Litchfield enquirer., 1873-02-06
Farmers Reuuion.

! Julius Demlng, 5. b. Johnson, T. h Sedgwick. from Litchfeld Seth Holliste from Woodbury Alonzo Whiting, 0 TOrrington and Enos Pratt, of Goshen
 Judge Catlin was nominated for Chair man and appointed. Mir. Hart was elect cd vice-President MT. s. W. Ensign, wa appointed Secretary. Mr. T. l.. Hart ex plained the call of the meeting. Favored the organization of a County Farmers Club by appointment of President, Vice President, and Secretary. On enquiry Mir. Hart explained that the design of the organization was for cooperation and tc see that we were not victimized. He re ferred to the rise of the Illinois farmers tt secure low fares, and referred to the ''stol of'' charge of $15 by the Housatonie railroad, on each carload of grain. NIT. Hart was nominated as president, and tried to decline, but the chairman and others objected and he was appointed. MT Alonzo Whiting, of Torrington, was appointed vice president, and G. A. Kick OK, Secretary.
 Mr. Hart then spoke of the extortions of the New York middlemen of the pro- ducer and of the consumer A company has been formed to control the New York milk delivery. They have raised about $1O1,OOO. Agents are collecting snb- scriptiOns for their company. Mr. Hart thought farmers could cooperate and ob- tain cheap corn from the West. Farmers don't combine. They simply growl about the low price of produce and the high price of articles they must buy. The Massachusetts farmers combined and broke down the Boston milk dealers and the thing can be done in New York There is no difficulty in doing this if we organize. We are are now at the mercy of those middlemen. These men had meeting last summer and resolved to give but two cents quart for milk. ANermont farmer managed to get into this meeting and exposed its proceedings. MT. Hart avered that the real cost of transportation of corn from the West is not over six cents a bushel whereas railroads now charge 60 cents. Western farmers are now using their corn for fuel while we are paying S5 cents.
 Mir L. F. Scott said Western men who are now getting but 20 cents bushel and cannot live, are moving for relief. He believed in forming town and county clubs; that in time they could do some thing. Everybody else formed ''rings" and it is time we had combined. too.
 Mir. Whiting stated that little milk was being sent on the Naugatuck. The agent of that road promises to furnish ice free. Competition has reduced our railroad freights.
 Hon. Earle Buckingham thought farm CTS could not be got to combine. At least, such was the case in Washington.
 ar. Hart said that farm laborers knew how to combine. He thought farmers could combine to control that. The labor question is what comes home to every farmer
 MT. Buckingham thought the labor question the keynote of the farmers diff fculty. But as long as the railroads and the West were demanding such an amount of labor we can not control it.
 MT. Scott thought that if we could have lower railroad freights they would stop building them and we could get all the work we want.
 Mir. Hart thought that by cooperation farmers could get cheap labor from Eng land
 Mr. Scott said the English can't get up m the morning; Swedes do the most work; the English do the best work.
 MT. Hart said four or five English girls had come into West Cornwall families and were very much liked.
 Mir. William L. Burgess. thought we were paying more for labor in this coun- ty than in adjoining sections of the coun- try.
 Judge Catlin suggested the formation of local farmers clubs to see to the railroad charges which were now so high. They had the power and it might be best to combine for using it.
 Mir. T. s. Gold thought the way to make farms pay was to make them pro- duce enough to pay for labor. Farms should be improved. Domestic labor he considered higher paid, in proportion, than outdoor labor. Thought farmers wives and daughters must be more ready to do their own work. Believed in the establishment of Farmers clubs, more for mutual instruction, he thought, however, than for cooperation which was difficult matter.
 A letter from MT. F. R. Starr, President of the County Society, was read regrettins he could not be present.
 MT. Buckingham said the trouble wa. to know what we could do that woult pay. Mir. Adams asked if there were no more wealthy farmers now than former ly. Mr. B. replied that that might be but that they were not making none, now.
 Mir. Levi Wilson told his experience il , Wisconsin and in Bethlehem. He coul, cultivate forty acres of corn easier ther than nine here. In reply to MT. Gold h said his corn in Wisconsin delivered min miles only cost him 122 cents bushe] The great trouble was in high railroa charges.
 NIT. Seth Hollister said that there ha been great change against farmers. Me r who bought farms and borrowed none
 to do it are now in great difficulty. Gay
 hls experience with these difficulties
 Butter and cheese were paying low pro it. Fatting calves was profitable but ( course only limited number could CT