Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1900 — Hog Raising. [ARTICLE]

Hog Raising.

Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer: When we hear the hungry howl that is continually arising, like a peak of cayotes, from the papers that are supporting “benovolent assimilation” and the “benevolent trusts,” that we are immensely prosperous, just because their party is in power, one would naturally suppose it was our only duty, one and all, to lay the God of our universe to one side “until this people are once more cursed with the Democrats in power” and bow our knees and render thanks to William McKinley for the abundance of rains and bountiful crops the farmers of this nation have raised. And not only that, but he that cannot see the prosperity on every hand is certainly devoid of reason and should migrate fit once to old Mexico, where they have free silver. But hold on; let us reason together. Allow me to crack a few nuts and you chew the meat; it is healthy chewing. The statistics below are taken from the South Omaha Drover’s Journal of January 1, 1900. Statistics are sometimes very dull, bat the longer you study the following table the livelier they get, and if you will take this table, with no one else by but God Almighty and your lead pencil and spend one hour figuring out prosperity, you will be wiser in the end:

Price at S. Omaha Year. No Hogs in U. S. Per 100 lbs. 180050,635,106 $3 80 189152,398,010 4 19 1892.....46,094,807 4 81 189345,206.498 6 31 189444.165,716 4 83 189542,842,759 4 95 189640,600.276 3 21 1897..30,759,093 3 50 180838,651,63; 3 67 1800 35,500,000 3 81 Now note that 1893 was a panic year, with 10,000,000 (round numbers) more hogs than 1899, and Grover Cleveland the auctioneer, yet the farmers of this nation got on an average of $2.50 per 100 more for their hogs than they did in 1899, with 10,000,000 more of a population, not counting the-be nevolent assimilation. Now, take the 35,000,000 hogs raised and sold by- the farmers of this country, average the weight at 260 pounds and figure out the loss to the producers; and if you sold 25 hogs figure that out, and then if you can bend your knees, ask Wm. McKinley to give the farmers some more hog prosperity. Now, take the four years of Democratic free trade, and average the price of hogs, then the three years of the advance agent, and we have a differenceof $1 16 per 100 pounds in favor of free trade; just a little further: Number and price of hogs in South Omaha, 1893, 1,406,451, $6.31; 1896,1,216,370, $3.21. You see, with 190,000 less hogs in 1896 we took $3.10 per 100 pounds less for our hogs than in 1893. For. one it is something I cannot understand, and I hope some one will rise and explain. It looks to me as if there was a combination at work aad taking profits at both ends, for I don’t believe that pork to the consumer is any cheaper than in 1893. A. M. Templin. Palmer, Neb. 8. P. Thompson will sell his lands in Union township, in tracts, and on terms to suit those desiring to farm or raise stock. See or

write to

S. P. THOMPSON,

Rensselaer, Ind.