The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-01-05
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1AO E0Gu4C4S NA4Ac@4NCq LAW ~AS%@
taken the organization of a co opera
tive association, whose primary pur.
8 shall be to unite the farmers, for
mutual protection along industrial
lines, in order that we may protect
ourselves from the n~efarious method Of
doing so-called business" under the
name of trusts -" That this method
and this name is but a cloak to give
semblance of respectability to schemes
of legalized robbery, by which the pro
ducers OF the real wealth of the nation
are plundered by aud for the enrich
ment of the idlers and drones of our
social system, is too apparent to require
any attempt at logical demonstration.
We have, in various ways, mostly
temporary, done what seemed at the
time best to do, to stem the tide of the
mighty food, which seems about to
overwhelm the industrial world. Work
ing along temporary lines, cur great
est and most successful efforts have
been only temporary. If we are to
achieve permanent success, we must
adopt principles and methods which in
their practical workings, and in their
ultimate results, and effects, must
surely be permanent, effectual and con
tinuous.
The power of so called trusts lies in
compact, aggressive combination of
special interests, by which they are an
abled to fix arbitrary prices of special
products which consumers of such
product must pay. The middleman or
merchant has an interest only in the
profit which he can make in passing
the product from the producer to the
consumer. ALI profits, taxes, tariffs,
insurance, and every other expense
which enter into the cost Of production
must be paid by the consumer, conse
quently the consumer has the only real
vital interest in the cost of production,
and the men who labor without the
power to fix the price of their own
labor really pay for not only all legiti-
mate cost Of production, but all profits,
tariffs, taxes and other items of cost of
production, transportation and COM
mercial transaction under every name
and form. Therefore the farmer, be-
ing as he indisputably is, entirely I'M
able to fix the price of his products, is
the easy victim of all sorts of trusts,
combinations and syndicates, and such
he must remain to be until he can be
brought to see and under and that he
is in pos session of a hitherto unde-
veloped power, Whichproperly directed
is great enough to enable him to sue
cessfully resist the entertainments of
trusts, and to, without infringing upon
the just rights of other classes of his
fellow-men, perfectly enable him to
secure to himself a more equitable
share of that wealth which his benefi
cent toll produces.
This power lies in his inability to
combine and to cooperate in the pro
duction of such articles which are of
necessity indispensable ID the conduct
of his business as a wealth, producer,
and which il he himself does not pro-
duce, he must buy from others.
Take for instance the single item of
cotton ties. The farmers of Georgia
were robbed of over 800, 900 this year
by extortionate prices, fixes without
regard to cost of production, but to
suit the views of monopolists as to their
power to control supply and therefore
price. Now, there is no reason to sup
pose that such methods will be aban
doned so long as the farmers through
their apathy and lack of determination
to use every proper means within their
power, refuse to put themselves in a
position to eff actually compel a retreat
We must ourselves become producers
of cotton ties, as being the only con-
sumers by uniting and CO operating on
the production, we can control the
price which we must pay, and entirely
prevent other extortion.
By Incorporating and issuing shares
Of stock at say S. per share we can
make it to the interest of every farmer
to take one share for each plow run,
and thus protect all cotton raisers.
This we can do if we will. It is but in.
vesting the money in producing for
ourselves an article which to us is a
necessity. Is it not better to do this
than to go On as we are now doing, and
leave our earnings at the disposition Of
TRUSTS Now, I propose to test this
matter to ascertain whether there are
enough intelligent and manly mer
among the farmers of Georgia, who