Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-12-16
TRUSTS AND THE FARMER.

1t is unfortunate that so many Amer
ican farmers have been Indifferent to
the growth of trusts, basing their in
difference on the assumption that the
trusts very seldom effect their business,
and quite as often help as h .rm them in
their business transactions If the
farmers understood their relation to
these corporate pirates ard would be
~ pitedly opposed to them. it would not
slon3 until they would be shorn of
their power. ...:.
We have been watching with consid
cradle interest process of formation of
a gigantic -four trust to include all the
great -four mills OF the northwest, no,
80 much because it adds jast one more
to along list of great trusts that have
been created under legislative favorite
ism AS that 1t tsuggests the tendency Of
all the trusts to stand together to help
each other and If possible to Great still
la, ger and more powerful trusts. The
-four trusts would not be possible but
for the ability Of few persons to con-
troll the grain transportation ard Writ
u.lly the money market. ...
The farmers are directly interested in
all these trusts and combinations and
allied Interests controlling the mark et-
iag of food products. For instance, the
farmers have direct interest in the
elevator and storage business and they
ought to be watching carefully the
manipulations in that business. For
some time it has been noticed that price
of wheat for cash was about The same
as that for future delivery or in some
instance higher. The elevator men
vEsave full control. The farmers have
been hauling their wheat to the elevat-
ors and taking storage checks SO that
they can hold for prospective higher
prices. The elevator men have been
able to sell the grain for cash and us,
the money of the farmers to bu,
against future deliveries. Two things
have resulted: great uncertainty as t.,
the future price of wheat and, in man.
instances, the refusal Of banks to leno
money to farmers on elevator checks.
Under the manipulations of the trus,
the farmers grain has been used to d.
business with-and should there com.
a crash in wheat the farmers all over
this country would be the ones VIII,
would lose This condition of affairs,
upon which we have barely touched,
most dangerous to the farmers and in
directly to all the business interests OF
the northwestern states dependent so
largely upon the prosperity of the farm
ers, is the direct res. Il of a policy which
permits the formation of a combination
o the elevator companies and grail,
dealers This would not be possibl.
-but for the connivance of those who
leontrol rail and water transportation
and fix the rates for money on which
the farmers may do business. Jus
now there ara interests, chiefly
political, bent upon keeping the trust
and monopoly issue from coming to the
front in political circles in conjunction
with the financial and tariff issues, but
when the evils of the trust system are
brought home to every farmer and
business man of the country as in the
illustration we have cited, there is nc
mower on errth to calm the rising
wrath of an injured people. The
American farmers are not first to fee
the blight of the trust. but unless the.
awake to their responsibility and dut!
they will feel the crushing weight
nrvorate monopoly harder than any
others, and all who are directly or IN
directly dependent upon agriculture for
their prosperity will suffer correspond |
inply.-Sioux Falls Press.