The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-01-05
of fear. "Choose you this day which

ises but all are broken. God is the
All are his children. His
system Of economics requires the
Fatherhood of G0d and brotherhood
of man. This is the system we must
look for. This is the one I have sought
and found. Ch~rystaliEed into law
will make this earth a garden of Eden
heaven below. Let US drink from
His fountain and praise God from
whom all blessings flow.
Competition is forcing our farm pro
ducts down. In 1865-'67, the price Of
farm produce was $50 per cent. more
than it is now. There were but few
combines to rob US; the factories ran
three hundred days in the year and
labor was steadily employed. In 1880
the price of farm produce had declined
over 6 per cent. The manufacturers
ran, on an average, 1876 days in the
year, a reduction in time Of 165 days.
In the came ratio that the farm pro-
duce declined, because Of competition,
the net proceeds of every other indus
try declined. Increase consumption
and you will increase production; in
crease production and you will increase
the net proceeds of every production
and distribution class. Hence, the
manufacturers are as much interested
in receiving good prices as the
farmers are themselves. In no other
way can the manufacturers and their
laborers increase their net proceeds.
The ~exportable farm products are
the stable products of this country,
and the price received for them deter
mines the profits of the farmer, and
the profits of the farmer determines
the profit of every other producing
and distributing claes.
Continue the competition system and
every industry is doomed. Co opera
tion must take the place Of competi-
ton. This must be done speedily. The
rapid increase of cheaper labor, with
labor saving machinery is increasing
this oppressive competition. We must
establish an American system. 1t
must be in the interest Of a true civil
ization. America must control the
fiscal policy of the world. Wages and
prices must go up until every class
can command the dollar to distribute
all we can produce. Each class must
be able to fix wages and prices at their
end of the line and exchanges made in
equity. We must, as a nation, fix the
price at one end of the line the surplus
we have for exchange, and let other
countries fix a price at the other end
in exchange that will correspond with
ours. America can control the fiscal
policy of the world.
The watchword of every productive
class must be "CombineI' Co operate !
Co operate! Lift yourselves up where
you can price your labor and products,
but pull no class down. Combines
were forced into existence by the
money combine. It was oppressive
competition, arising from falling mar
kets, that forced them to stop compe-
tition, combine and fix prices. This
was the only plan by which they could
escape ruinous competition. They CO
operate and fix prices, notwithstand-
ing their ability to produce twice as
much as they can sell under the pres
ent economical system. AS the manu-
facturers have escaped sharp compe
tition and al control their surplus
by combining, sc the farmers must
turn to each other, combine, get con.
troll of the money, fix prices, hold their
surplus and sell as there is a demand.
The combines have blazed the way
and the farmers must follow suit.
When the farmers combine, the CO
operative system will be complete, and
each class producing will be able to
price their products, hold their sur.
plus and sell as there is a demand at
prices that will secure the dollars to
every industry on full time.
The farmer subj sted to a cheap and
ever increasing competition Gees the
price of his products fixed at each end
of the line, this product tossed up and
down, his stable products made the
foot ball for artificial combines, specu-
lators and gamblers. Because of the
inability of the farmer to co operate,
and price their products, they are
robbed at one end of the line and the
consumer at the other. When the
farmers have learned the lesson taught
by the manufacturers and place them
selves where the manufacturers are.
the farmers and consumers will no
loUger be robbed by artificial combines