The advocate., 1894-03-21

farmer buys his own farm machinery;
that's dead money most Of the year,
and he hasn't capital enough to get
steam ploWs and all that. Every one
of 'em raises the same crops without
knowing how much of anything is GO
ing to be needed, and without regard
to whether his lands best for this or
that kind of crop. He can't keep
posted on what the set of men that
fixes prices for him is up to. Now,
suppose all the farmers in this state
were to organize an agricultural trust,
each man to be allowed so much an
acre for the use of his land and an
equal share of the profits. The whole
state outside the towns would be one
great big farm under one management.
The trust buys steam ploWS and other
improved farm machinery for the use
of all; puts up elevators wherever they
are needed and runs tracks out into
the country near all the farms so as to
get the crops to market easily; puts up
some first-Class mills so that no wheat
would be sold, but it would all be
ground into flour right here. This
trust could have experts to say which
land would be best for this and that
crop, which lands would be better for
pasture, and so on, and how much of
each thing should be raised. 1t would
be the business OF these experts to
study carefully the statistics of prOduc-
tiOn and exchange so as to avoid rails
ing things that would not be needed or
more of anything than would likely be
needed They would have some farm
ers raising sheep, some hogs, some cat
tie, some poultry, some wheat, and
some corn. Big trust creameries would
make all the butter; trust canneries
would put up all the fruit; trust tan
neries would tan hides into leather;
a trust packing house would put up
meats. Trust WoOlen mills and other
mills would make up the wool
and the flax; trust shops and fac
tories would make up the leather
into shoes and harness. Then the
trust managers would take all the sur
plus things raised or made by the trust
and send them to market to be eX-
changed for coffee and other things not
raised or made at home, and would set
up stores at convenient points. Every
body that worked on the farms, or in
the creameries, or in the mills, the
shops, or the factories, including farm
ers' wives, sons and daughters and the
farmers themselves, would be allowed
so much for wages to be credited on
the trusts books every day, or to be
paid in trust tickets, and the rent of
the land would be credited or paid in
the same way; and for these credits or
for these tickets everything anyone
wanted could be had at the trust
stores. If anyone wanted some par
ticular thing-sOme book, or some odd
kind of dress, or anything not already
on hand-the trust could order it and
charge it up. There would be no
earthly use for a cent of money, eX-
cept for taxes, which they would soon
stop paying, and to pay debts preVi-
Ously owned by farmers, and the trust
could easily get the money for them.
Once or twice a year the trust books
could be balanced, and everyone that
had worked would be credited with his
share of the profits after everything,
including wages and rent, had been
paid, and this share Of profits would
be credited to each one and he could
do what he pleased with it; and wives,
sons and daughters-eVen the children
who worked would have their own
accounts and not be dependent on the
old man. These credits on the trusts
books, or their tickets would be good
as cash anywhere, for they would rep.
resent everything anybody could need
from chicken to diamond necklace.
"Wouldn't farmers be better off this
way? They wouldn't be hunting money
men any more; the money men would
have to hunt the farmers and join their
trust and go to work like honest men,