St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-24
FEDERATED FARMERS.
They Propose to Regulate Prices
of Their Products.


ST. LOUIS, Oct. 23.-The wheat
growers of the Mississippi valley as
sembled in convention at Central Turn
er hall in this city to-day to organize
for future action. Walter n. Allen,
president of the Farmers Federation,
called the convention to order and
made quite long speech. He
said il was the first meet
ing of the kind ever held on
this continent, we are not here. he said.
for the purpose of denOuncing trusts
and combines. but to meet the issue of
new systems and conditions in trade.
Realizing our individual feebleness and
the great Importance of unity of action
as class, we have been called together
to consider the proposition to delegate
to a power of our own creation the eX-
elusive right to market the product of
our farms and to take such measures as
will afford present relief and future pro
lection to the agricultural interests
of the Mississippi valley. The
farmer is the only producer who sends
an over-supply of his wares to market
f6sbe s0rd by some Urg else alid. like the
goods of the .bapEEapt,, at some one
else's prices: and when he. dares COM
plain of the sacrifice, the answer of the
master is reproduction" Over pro-
duction cannot, in justice, be wealth for
the nation and simply for the producer.
Ii farmers would organize, like manu-
facturers. to control production and
regulate the output in the public
market. they could. in common
with all producers, set the price
on their own products irres-
pective of overproductiOn or the power
af hn
avoidable tendency of the present eS-
tablished trade system is to bring the
price down to the lowest limit at which
food supply can be produced under
the most favorable conditions of soil,
season and climate. Now. In order to
avert impending ruin, we must reverse
this order by substituting new sys-
ten, fixing the price of farm prOductsat
the cost of production ON lands that
produce only thirty-fOld. This will
restore the natural law of eX-
change with equal and exact justice
to all. In other words, the difference
between the present trade structure and
the system proposed is. the one tends to
the minimum price that food supply
can be obtained without checking pro-
ductiOn. while the other seeks the maxi
mum that food supply can be sold at
power to establish the value Of one
bushel of American wheat and one bar
rel of mess pork can control the mar
kets of the world. This power is to be
found in the centralized agency
of the federated farmers of the
Mississippi valley, company
legally chartered, with capital stock of
$40, 900, and, as your servant, this
company awaits your bidding to enter
upon its work of redemption. EX-GOv.
Charles Robinson, of Kansas, was made
temporary chairman. and he addressed
the convention. strongly urging unity of
action and organization of the farmers
throughout the grain growing state.
Hon. Norman J.COleman, eX-seeretary of
agriculture, was made permanent chair
man; Walter N. Allen, of Kansas, vice
president; E. Wilson, of Minnesota,
secretary. and j. p. Limeburner, of
Kansas, assistant secretary. Robert
Lindbl0om, of Chicago, spoke briefly to
the delegates, stating that he sympa-
thiZed with them in their cause. which
he thought was good one. A commit
tee on resolutions was appointed, to
which all resolutions are to be referred
without debate, and the convention then
adjourned until tomorrow morning.