Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (May 31, 1900)
IDAHO IS REPUBLICAN 1 SENATOR SHOUP THINKS IT v WILL BE SO THIS YEAR. Ni Mini and Minor* Rffplrod Marti Bettsr Priori* Under RepuliUcsn Ailmln lstrmtlaa—Honoflt of Protection to Wool , • —Bl| Bank Deposits. “Idaho will, I hope, reverse Its elec toral vote for President this year,” < said United States Senator George L. Shoup, of that state to-day. “Instead of being cou..^ed, as In 1896, in the Fusion column, I hope that I shall,And; Idaho recorded In.the elec toral college for the re-election of President McKinley. "There is every reason,” continued Che senator,. “why Idaho should go Republican. Our state has nevsr known such prosperity as it has ex perienced during the present adminis tration. The good times have been felt both by the miners and farmers. Protection to American industries lias given the American market to Amer ican manufacturers, with the result that there has been an increased de mand for lead, zinc and copper, all of which are products of Idaho. Not only has-the demand been“greater for these minerals, but the prices have been very much more satisfactory. , “Lead forms a very- interesting ob ject lesson in Idaho. Under the Re publican administration of President Harrison the price paid for lead in our statew ranged from $4.20 to $4.30. In the same month in 1893 lead sold at $3.80. In 1894 it was down to $3.20, and in 1895 it touched as low as $2.30. With such an experience as that I cannot understand why it Is that our state went for Bryan in 1896. “President McKinley assumed of •floe In March, 1897, Two .months la V*«r the price paid for lead In Idaho Was $3.12%. In 1898 it was $3.50, last year the Value of lead had increased to $4.10, and this year it has touched $4.70, exceeding even the good prices that were realised when the McKinley tariff was in effect under President Harrison. This comparison affords an object lesson, and there ahould not be a single mine owner or miner In the Btate of Idaho recording his vote next November for anybody except Presi dent McKinley and the other Repub avail tnuuiuaica. a j. ,■* • j “Sffick' growers in our state,” con tinued Senator Slump! "also realize the benefit derived from protection. When American wool was protected by the McKinley, tariff sheep in our ptate wefe worth from $2.25 up to $2.50 per head. Just as soon as the Democrats began to tinker with the tariff and . prepare to pass the Wilson bill, down went the price of sheep until they we’re worth only ^1.41 each via 1$95< and $1.27 in 1896, just one-half their value in 1893, "Let na-turn that picture t.o the WflM and have' another look at the protective tariff view. In 1897 sheep In Idaho were worth 45 cents a head more than in 1896. In - 1898 they were worth 92 cents a bead 'more than in 1896. In 1899 they were worth $1.38 more than in 1896, and this year, according to the department of agriculture’s fig ures, the average price of each sheep la Idaho was $2.80 on January 1, as compared with $1.27 in 1896. The in crease in their value within that pe riod hat been 120 per cent, and they sue now worth more per head by 30 cents than they were on the 1st day «f January. 18^,^efore President Oevetead burned o8ice. . osre is another strong contrast that P can make about our sheep values,”’ said the senator. "It is'this: In 1892 there were 527,000 sheep in Idaho, and they were worth $1,265,000. In 1896 there were over a million sheep in Idaho, twice as many as in 1892, and their value was only $17,000 more. ■ “Now, for one more comparison: In 1897, just, before, this administration came into power, there were 1,376,000 sheep in Idaho, and their value was 92,346,283. At the beginning of this jtear there were just twice as many pheep in the state, and their value bad Increased up to 27,445,000, show ing a gain of more than 200 per cent In value, while the Increase in quan tity was only 100 per cent. ' "Can you imagine that any stock grower in any part of the country would be indiscreet enough to vote the Democratic ticket with such facts as those 8taring him in the face? Take tiie price of our wool—it sold at 13 qentg per pound in Idaho in 1891 and •tfjaa ... iq the Cleveland years it sold Anywhere from 6 to 6Vi cents. Under flhla administration we have, of course, got back to' IS cent wool again. The amount of money paid to farmers in |iUiin for their wool in 1895 was |418, Q39, the amount they are getting this year will exceed 22,300,000, an Increase Of 400 per cent Every sheep in Idaho from yearlings up, coaid be marketed . to-day at 23.25 per head. Wool Is be ing adlA at 18 cents to 25 cents per bound. Cattle have advanced 210 per £ bead, and horses are worth $5.00 to |l0.00 per head more than a year ago. I think Idaho will’ go Republican." DISCONCERTED DEMOCRATS Attempting to Make Party Capital Out ’ ot the Shipping BUI. The Democratic leaders in Congress jbsve been making elaborate prepara tions to make the shipping bill a cam paign issue. They have attempted to