Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-10-31

| rope, with a soil as productive as the soil of
the Nile, farming in the Mississippi valley as
! a business is becoming less profitable than
in any other country of the civilized world. "
| The speaker then detailed how, in his
! estimation, prices could be controlled, the
| plan being organizations similar to those of
| manufacturers who control production and
| regulate the output in the public markets.
| ''The miller5 and the packing houses at the
| great distribution points of this country will
| offer no greater price than is necessary to
| bring on the market a supply said the
! speaker; "they make a bid and the offer is
| sent out in the shape of market reports; il
| the bid is accepted, and we send them our
produce, the contract is complete, and we
have no right to complain; the remedy is at
hand, and if we fail to apply it we must ex-
pect to suffer-"
Attention was then paid to the dominating
influences of Liverpool in the wheat market,
the reflex of which was the st. Louis, New
York and Chicago markets. He then said:
sit is an easy matter for millers or packing
houses to respectfully form trusts and fix
the price to sell; but it is not practicable to
create a community of interests strong
enough to maintain a fixed price to buy, for
the reason that every body may become buy
ers and spectators in farm products, and
you can not make a combination with every
body. The testimony taken by the United
States Senate investigating committee cor
roborates the theory that it is an unre-
strained supply and not a combine that is
the cause of the evil of low prices.
'There is no direct evidence to support the
charge of a beef and hog combine, while
nearly every witness called before this COM
mittee has testified that there was no COM
petition. One of the inevitable laws of sup
ply and demand, when left to confront each
other without restraint in the open markets,
is to lower the price until the supply is wiped
out by diminished production; and the only
possible way now to raise the price is to
check production or restrain the supply Of
fering in the public markets.
"The proposition submitted to this conven
ton is to fix the minimum price that wheat
shall be sold for on the Chicago mar
ket. This would establish the priceless the
cost of transportation-ate every other trade
center in the Mississippi Valley. Advise
farmers not to sell for less, and to corner
this surplus of 1905 900 bushels of wheat in
our granaries and on our farms, and to no.
tify Mark Lane that it will not be sent for
ward unless there is price offered that will
justify expectation. This would bring up the
price of wheat in the home market in all ex-
porting countries with reciprocal advantage
to every Industrial interest and remove the
shaekles of slavery from the agricultural
classes of the world.'
At the conclusion of Mr.. Aliens address
Delegate Hall, of Missouri, nominated ex-
Governor Robinson of Kansas as temporary
chairman, which motion prevailed unani-
mously. The Ex-Governor, on taking the
chair, said: "The Importance of this gather
ing of agriculturists can not well be over
estimated. A revolution has taken place in
the management of all other industries,
while the farmer has remained apathetic, If
not comatose. While he has been thus ap-
parently unconscious, competition, demand
and supply have become obsolete terms in
the commercial vocabulary, and syndcates,
trusts and combinations have been substi-
tuted. By means of the latter, prices are not
only fixed on manufactures, transportation,
oil o1n 6yy hn
farmer, but also the price is set upon his own
products without regard to his wishes,
necessities or the cost of production. The
farmer has become a commercial idiot or
imbecle, with nothing whatever to say
in naming the price of what he buys or sells,
and as consequence is a prey to all other
industries, and is a bankrupt, or soon will
be, unless he shall wake up to his condi-
ton. He is raising corn, wheat, beer and
other staples at a loss from year to year"
The speaker then entered deliberately into
statistics to prove his propositions, quoting
extensively from the reports of the Agricult-
ural departments, State and National, and
concluded as follows: reorganization to the
farmer is as the shield to the Greeks; in his
hands it means victory, in other hands it
means serfdom and death. Without organ
ization the farmer is on his knees, mendi-
cant humbly asking for such pittance as
the syndicates, trusts and combinations
choose to give him, while with it he will
have omnipotent power, hold all these in
the hollow of his hand, and control in his
turn Legislatures, Congresses, courts and
Presidents, as his scepter will be the staff of
life for 60 OoO, 600 of people. Can he, will he
organize, Let this convention answer"
When Governor Robinson concluded a mo-
ton prevailed to appoint committee of
three on credentials and a like committee on
permanent organization and order of bust
ness. While these committees were out Mr..
Robert Lindblom, of Chicago, member of
the Chicago Board of Trade, was introduced
to the convention and made few remarks
of desultory character.
The committee on permanent organization
reported the following permanent officers,
who were ratified unanimously:
President-Hon. Norman j. Colman, Mis-
souri,.
Vice Observation-Disclosures N. Allen Kansas.
Secretary-Z. G. Wilson, Minnesota.
Assistant Secretary-J. P. Limeburner,
Kansas.
The credentials committee reported favor
ably upon all the delegates present and were
authorized to pass upon those arriving later.
A communication was received from the
Merchants Exchange, inviting the delegates
to visit the exchange while in session. Dele
gate Hall moved that the secretary be in
structed to thank the officers of the exchange
and accept their invitation il the opportunity
offered. He also offered q resolution, which
was carried, inviting the grain commission
men to visit the convention during its ses-
sion, which was carried.
JOIN. j. Lamm, of Missouri, moved the ap
pointment of committee on resolutions
consisting of one delegate from each State