Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-10
AGRICULTURAL.
MATTER PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR
THR RECORD UNION"
The Farmers and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
son Of Milk-Ths Second Crop
The weather-Etc.

The farmers of this State, and we may add
of the United States, have been talking CO.
operation and combination for the purposes
of mutual assistance aud the more efiectually
to resist the encroachments of other classes
upon their business interests in various ways
They have only talked. In behalf OF these
interests let US inquire what these encvoach-
ments are. and in what manner they are
principally brought about. When we have
settled upon these preliminary considerations
it will be in time 70 look for the remedy or
remedies. Our inquiries viii be directed
chiefly TO the business conditions that affect
the farmers interests in California In the
early days of agricultural production in this
State the mining sections were the principal
markets for whatever was produced on the
farm. In those days mining was very
general and prosperous business, and the
miners were an independent and generous
people. They bought freely, and were willing
to pay literally for all the farmers sent up to
them in the way of food from the valleys.
Transportation from the places of supply to the
places of consumption in those days was
owned and driven by an open-handed. gener-
Gus class of people, who were friendly with
both the miners and farmers, and who were
never happier than when they saw their
patrons, both in the mountains and the val.
leys, doing we'll. The rule cheerfully
adopted and maintained st that time by and
between ali classes-the producers or farm
ers, the traders, the teamsters, and the
miners or consuraers-wss to live and let
live," or "a do unto others as We would that
Others should do unto you. At that time
there was no systematized form Of combina-
ton or cooperation by any class in the COM
munity. All were sharing iurt division of
the profits of business. and al were happy
aud contented with the situation. We speak
now with especial reference to the business
relations of the producers, consumers, trans
porters and dealers 10 California products,
the business interests sill OF which were
within the State and controlled by Califor-
mans. But Cslifsrnians produced at
that time bat comparatively small portion
of the articles consumed by the people. The
tools and machinery used by the farmers and
miners, and many articles OF food consumed
alike by all classes, and all the wearing
apparel Of every class, were imported from
other States and countries. In this direction
the business relations Of those interested
were not maintained on so high standard
of Inorality-the golden rule was not here SO
generously and strictly maintained. In the
very earliest days of CALIFORNIA; his
tory we began to hear of the combi-
nation of steamship lines engaged in the
business Of transporting people and goods
to and from California. The railroad across
the Isthmus became monopoly more greedy |
and exacting than was known In any other
part of the world Owners of clipper ships |
engaged in the California trade between |!
California and European and Eastern ports, |
soon were combined 20 pat up freights. |
Merchants engaged in importing goods to |
California were not satisfied with legitimate |
modes Of conducting business and legitimate |
profits, but taking advantage of the isolated |,
position Of this comm unity, combined to put |
up prices generally, and to create corners on |
every article which, from circumstances, |
came into special demand on this coast. The |
city CT San Francisco, as municipality, |
taking advantage of her commercial situa- |
ton, holding the key to the trade between |
this State and all other parts Of the |
world, exacted unheard-of and unprece-
dented contributions from such trade, in |
the form of licensed pilots of the |
port, dock and wharfage dues, and |
every other conceivable means of taxation |
that the ingenuity of her government |
officials could invent to make commerce pay |
tribute to the city treasury. California was |
the great gold producer OF the world. and
business men everywhere and in all channels
of trade seemed bent on securing the largest |
e tad tha
greed Of tine business world and sharpened |
the ingenuities Of men to invent means Of
accommodating money. California has been |
the mother of more combinations, corpora |
tions and monopolies and has produced more |
millionaires than any other State of equal |
size in the world. Every business Of any |
importance in the State is principally repre- |
sented and conducted through corporations.
In the early days the freighting and pas
senger business on the nayigable waters of |
the State was all united and concentrated in |
one Incorporated eompany-the California
Steam Navigation Company-and since that |
day this entire business has been controlled |
by that company and its successors, being |
able by its power and influence to keep off all |
opposition and maintain monopoly OF the |
trade and prices. Almost the entire staging |
business Of the State was also combined in |
the hands Of the California Stage Company, |
which also controlled the inland travel by |
land. and dictated prices on every line Of
travel. Though these old comp inies have |
nominally gone-out Of existence. the business
originally done by them-augmented more
than an hundred folds now done prac-
tically by one corporation or company. |
The banking business Of the State is nearly
all done by corporations formed under |
State laws, and controlling to great |
extent the capital of the State, and |
regulating the interest on money and deter |
mining the character Of property securities. |
The insurance business, both life and fire, is |
done through the medium of corporations, |
which through combination OF companies |
dictates the rates of insurance with an arbi. |
trary hand. The importers of agricultural |
implements secure monopolies in their busi- |
ness by contracting with Eastern manufsct- |
urers for the exclusive control of certain |
leading machines and implements. Commits |
sion merchants and dealers in farm produce |
form themselves into produce and stock ex- |
changes for the purpose Of securing monop- |
oily Of commercial knowledge, thus enabling |
them to dictate prices and control the move |
ments of sill the farmers produce; making |
this produce the basis OF gambling operations
through which they propose to sell the same
over . dozen times and make as many com.
missions, eventually all to come out of the
gaining the advantages Of combination with
commission merchants and exporters of
wheat to put down prices while this grain is
in the hands Of the producers and
to put them up as sooH as it
has passed into other hands, COM
bine again to put up the prices of bran, mid
dlings and other offsl of the grain which goes
back again as feed for stock to the farmers.
Even the fruit csuneries, which have come
into existence with SO many professions of
goodwill towards fruit growers, combine to
put down prices of green fruit and to put up
prices Of their canned goods. Gold mining,
which in early days was conducted by whole
souled and liberal-hearted individual laborers,
those early and best friends of the farmers,
has passed out Of the hands Of these individu-
ais and is now conducted by incorporated
companies, which not only join in the general
disposition of organized combinations to depre-
ciate the prices of farm products, but some Of
which claim the right to, and are actually
enoapad in sandinu the dahris Of tha mines