terrorise the Republicans into the abandonment of the bill at the pres , . gnt session atleast. It Is not known 'v'> uow much the foriegn shipping lobby is willing to contribute to the Demo cratic campaign fund if the bill’s con sideration is deferred until the short session. Postponement, nay the for eign shipping lobby, means the bill’s defeat. , A $200,000,000 a year business is tho stake. If Democratic threats of fili bustering are effective enough to in duce Republicans to postpone the con sideration of the shipping bill the foreign shipping lobby, their free trade allies and Democratic dupes will each have carried their point. Democratic success up to this time is the more amazing, as their own dis organization on this question is dis closed. It would be imagined that they would be united in opposition to the bill, if intending to make a cam paign issue of it. Just the reverse is the case. They are about evenly divided for and against it. This is shown by the two minority reports that have bean filed by the Demo cratic members of the House Mer chant Marine and Fisheries Commit tee. The first report filed was signed by Messrs. William Aator Chanler, of New York; John H. Small, of North Carolina, and Joseph E. Ransdell, of Louisiana. Their report advocates government aid and opposes free ships. Their suggested amendments to the bill arc net of a character to seriously minimize its effectiveness. The other fear Democratic members of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee who signed the other report, are Messrs. John F. Fitz gerald, of Massachusetts; Marion De Vries, of California; Thomas Speight, of Mississippi, and Wm. D. Daly, of New Jersey. Their report opposes subsidies and in effect advocates free ships. Their report, said to have been written by an attorney of the foreign steamship lines, is largely an attack upon the only American steamship line engaged in the transatlantic trade. The odium attaching to the Demo crats who are fighting the battle of the foreign shipping lobby in Con gress, and who advocate the purchase of ships built abroad, instead of their construction In the United States, pre sents them in a very sorry figure. They will be infinitely more busy in defending their own attitude on this question than they can he m assail ing that of the Republicans and a large contingent of their owh party associates. The Democratic leaders had made desperate efforts to prevent a public disclosure of their differences, but the courage of nearly one-half of the minority made further conceal ment of their condition Impossible. The Democratic members of the com mittee who advocate government aid by independently filing their report in advance of the submission of the.other minority report, forced the signers of the latter to lamely limp last Into the public eye. Their hopeless division shows how utterly impossible it will be for them to make a successful cam paign issue of the shipping question. If Democrats attack a government aided shipping. Democrats who have the. best, of the argument, may be quoted in answer. Republican amu nltion with which to refute Demo cratic attacks of this character need not be used—it Is furnished by the more honest and courageous of the Democrats themselves. This is a situation which seems al most providential for the'united Re publicans. They seem to be assured of the votes of a large contingent— possibly one-half—of the^Democrats in the House in ' j of the Ship Sub sJaJrtflft.Tf it is brought up for pass age now. Such an opportunity has not been presented In a generation, and may never again oocur so favorable. The same situation exists In the Senate. The Democrats there are un able to prepare, much less to prq sent, a minority report m opposition to the Ship Subsidy Bill. It is well and publicly known that a number of Democrats will speak and vote for the bill. What the Democratic leaders de sire to avoid, at all hasards. Is the effect it will have upon their party followers that will surely result from the discussion in the Senate of the Ship Subsidy Bill at this session, to disclose a substantial contingent of their own party associates in advo cacy and voting for that bill. If Republicans can be coerced, in timidated or cajoled into postponing the consideration of the Ship Subsidy BUI at the present session, the Demo crats may be able to conceal their own weakness in divided opposition to the Ship Subsidy Bill in the Senate. A little incident has clearly demon strated this, and shown the despera tion of the Democratic leaders. The Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, in his rage at the filing of the Chanler-Small-Rans dell report, sent for these gentlemen and began to angrily upbraid them as traitors to their party, so the report goes, and he told them that by their ill-timed exhibition of independent and honesty they had sacrificed v a splendid issue upon which the Demo crats could have attacked the Repub licans in the coming campaign. The Democratic Chairman, so it is