The advocate., 1891-07-22
THE COMING STATE MEETING.
the EDITOR OF THE ADVOCATE:


lions have agreed upon state meeting,
behooyes those who are interested to Us
their efforts to make this the largest ant
most successful commercial convention
ever held in Kansas. We must aCknowl
edge that the day Of individual effort is rap
idly drawing to a close, and thetime is nea
at hand when great commercial enterprise
must be carried on by united efforts alont
the line Of cooperation. Already the rail
ways, steamboat lines, telegraph lines, min
ing and manufacturing corporations anC
hundreds of other gigantic enterprises have
passed beyond the control of individual Of
fort. The smaller enterprises are being
rapidly centralized into few large Compa.
nies, and when such power falls into thG
hands of few unscrupulOus persons whose
position is not dependent upon the people
they become instruments Of oppression
equal to that of the mOnarChies where the
ruler is absolute dictator and not response
BILE to his subjects, who have no power but
10 obey. Il is only question Of time
when we must control these numerous cor
porations or they will control the people,
and by education and perseverance, on the
part OF the people they can in short time
control the business and commercial enter
prises as we'll as the politics of the country.
Sometimes we think that we are called
upon to spend too much time and money by
holdingtoO many meetings, but when we
look over the work of the past year and find
the great amount Of money that has been
saved we must admit that we have received
a far greater benefit from money thus ex-
pended than from any other investment.
It is not merely the reduction in the price
of what we buy that should be looked to,
but there is another question to consider;
that ia, whether the labOrer who made the
machine, or whatever it may be, was justly
rewarded for his work. Formerly we paid
$l60 for binder; now we get them for
$125. Now if the price of labor has been
reduced by the reduction and the manufao-
tuFers and dealers continue to make the
made wen they sold the machines for $l6O,
then we as farmers and laborers have gained
nothing by the fall in price, but have rather
met with loss. The laborer consumes the
produce of the farmer; the ten million ac-
tive laborers of the United States furnish
the home market of the farmers, manufac-
turers, miners, ETC., and If their
wages be good and all are employed
they will be able to buy largely Of the
farmers produce and pay large prices, but
when their wages are cut down and they are
thrown out of employment they have no
money and cannot be purchasers Of our
produce; but the higher the wages Of the
laborers the better will be the price Of our
produce, and although we must pay more for
what we buy we can we'll afford to do this,
as we are getting much better price for
what we sell, and the suplus, after our living
expenses are paid, will 60 much farther to-
wards paying debts, interest and taxes. To il
lustrate, If wehave 200 bushels wheat and sell
il for 50 per bushel, we can pay $500 for q
binder and have left $500 10 pay taxes and
interest; but if we sell the wheat for 81 per
bushel, and pay 500 for binder, we can
pay only 500 of debt and interest with the
balance. Further, if twenty men have been
manufacturing the binders, etc., and receive
each 50 per day at the end Of twenty days
they can buy the 200 bushels Of wheat at 81
per bushel, but il they have received but 81
per day they could not pay but 81 per
bushel for our wheat, 80 we see that the in
terest Of the farmers and laborers are Che
same, and there is no reason why the men,
hara nf the Kniuhka of Labor and Cikizanap