Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 121, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1909 — Woe and Starvation Staring Poor People In the Face. [ARTICLE]

Woe and Starvation Staring Poor People In the Face.

Here is a paragraph from the Jasper County Democrat that is certainly very pitiful : “Thanksgiving this year falls on November 25, but to the average man it will make little difference when it comes, as the price of foodstuffs of all kinds is so near the sky-line that such a thing as having a real turkey for his festal hoard is not to be thought of at all. We should be thankful, however, that potatoes are cheap, and if the Giver of all good things will only send a “rabbit snow” along about the& 22d or 23d, many a poor man's table will “groan” beneath the weight of rabbit instead of the great American bird on Thanksgiving day.” In another column of the same paper we find the following about turkeys: “Thanksgiving turkeys are not going to be scarce this year, but the richly browned gobblers will be a luxury. South Water street commission men report that the farmers in all sections of the middle west states are shipping in the toothsome birds in abundance. Choice birds are now selling at 21 cents a pound wholesale, but by the time Thanksgiving day draws nearer the price likely will go up as high as 25 cents.” If all the “average” people are in such dire straits that all they can hope for is potatoes and the possibility of rabbits, we wonder where this great demand that elevates the price of turkeys comes from. We have been told by our democratic friends that the republican policies had nothing 'whatever to do with /the price of corn and wheat and hay, that these things were altogether a matter of supply and demand. And we have always agreed with them in the latter respect and have added that th,e reason the prices were high was because the demand existed during the time that a protective tariff made general employment possible. And that is 'why turkeys are high priced. There is no scarcity of turkeys, but the market is flooded with them and the demand is such that the price is high. There was a time, not many years ago, when turkeys were fed with 15 cent corn and the price was 8 cents a pound, and the “average man” passed the most unhappy Thanksgiving day of his life. Why was it? Just because American labor was idle and the Wilson bill schedules admitted the articles almost free of duty that the lowly paid factory laborers of England manufactured. Now turkeys are being fattened on 50 and - 60 cent corn and are,,selling at from 21 to 25 cents a pound and there is a great demand for them. If the “average man” is provident his table this Thanksgiving day will have an appearance that he will not be ashamed of and he can return Grace with honest reverence. Foodstuffs are high. The man that raises them is glad of it and the man who buys them is fortunate to be able to find employment that will enable him to be in the market for turkeys and trimmings. If there are any people in Jasper county who have plans for nothing more for Thanksgiving day than “potatoes” and “rabbits if it snows” The Republican will be glad t 6 investigate their case and if they are worthy we will see that they get something better. Such woeful and direful articles are really distressing and find very little sympathy fdem people who are calculated to l<jpk at things from other than a pessimistic viewpoint.