said, was rendered almost speechless when he was very emphatically told by Messrs. Ohanler, Small and Ransdell that he had no authority to denounce their action, that the Democratic party had not declared itself on this subject in Its last national platform, and that in any event they were de cidedly opposed to the dragging of the shipping question into partisan poli tics. They told him that the shipping question was a business proposition, a commercial question, and of great and pressing national Importance; that they so considered it, and that they were quite ready to defend their posi tion at any time. In these very favorable circum stances for the Republicans to defer action on the Ship Subsidy Bill until the Democratic National Convention can be whipped into adopting an ex pression in its next national platform opposing government aid for the up building of American shipping, will make it infinitely more difficult than ever for courageous and patriotic Democrats to support the measure. It means to gravely imperil, if not actu ally defeat, its Anal passage. The prestige of Democratic success in compelling the Republicans to de fer action at this session on tihe Ship Subsidy Bill—since postponement will be regarded the country over as a Democratic, free-trade, foreign-ship ping, victory—will make it all the easier for them to defeat action at the next sesion, and all the harder for Republicans to secure favorable action. The opportunity of a generation Is within the grasp of the Republican leaders in Congress if they have the courage to grasp it by passing the shipping bill before adjournment at this session. ! THE SHEEP INDUSTRY. How It Has Gained In Value Under Republican Protection. An examination of the sheep indus try in every state in the Union shows similar results, advancing values un der the Republican policy of protec tion, and lower values under free trade and its evil influences. Note the fol lowing figures of the department of agriculture relating to Idaho: SHEEP IN IDAHO. Per Year. Number. Value. Head. 1891 . 501,978 (1,154,549 $2 30 1892 . 527,077 1,204,985 2 40 1893 . 704,262 - 1,910,655 2 50 1894 . 779,547 1,753,981 *2 25 1895 . 919,865 1,299,770 *1 41 1896 .1,011,852 1,281,726 *1 27 1897 .1,376,119 2,346,283 1 71 1898 .1,651,343 3,612,313 2 19 1899 .2,311,880 6,132,262 2 65 1900 .2,658,662 7,444,254 2 80 ♦Democratic and low tariff years. mere was an increase oi cents a head in the value of Idaho’s sheep between 1891 and 1893. There wqs a decline of |1.23 in the following Dem ocratic years up to 1897. And since President McKinley was elected, with a Republican congress that assured protection to the American wool grow er, the value of each sheep in Idaho has increased by $1.53. With over a million sheep in Idaho in 1896, their total value was but $77,000 more than the half million sheep were worth there in 1892. With not quite three times as many sheep at the beginning of this year as there were in 189f>, this farm stock has increased nearly six times in value. Western farmers should study these facts and decide, before November, if they want any more free trade destroying the value of their flocks. Idaho is simply an example of conditions in every state where sheep are grown. MONEY OUT WEST. Great Growth In Bank Deposits within the First Five Yea-.s. Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wy oming have madg remarkable pro gress on the road to wealth during the present Republican administration, —ja is due to several causes, such as 4pmand by manufac the increaseu **-*«*«r uuKrwV^. tures for mineral products nov* tu,** the policy of protection gives the home market to home-made goods. Another reason is that protection to wool has doubled the value of the farmers’ clip, and all of these four states are wool states. Still another reason is the es tabllshment of the goia stanaara, which gives ub stable currency and more settled business conditions. Add to these three main causes the gen eral prosperity of the country which has created a better demand for farm products, and the reasons have been assigned for the great Increase in the bank deposits of those states, as shown by the following table: * WESTERN BANK DEPOSITS. State. 1894. 1899. Colorado.*9,379,733 $20,058,377 Idaho . 904,412 1,358,668 Montana. 4,063,436 8,760,823 Wyoming. 1,252,636 3,152,909 Total .