The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-02
Tells Z Few Chapters From His
Experience in Organ
ixing
The Farmers Into Alliances for
Protection Against the
Robbers
How aOapitaliatio Newspaper Mis-
reuresented q Friend Of
Labor.
Editor Labor ENQUIRER.

4 \ :
Editor Labor Enquirer.
FoRT COLLINS, Colo, Jan. M-I haye
been 80 busy among the farmers organ
izing them against extortion since /
saw you in Denver that I have not had
an opportunity to write. Nor have I
time now to tell you the one-tenth Of
what has been done here during the past
two months war between farmers and
millers. Suffice it to say that the present
struggle resembles others of like nature
that have gone before, A few earnest
and true in the front rank, bearing all
the blows, bufets and abuse Of our OPP
pressors the many standing sullenly BY
apparently anxious to do something but
still afraid to assert the dignity Of man
hood and strike blow for the right.
And am sorry to say, we have our full
share Of the ever-plentiful toadstool that
looms up on all such occasions to blast
and blight the councils, plans and aims
of those who are trying to do something
practical.
You are no doubt able to tell how the
battle progresses by reading the Rocky
Mountain News. AS soon as its patrons
are worsted it spews out torrent of
SANDER on the opposition. So long as
there was question whether ! could
succeed in organizing the farmers-the
News acted quite fair to both sides--or
rather it would not condescend to notice
a common creature like me.
But when it became apparent that
| had the farmers organized, and when
we met the millers and publicly defeated
them, the Rocky Mountain News turned
upon me with vile and wanton SANDER,
every word Of which it knew to be false.
! In its issue of Sunday, January 13, it
tells its unfortunate readers that Joe
Murray, of Fort Collins, was arrested for
drunkenness and disorderly conduct on
Friday, II, and that Judge Mullahay
fined him $25 and costs, etc., etc. You
know / was not in Denver since early in
December, and all who know me know
that / have not tasted any kind ofintox-
icatlng drinks in twenty-five years.
AS am personally known to Judge.
Mullahey, ! am at a loss to know how it
happens that he allows such story to
emanate from his court-or am correct
in believing that the judge reports the
proceedings of his court for the newspa-
persP 1.-THE News has since retracted all
it said on this guestion.-ED.] / s...4<f:.
was county assessor in Larimer
county in 1877, and found that about
tenth of all the farms in the county
were mortgaged. At present it is safe to
say that fully nine-tenths of the same
farms are mortgaged. While we have
been building large canals, costing in the
aggregate hundreds of thousands Of dol
lars, and opening up new farms, and inn
proving them, the newspapers have been
booming things with vengeance. But
away behind all this lies the notes and
trust deeds and and chattel mortgages at
an annual interest Of Is per cent. Our
farmers cannot meet their obligations.
I know men here who have cultivated
100, 200, and up as high as 500 acres of
first-class land-the crops of which are
superior in quantity and quality to the
\ crops of any state in the union-and yet
| these men cannot pay their running ex-
penses. And should any one ask the
reason will tell him it is because, prin-
\ cipally, the millers of the state-but
more particularly Of Denver-refuse to
pay fair price for our wheat. .t
Farmers generally are called upon to
pay for the years supplies between Octo-
ber l and January /, every year. The
miliers knowing this, put the price Of
wheat down as low as possible at the
very time they know the farmer is
obliged to sell.
AS soon as the wheat changes hands
! it is discovered that it is about twice as
j valuable as it was while controlled by
the men whose toll and time created it.
/ The prices are doubled and the, miller
grows rich by the advance in price while
the farmer grows poorer and poorer un-
til at last in old age he is thrown out of
his home-as two of my neighbors were
served last week. . az. A.. a.
This year the wheat crop of the world
was found to be short, and prices went
higher than usual. Il
| But the millers of Colorado deter
mined to ignore the fact of a deficit, and
ran wheat lower than it has been since
1875. ,.l. .0 3.
Wheat in Chicago was worth 81 80 and
-four sold for 81. Wheat in Denver was
down to S1.25 and -four sold for 81. In
4 Fort Collins wheat was down to $1.05
: and -four sold for 81. "A
reasoned it out that the difference
between the prices in Colorado and Chi.
cago was all in favor of the Colorado
millers.
1 called meetings, organized The farm
era and gained about 5 cents week on
: wheat ever since we gave our millers to
) understand that we meant business.
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