Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-12-28
A Communication.

A Communication.
Editor Tribune:-This fall most of
the newspapers throughout the North
west were speaking about the excellent
crops in their respective localities.
What if we have good yields, and
right here we had nothing more than
an ordinary crop. We have soil that
is unsurpassed and got about IS BUSH
els on the average, but even at that
when we get only so cents per bushel
we are no better off than heretofore.
The farmers should form into a COM
bine and not sell bushel unless they
were paid somewhat reasonably, then
probably they could make both ends
meet: pay for their implements, hired
help and still have little for their
trouble.
Hired hands we're as high this fall
as though the wheat was 81 per bushel,
and it's no wonder the farmer cannot
make any Roadway, Machinery is at
the stop notch" in price, and in fact
so is everything that the farmer buys,
but if they have anything to sell they
will have to take whatever is offered
then, and even then the purchasers
think they are doing them a grand
favor for buying their products for
little and nothing. So you see how
the thing is one sided.
Tom, Dick and Harry have set the
prices on their articles and why have
not the farmers right to do so? They
have, but as you see the majority of
the farmers are in poor circumstances,
their bills are to be paid in the fall,
and consequently as soon as they have
threshed they have to market their
grain in order to meet said bills or it
will 20 hard on them. So for that
reason the elevator companies know
they will get their grain anyhow, if
they pay but rs cents per bushel.
While on the other hand the WE'LL
TODD farmer hangs onto his grain un-
til he receives a better price. Now
isn't the poor farmer just as much en-
titled to better prices for his years.
hard labor as is the rich? Certainly
they are. but it does not seem so. If
the rich farmer would lend Il helping
hand to the poor and thus keep the
wheat from going into market until
fairer prices.
For example if the well-to-do farmer
came over to the poor man and said
81 know you have large bills to meet
this fall so if you will give me mort
gage on your grain I will let you have
money with which you can pay your
bills, and thus hold onto your grain
until you get better prices, and also
at the same time helping both you and
| and the country in general" But
most of the "healed'' farmers don't
think that way, they want to get rich,
richer and richest, while the poor gets
poor, poorer, and poorest. That is
the way the thing works. The repub-
lican ''gang' are to be thanked for
this, as it is to them whom we are IN
debted for the good prices for our pro-
ducts. It's the farmers that keep the
'wheel" a spinning and when they 20
bankrupt the whole world is gone.
I noticed in a recently edited repub-
lie newspaper that most of the farmers
had money to loan. 1t seems as
though that sheet knew more about it
than the farmers, as in this township
we have as thrifty a set of farmers as
anywhere, but do not know of anyone
that has more money but what they
can take care of. This same paper
also stated that the recent war with
Spain was a great benefit for the coun-
try. Probably it was in one way, by
getting some of the poorer class out
OF existence the buns, etc. Had the
wise men at Washington kept the
MAINE at home she would not have
been destroyed and right there a good
"wad" OF money went up the "flues."
This war cost the nation nice little
sum of money. Who pays for this?
The people of course. The men at
Washington didn't, although they had
it all their way. Well, if the people
pay for it why haven't they right to
say something. If the president had
consulted the people in regard to this
matter, no doubt this war would have
been avoided and the country would
have been so much better of.
still g sne same VINE We got . lot