$15,600,217 $33,330,777 Within five years there has been an increase of more than 100 per cent in the total bank deposits of these four states. Who will say that the West is not prospering under Republican administration? A continuation of prosperity is what is wanted in the West, and this can be assured by vot ing the straight Republican ticket. And conditions in these states only exemplify those in every section. An Easy Choice. In November the voters will have an opportunity to choose between Sioux Falls, Cincinnati and Kansas City Populism on the one hand and Philadelphia Republicanism on the other. It ought not require a great amount of time for them to make up their minds. I - A 81(0 of Prosperity. j There were nearly 7,000,000 more | telegraph messages sent over United States wires in 1899 than in 1895. That indicates better business conditions last year because people had business to do and could better afford to pay telegraph tolls than two-cent postage. FARM AND GARDEN. MATTERS OP INTEREST TO AGRICULTURISTS. * Rom* Pp-to-D»t« Blot* About Col* tiTatlon of tho Soil ood Tloldf Thoroof—Hortlealtaro. Vltlcaltaro a ad norlcaltara. Winter Wheat Report. In the winter wheat report for Illi nois only the central and southern counties are involved, as but little is grown in the northern part of the itate. Fifty per cent of the returns show that condition is good and of the remaining 60 per cent two-thirds indi cate fair condition. Four correspond ents in the central part of the state and six in the southern report damage by Hessian fly. Although crops are not suffering, about half our corre spondents state that the ground is dry and rain will soon be needed. The other 50 per cent report moisture abundant and in a few counties, nota bly Livingston, Massac and Iroquois, there has been too much rain to suit the farmers. Winter wheat in Indiana was badly *roi3n out and its condition is very poor. In most localities it does not promise to yield more than one-fourth to one-half a crop. Hessian fly has also damaged it considerably, especial ly in Blackford and Pike counties. A few correspondents in the central and southern portions report moisture de ficient, otherwise the supply is abun dant In northern Michigan, where it was protected by snow, winter wheat is in good condition, but winter killing and the ravages of the Hessian fly have not left much in the central and southern portions of the state. A large part of the wheat area will be plowed un der. What remains has improved with the favorable weather of the last ten days. Moisture appears to be abundant enough to suit the needs of all crops, only one correspondent re porting any deficiency. Ohio correspondents report condi tions very similar to those found- in Michigan. The bulk of the crop has been ruined by winter killing and Hes sian fly. In the best reports received not more than two-thirds of a crop is predicted. A few counties are getting dry, but in almost all parts of the state nioisture is abopndant and the wheat that has survived' is improv mg. . A few correspondents In Kentucky state that moisture is deficient, but the majority report an abundance and some too much rain for corn planting. Wheat is in splendid condition and a good crop is anticipated. There are three reports of Hessian fly, but little or no damage from that source is com* plained of. The reports of Missouri and Kan sas winter wheat are very encourag ing, condition running “good to very good,” or “considerably above the average.” Moisture is abundant in both states and a few counties in Kan sas have had too much rain. Hessian fly has not appeared in either state. Babaotlihff for Grain. It will not. as a general thing, pay to . subsoil for grain crops. With the low price of the cereals the increase must be very considerable to pay cost of the extra work. The work of sub soiling is very great, the subsoiler hav ing to be hauled by from four to six horses according to construction of the subsoil. There are however some lo calities where subsoiling for grains will pay. This will depend on a good many circumstances that cannot be pointed out specifically. For in stance there ate BtfuSui la-'wswir’-wrls mil liard to stir up. There are farms where the arrangements are such that the men and horses have idle time, and in such cases the subsoiling will not be very expensive. Then too we must make a distinction between the sections of country where the rainfall is fairly good and the sections of country where the aridity is so great that there is little or no water to hold. It is believed that subsoiling is more effective where the rainfall is fairly good than where the rainfall is very slight. This is because the subsoiilng makes it possible for the ground to hold more water and a part of the heavy precipitations is caught and held in the reservoir that would otherwise run off. In the case of seml-arld lands the water seldom falls in such quanti ties that the soil cannot retain it. Horticultural ObHmtloDi, The annual returns to the State of Florida for fruits and vegetables ship ped out is said to be about $5,000,000. This is very much less than it would be had the great orange groves not been cut down by the severe cold spells of the last few years. • * • It is reported that there Is quite a general movement among the truck growers of Texas for organisation. This is to be commended, for by such :ombinations the better shipment and listrlbution of the products can be ob tained. If the growers of vegetables ind fruit ever become fully organised !t will be possible to prevent inferior goods being put on the market. * • • A writer says that Florida suffers more damage from frost than any other