The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-06-13
Meeting of the Farmers, Club

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The sandusky County Farmers Club met
at the Court House, at o'clock P. NJ. on Sat
nrday last, A. R. Ferguson in the chair. The
minutes Of previous meeting were read and
adopted. The Secretary then read letter
from Washington in regard to Agricultural
Reports. He also stated that the Committee
on Resolutions had forwarded tho same to the
Agricultural Congress, and reply might be
expected in about week. On motion the
committee was discharged.
!. The club then entered upon the discussion
OF the question, ,''What is the object, and what
are the duties of Farmers Club?"
Mr.. Fitch said there was no use in Farm
ers' Club without an object, and if there is a
class of people in the world that need to 90 to
work for their own interest it is the farmers.
Every other branch of business has its organi-
cations, its rings; but farmers, who constitute
the foundation, the root and branch of our
Government, are not organized And yet he
thought the object of these Farmers Clubs
should not be to strike down all other clubs
and rings. What we want now is organization
and perseverance in it until the whole farming
community is one vast organized body. Then
we can accomplish something We are not
yet prepared to compete with these other or
ganizations and rings, these trade unions and
mechanics associations; and we might just as
well go to law with the Boss of the Bottomless
Pit as with railroad company.
B. w. Lewis said that no one object alone
should attract our attention. We want to ex-
change views in regard to agriculture, but
that is the least of our work. We should seek
mainly the protection Of farmers against other
opposing organizations. All other classes, even
preachers, are organizing for the protection
OF their interests. They all set their prices
and the farmers submit to them; do not
blame these other classes for their acts, but 1
blame farmers for submitting to them. Let
farmers learn lesson from them, and unite
for their own interests. There are enough
here to-day if united to save 25 per cent in
the shipment of grain. One man cannot do
these things alone; organization does the busi-
ness. You know how it is in politics. No
man can go to Congress unless he is rich
enough to pay his way there, and is able to
steal enough to pay his way home. Farmers
are the great producing class of our country,
and are most deserving of protection. The
profits from the sale of grain, wool and live
stock, should go into the pockets of the farm
ers instead of tho middIemen. Why is the
price Of wheat at Clyde Usually from to 10
cents per bushel more than here2 In shipping
to New York why is it cheaper to ship first
to Toledo2 There is something wrong A
lawyer told me the other day that ''farmers
have the power to remedy these matters but
they are such id fools they don't improve
it, In buying sewing machines they give
the agent profit of thirty or forty dollars;
on threshiDg machine from one to tRo hun
dred dollars; and ON reaper and mower from
forty to fifty dollars. This is the result of
combination on the part of manufacturers,
and want of it on the part of farmers. He
was agent for the first sewing machine patent
ed in the United States, and went to. Clevc-
land for the patent. He sold the machines in
Lucas county for twenty-five dollars, and
made over ten dollars on each one. Agents
now get machines for s25 or $50 and sell them
at S65 and 500, and we pay them the profit.
| Thousands of dollars were paid for patents
last winter, but it all comes out of the farmers
at last You ask, what can we do2 Nothing,
/ if we lie on our backs. Let us rise en- masse.
We have power that will be felt all over
this country if we combine. The great object
Of this club is combination. What is the use
to talk so much about farming if we get moth
ing for it? In many places farmers ara build
ing warehouses and shipping their own grain,
each bearing his share Of the gains and losses.
We are occasionally swindled by our milIers.
We take ten bushels to mill and sometimes
| get only eight. No wonder milIers have fat
pigs. We may think wlRen we get 81 90 for
our wheat we are doing well, but perhaps the
very man who buys our wheat makes so cts
per busheI. The country is full of runners,
and they get good wages. Who pays them?
Farmers foot all the bills. Merchants should
have fair profits admit; but think we should
not be obliged to pay for their runners, sal
ary of $1,000 year, and have the goods
marked up to meet that expense. Our Legis-
lators have also proved untrue. They have
been bought to work against us. We must
organize. remember when a certain organ
ization only numbered 900 in the State of
Ohio, but it has since grown and carried the
State. We can adopt such measures here now
as will drive at least half the peddlers from
our midst.
N. R. Tucker said this is one of the most
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oppose organizations such as National Banks,
Railroad companies, or any class of men or
ganized to take advantage of the rest. But
in his estimation the time has come for farm
ers 10 organize for self defence. This club
numbers only fifty when we fhould have 500; |
club in every township, meeting every two
weeks. We should be more sociable, get ae-
quainted, enter into each others sympsthies,
and lay aside ali little differences on minor |
points. Take lesson of blacksmiths. See |
how they have run up prices by cooperation.
Horse-shoeing costs double what it did for
merly. The same is true of butchers. Beef
is retailed here at higher rate than in Buf-
falo. do not complain of these men, nor of
all middlemeD; but we don't want to be at
the mercy of these fellows. Some middlemen
are necessary, but very many of them are
superHuOus. Patent right men are not neces-
sary. A good thing will show for itself I
am in favor of merchants buying our grain
here at Fremont. We need them Just as much
as we do the farmers. The merchants have
TO contend with the combinations of railroads
and must make allowance for losses and ex-
orbitant prices. Now if we work in harmony
with our merchants we may do something
with the railroads. Some say capitalists con-
troll the world, but don't believe it. The
time is coming when Farmers Clubs will be-
come 50 powerful that perhaps several other
organizations viii be obliged to unite to check
them. Railroads now are rich and powerful.
They furnish free tickets to Congressman and
others to get their sympathy and votes in case
of need. We should never vote for any that
can be bought in this way against our inter- ]
ests. There are now 26OO Farmers Clubs in
the United States, and our case is hopeful. +
]. R. Francisco said he had been much en-. I
tertalned by what had been said. Many farm ]
ers would go to the polls and vote right {
against their own interests. We should be O
governed by principle, be united aud work TO- '