He and his son, Ceurtney, are
busy attending watermelons on a tiny
farm in Arkansas.
~ When he was found the two-gun
‘man manifestly was worried. He had
gone to a deal of trouble to dodge
‘his spouse, who, by the way, is his
second wife.
| Neighbors Like Him.
~ McCoy has been living in his new
'home several weeks. His neighbors all
'speak well of him and his boy. Maybe
‘they know he bears the scars of eight
bullet wounds and has nine Hatfield
inotchcs on his gun.
Maybe they have heard of the feud
in which 71 Hiatfields and 40 McCoys
were dispatched to their graves in the
ills.
measure above the Alto appropria
tions will be devoted to the payment
of Confederate veterans' pensions.
Representative Mann, of Glynn
county, was the author of the bill in
creasing the gas tax, and Representa
tive Milner, of Dodge county, fathered
the tobacco tax. .
Howard Is Appointed
Judge of New Court
ATLANTA, Ga—Judge G. H.
Howard, manager of the 1922 guber
natorial campaign of Gov. Walker,
has been appointed judge of the new
superior court of Fulton county, cre
ated by the 1923 legislature. Edgar
Latham, an Atlanta attorney and a
strong contender for the position,
charges he had been offered the solic
jtorship of the new court provided
Judge Howard was given a percent
ag; of the fees. Judge Howard de
clined to make immediate reply to
this charg. declarin? that -he prob
ably would issue a formal statement
' A NEWSPAPER
DEVOTED TO
PUBLIC SERVICE
VOL. 40.—N0. 51
WHEAT FOR MINNESOTA
POLITICAL EXPLOITATION
OF GRAIN SLUMP SAID TO .
HIDE PROSPERITY. .
Deflation of Labor Costs Reported as
Farmer’s Second Best Clamor. Dis
integration of Hell-Raisers Is Al
ready Appearing.
_FAIRBAULT, Minn.—Two pro
tuberents of the radical uprising which
impress the observer are, first, the ex
tremely small part wheat itself actual
ly plays in the “wheat revolt,” and,
second, the disintegrating elements
which are already appearing in the
farmer-labor combination.
Minnesota’s wheat crop is a small’
fraction of the state’s farm output. In
1922 the gross income of the farms in
Minnesota was in round numbers
$450,000,000, and $20,000,000 of this
came from wheat, or less than 5 per
cent. The slump in wheat prices, while
bowling over the grain specialists, has
been much more than offset in gen
eral agriculture by the rise in other
farm prices.
$500,000,000 This Year.
This year the gross income of Min
nesota farmers will range somewhere
around $500,000,000, if present prices
and crop prospects keep up. The farm
ers, it appears, will be better off than
last year by $50,000,000. For the 178,-
‘5OO farms it will mean an average
‘gain of between $2BO and $3OO over
Jlast year’s income.
Corn prospects are rather prodig
jous. The outlook is that 167.000.0&)
bushels will be raised this vear, which
is an increase of 36,000,000 bushels
over last vear, and this is the product
which has been climbing in price. All
the way up to the Canadian border
the corn is putting in its best licks
for the growers, and the crop this year
at the present prices will bring to the
farms at least $50,000,000 more than
did the 1922 crop.
Dairying and Poultry Rise.
Dairying will fetch to the farms
$9,000.000 more than last year, and
poultry $5,000,000 more than in 1922
From these three products alone the
gain will be $64,000,000. Against this
the fail off in small grains is figured
at between $10,000,000 and $l§,“000.-
000 by some experts. -
Wheat! Minnesota wused to be a
wheat state. But now the Minnesota
hen brings in more than twice as'
much revenue as does wheat. Dairy
ing produces nearly nine times as
much of the state’s farm revenue as
does wheat, while corn has got wheat
lashed to the mast. This year dairy
ing is expected to roll up ngS,OOO,OKO
for the farmer. Last year 40 per cent
of the gross farm income of $450,-
000,000 came from dairying, and less
than 5 per cent from wheat.
| Could Give Away Wheat.
. General agriculture could give thws
'year's wheat crop away for nothing
and still it would be at least $40,-
000,000 better off than last year. And
compared with pre-war days all indi
cations are that the average farmer
is much better off, although this is
no consolation to the wheat special
ist, who works his fargn three or four
months a year instead of putting it o
a 12-month operating schedule, as de
the dairy farmers.
It seems to be a strange foundation
for the agricultural grouch in which
Minnesota is stewing. But the wheat
slump has been exploited and distend
ed by the politicians until it fills the
eye and hides increased prosperity,
greater general yield, more dough
better credits and everything else.
Raises New Product.
“Wheat uprising? Bunk!” said a
farmer at Sauk Center. “Minnesota
used to go in for wheat-raising, now
it goes in for heli-raising.”
He was a dairyman, and it seemed
he said a mouthful. As gathered from
talks with farmers and business men
everywhere along the trail, the real
point of contact between farmer and
laborer in Minnesota’s splurge of rad
icalism is the “hell-raising” desire.
The two groups are united at pres
ent, not by common interests, for
their interests are nearly diametrical
ly opposed, but by common preju
dices. One spots it the moment he
taps them for information.
Urge Labor Deflation.
Farmers on Main street, after blow
ing off steam about wheat, have al
most invariably declared that the
great need of agriculture is deflation
of labor cost. They speak somewhat
incidentally of farm labor, but dwell
loudly on transportation and wages
of railway employes. They are saying
that if increased labor costs are keep
ing freight rates up something ought
to be done to deflate either by cutting
down wage schedules or by reducing
the number on the payroll and mak
ing the others put in something tlos
er to ‘“farm hours” of employment.
Similarly in other occupations, they
hold that advanced labor costs are
largely responsible for the dispropor
tionate prices of manufactured com
modities, which the farmer buys. As
to the building trades in the last three
weeks, at nearly every stop we have
listened to a word or two about “70-
cent wheat for the farmer and $lB
a day for the plasterer.”
COTTON STALKS ARE
BEING PLOWED UNDER
So completely destructive has been
the work of the boll weevil in the sec
tion east ‘of Hahira, in Lowndes coun
ty, that farmers are now eng in
plowing up the cotton and lo'fii the
land in peas for a hay crep. & -