ITS CAUSE AND REMEDY 41 



with the farm, whereas they have never yet 

 properly functioned with the farm. In fact, 

 they have been a grand avenue of escape 

 for the poor farm boy from a life of slavery 

 and drudgery, and have given America a 

 grand army of business and professional 

 men. A story is told as follows by a Mr. 

 Russell Hawkins, a merchant, of the sale 

 of 100 bushels of wheat by a Dakota farmer 

 for $100 that finally reached the consumer 

 in bread for which the consumer paid 

 $749.10. The 100 bushels of wheat made 

 7491 one-pound loaves which retailed to the 

 consumer for 10 cents per loaf. The farmer 

 got 1.33 cents, the miller .66 cents, freight to 

 railroad .24 cents, baker 6.40 cents, retailer 

 1.5 cents per loaf. 



If an export bounty of $1 per bushel was 

 paid the American farmer the cost of the 

 bread would be only $849.10, or just 1.33 

 cents more per loaf, or 11.33 cents per loaf. 

 This small difference would change a deca- 

 dent agriculture to a progressive, prosper- 

 ous agriculture. 



The hundred bushels of wheat at $1 per 

 bushel in Europe would reach the consumer 

 for $200 in bread or for less than 3 cents per 

 pound loaf. The difference of cost to the 

 consumer in America is caused by tariff 

 protection. American labor is three times 

 as high as European labor in normal times 

 and city rents are just about in the same 

 proportion. The only salvation for the 



