The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-12-29

Another paper on Combines" was read
by g. M. Winnie, who spoke of the success
the combine had been in the case OF every
one who had tiled II except the farmer and
wanted to know why II should not be equal
ly successful among farmers. The farmers,
said he, would be obliged to pay nice little
advance to Mr.. Combine in nearly every
line, on every mower or binder or anything
else made of steel, and they should meet
this advance by combining among them
selves. They should combine in politics.
In England they combined successfully in
selling and the time is certainly ripe when
they can combine successfully in this country
so far as purchasing is concerned. The
farmers club is in itself combine and
should furnish an object lesson for the in
stallatlon of greater and more useful CON-
blnes.
After this paper it was annouoced that
the paper written by A. l.. Chandler had
been received and on the request of the club
it was read at once by j. Bilhimer. The
paper the greatest mischief of the
trusts to be In the feature by which
they tended to depress unduly the price of
raw material, the material which the farmer
has to sell. while at the same time they
raise the price of the finished products which
the farmer must buy and use In his work.
The trusts claim to be able to furnish finish
ed products cheaper than they can be other
wise secured, but II so their greed prevents
their doing so. The object of the trusts is
to fix prices 1t is gambling. In fostering
industries many indirect taxes have been
paid. Sometimes even bonuses have been
paid and II the concerns to which they have
been paid join trust or are taken In by one,
the money contributed by the people to
that industry is turned over to the trusts
direct. But the trusts compel the paying
for long hauls, from mills far from the center
they supply, and they compel the paying of
high salaries to the chief officials while the
general run of the employees are not 10 as
good condition as before, because they are
more restricted In the possibilities of their
growth. BIT still, be this as 1t may. make
trusts obey the laws of supply and demand
instead of letting them create an artificial
supply and demand of their own and there
will be no complaint.
After this paper was read things took
turn somewhat political and number of
short and interesting remarks were made by
different members. Chas. Whelan spoke
very briefly on the necessity of keeping
politics on the farm at least to the extent of
seeing that good men were placed In nomina-
ton for the various Offices j. b. Eveleth
carried this same idea little further by in
sistiDg that good men should be put up
by both of the strong parties. Both men rec
ognized the impossibility of accomplish
ing anything outside OF the two dominant
parties, saying that even IL good independ
ent candidates are placed In nomination, men
will not leave their own party when they
actually get by themselves In the booth on
election day. In the course OF this in
formal talk considerable merrmept was
caused by the wordy tangle into which two
DR. three of the members got on account of
heir different ideas as to the condition of
he farmers today, two of the gentlemen
with strong penchant, TO say the least,
Tor silver, taking the ground that the
farmer was no better off than three wears
ago. view which the most of the members
seemed to look at as tho they could well
afford to let the question answer itself, tho
from the significant smiles 1t was not diff.
cult to decide that the silver members were
10 a hopeless minority at least as far as
their views of present conditions were con-
cerned.
During the meeting music was furnished
by the club itself, by A. Wrigley and by
Chas. Whelan.