state. The cold waves this spring have killed large quantities of early fruits ind vegetables. Beans and egg plants were extensively destroyed. In the midst of some of the vegetable gardens the thermometer dropped to about 20 below the freesing point Florida is really in a hard position in this regard. Her product is of value in the north ern market only because of its easi ness. Yet to get these early vegetables the work of growing them must begin early in February, at a time when cold waves are possible. Were the growers to wait till later, they would find no market that would pay a profit on cost of production and transporta tion. • • • » ■ The apple exhibit at Paris is likely to attract a good deal of attention from Europeans. It will not consist of the short-keeping varieties to any extent, but of those apples that are known as commercial apples, and that will stand long carriage. Our apple trade with the Europeans is growing, and the ex hibit at the exposition will doubtless have the effect of enlarging the mar ket. The only trouble that we see ahegd, Ib-tJje difficulty of supplying-the demand. Good commercial apples are very high in our markets the year round, and of course will be much higher in a foreign market, where the cost of transport, handling and addi tional profits must be added. With out doubt, there is no more encourag ing field for investment than in the line of apple growing. There are certain sections of the country that are par ticularly adapted to the growing of apples—sections where land is cheap and unsuited to the production of any thing but fruit. Black Nightshade. This plant is also known as com mon nightshade, garden nightshade. It is a smooth annual, one to two feet high, with rough; angular, widely branching stems, ovate leaves, two to four inchs long, with wavy margins, drooping clusters of small white flow ers, and black, globose, juicy berries, which ripen from July to October. The amount of poison present in any part of this plant varies with the conditions of growth. The more OM-thint natural ala*. musky odored plants are the most poi sonous. These plants may be easily killed by cutting them down before the fruit matures. Kafir Corn aa Stock Food. When fed alone, stock tire of Kafir corn much more quickly than they do of corn. Some stockmen feed red and white Kafir corn alternately. This gives some variety, but only partially overcomes the defect When Kafir corn is fed with feeds rich in protein, as alfalfa, soy beans, bran, or oil meal, animals relish it for any length of feeding period. Hogs fattened on Kafir corn alone get so that they loathe it, but fed Kafir corn with either alfalfa hay, soy beans, or skim milk, they have a keff^Y for every feed. ^This lacfi£1W'£ ®/-o? (flesh and blood forming' materia^* Snd——8XGS3S ~QL starch and other heating substances makes Kafir corn an undesirable feed to be given alone, but combined with the other drought-resisting feeds—alf alfa and soy beans—makes a ration containing all the material in proper proportions needed for meat and milk production and the growth of young stock. Kafir corn is a very constipating feed, qnd for this reason, when fed alone to either horses, cattle, or hogs, induces an unhealthful condition. Fed with other constipating feeds, such as prairie or timothy hays or corn fodder, the condition is made worse. On the other hand, alfalfa and soy beans are laxative feeds, and either fed with Kafir corn secures a healthful condi tion of the animal, as shown by the glossy hair, oily skin, good appetite, and good returns. The first actual returns or statistics for the twelfth census are now com ing in to the Census office. They re late to cranberry culture and give the acreage, tenure, quantity of fruit pro duced, cost of labor and fertilizers, area of new plantings, value of crop and losses from disease, insects and other natural causes for each bog or plantation. In January, 1900, prelim inary schedules relating to the cran berry yield of 1899 were sent out to all the growers whose names and ad dresses could be obtained. Each blank was accompanied by a list of the growers, so far as ascertained, in the vicinity of the person addressed, to be oy him corrected and returned to the Census office. To any additional grow ers whose names were thus secured, schedules were forwarded by return mail, and many have already made their reports. Clover for Sheep.—Ciover is a very good feed for sheep, as it contains the nitrogenous elements necessary for the making of wool, lean meat and the de velopment of the lamb still unborn. The shepherd that has a bountiful sup ply of clover is well provided with , a food that will put the Hock in the best I of condition. Watering the Cow. (Condensed from Farmers’ Review i Stenographic Report of Wisconsin Dairy- / men’s Convention.) B. C. Bennett of Iowa spoke on how to water the cow. He told o( hla ar rangements (or watering his cows summer and winter. The milk of the cow is more than three-fourths water, and for each quart'of milk she gives she must take in more than a gallon of water, and the cow must thus have a large supply of water; and if farm ers in winter give their cows ice water they must not be surprised if the cows will not drink all the water they need and thus shrink In their milk. He had found that artificial ponds are not good for stock watering, and the man that has such a pond should fence it in. It has been proved that a cow will walk right through a cold, clear stream and come to the water tank filled with water warmed by the sun, showing that cows prefer warm water but not impure water. Q.—Do you think that it will pay the ordinary farmer or even the dairy man with twelve to twenty cows to put in arrangements for watering in his barn and warming the water? Mr. Bennett—Yes; because if the cat tle go to the icy brook in the winter we all know, the .results. I used ,to lose much milk by reason of my cows having to go out in the cold to drink, though they drank from the tank in the yard»and the yard Is protected. Q.—Will cows fed on silage need as much water as cows fed on other kinds of feed. Mr. Bennet—No, for the silage con tains a good deal of water. Q.—How many times a day would you water the cows? Mr. Bennet—The cow is a creature of habit, and will adapt herself to dif ferent methods. I have watched a cow and know that naturally she drinks after each meal; but she can be taught to drink only once a day. H. C. Adams—I think that it is a good thing to give warm water to the cows in winter, as they drink more that way. For twelve years I gave my cows warm water, heated to 98 de grees, and each cow would drink from four to six pails of water. Mr. De Land—I practice heating the water to 60 degrees. •' I Ihla Little Pig Came Home. A New Jersey fanner tells this re markable story to the Evangelist, and vouches for Its'truth: “I had more pigs than I wanted to keep, so I sold one to a man living in the neighbor ing village. The little pig had been living in the pen with h& brothers and sisters, and had never been outside of it until the man who bought him put him in a basket, tied down the cover and put it in his wagon to carry to the new home. Late in the afternoon the farmer who sold it saw something coming across the swamp'y meadow below his home. He watched it strug gling through the wet places, climb- f ing the knolls, until he could see that h it was his little pig, all covered with mud and very tired. He went straight toward the barn, against which was the only home he recognized. • The money was returned to the man who had bought it, and the little pig stayed at home." Snbaolllng. What is known as subsoiling is plowing the earth below the depth at which it is usually plowed. Where plowing has been generally but ten Inches deep the soil below is the sub soil. This may not be a scientific way of speaking of it, but it is the popular way. There is a difference between surface plowing and subsoiling, in that the surface soil is turned upside down, while the subsoil is stirred by the sub soiler without being brought to the surface. Subsoiling makes more room f6t tbs development of the roots, and enables the plant to extract food and moisture from a greater area. In ad dition the capacity for absorbing and retaining moisture is increased. Dur ing the heavy fall of moisture in win ter and spring the ground thus obtains and holds for future use a greater sup ply. _ Our Cheese Exports.—The United States has been trying hard to get some better hold of the European and especially the English market for a number of years. There was a time when the cheesemakers of the United States had a big trade in England, but it gradually disappeared with the ad vent in the United States of the process of making filled cheese. For the past four years the figures for our export of cheese to Great Britain are as fol lows: 1896, 681,000 cwt.; 1897, 631,000 Cwt.; 1898, 486,000 cwt.; 1899, 590,000 cwt. It should be remarked that the cheesemakers of this country made a gain last year of 105,000 cwt. exported to Great Britain, while the Canadians lost 95,000 cwt. in their export trade. A Suspicious Accident.—^. Chicago manufacturer of oleomargarine shipped a good deal of that product into New York state. 'He was promptly prose cuted and fines aggregating over fl, 000,000 were placed on court records against him. The evidence was con tained in the bills of lading of a cer tain large railroad. Now, the railroad informs the attorney-general of New York that it thought that the cases were settled and so destroyed all the bills of lading. The state therefore is left without evidence. Dangerous Butter Colors.—Reports from Montrose, S. D., say that a child of Christopher Myers recently died there from drinking butter color. The bottle was left within reach, and the child got hold of it and drank some. A physician was called, but the child expired in great agony. Some of the cheaper butter colors contain arsenic, but are represented by the companies | that make them as being harmless.