The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-11-01
CHICAGO LETTER.

Chicago. Oct. 20. 1t is quite evident
| from conservative reports from hun
| dreds of localities in the Prairie States
that the attempt on the part of Mr. Bryan
and the rest of the Democratic Populis1
party to lead the farmers astray on the
Trust question is not proving effective
In his speech accepting the Populist
nomination he charged that the trusts
fix the price of everything the farmer
BUYS: and that since the trusts pay as
little as they can for raw material, they
take the moor agriculturalist both com
ing and going.
Jnluckily for Mr.. Bryan, the farmers
know better: they have had some expe.
rience of their own. 1t is doubtless
true that the prices of some manufac
tured articles consumed by them have
been raised. but only slightly: and
farmers are well aware that the prices
of most of the manufactured articles
that they consume have been lowered
considerably. Moreover, they are even
surer that MI. Bryan's other statement
is false. namely, that they cannot get Sc
much for their own products. They
know that they not only can, but that
they have and do-and can continue to
do so.
In a word. if the reports received at
headquarters may be believed, and they
have a monotony of undertone favora
BILE to a continuance of Mckinley pros
perity. the Western farmer regards the
trust question as business proposition
rather than a political matter They
can see farther ahead than their own
noses. and they know very we'll that if
the Bryanite scheme Of legislation, III
tended to prohibit the organization OF
capital into great concerns for economic
production and distribution, were to &C
into effect, it would prevent any co
operative organizations on their oW1
part. many of which undertakings they
themselves already have under way.
Sometime ago Mr.. James Butler OF
| Kansas aud those associated with him
in the project announced that they haC
made long steps toward perfecting the
organization of Kansas farmers in
tended to collect and market the grain
of hundreds, perhaps thousands, Of
their fellow agriculturalists. In Other
words. the business functions of col
lecting and marketing their product
was to be taken away from the railroad
men and elevator men, and kept in theil
own hands; so that they, the farmers
themselves, might make (and distribute
among themselves those large profits
estimated by some to be as high as
seven million dollars a year. From al
accounts this proposition is proceeding
favorably: if the capital with which tt
organize and push it, and the admins
trative ability required to hold it to
gether and develop it, all prove to be
forthcoming.
Now, under the Bryan plan to crusl
trusts any association or union Of
farmers of this kind to seek to secure
better prices for their wheat, or seek
ing III any other way to make this an(
other transactions of advantage tC
themselves rather than to somebody
else, would, Immediately upon its or
ganiZatlon. become "a criminal con
spiracy." Every farmer interested in {
cooperative elevator, and there are
thousands of them, recognizes that his
come under any definition of a trust
that would apply to any organization OF
business men for the purpose of secur
ing higher prices for commodities thar
prevailed before Moreover they know
carry out his threat to make a crimina
conspiracy out of every business OF
ganlZation which got its members higher
prices for their products than could be
obtained by the individuals acting
separately: so that. under these Gil
| cumstances, the cooperative companies
would have to fight not only the indie
pendent grain dealers, but all of the
Bryan political forces. which under the
present condition of free competition
cannot touch them
Not only is the cooperative enter
prise of Mr.. Butler proceeding Will
every prospect of srccess-and by JUS
so much putting itself in danger of dis
indignation and cOntiScation i'll case 0.
Mr. Bryan's election-but there Is an
other evidence that the farmers. espec
Tally OF Kansas. are Selling the oppor
tunltleS which surround them. a farm
er's educational bureau has been or
gained at Topeka, and MI W. &
Todd. its secretary. las been sending
out thousands of circular letters, urg
ing the farmers to settle the question
OF business organization of them
selves, as outlined i'll small twenty live
cent book entitled 'The Coming Trust.
The very great interest already mani
tested in this comparatively small ell
terprise, is indicated by the fact thai
several thousand copies of the boob
have already been issued
The great mistake made by NJ. Bryan
and his followers seems to have been il
supposing that the farmers of the West
were inferior in intelligence in SOME
way to their fellow voters following
other occupations. AS a matter Of fact
they are some Of the most thorough
readers and closest reasoners to be
found in any walk of life.
There is noticeable about town here {
trend of opinion in regard to the trust
question similar to that noticeable
among the farmers. If, in other words
the farmers are learning to profit by
their own observations in regard tC
large and liberal methods in handling
their products, so the wage earners in
mines and mills are seeing. and they
are seeing for themselves, that if the
various processes of manufacture are
carried on with sufficient capital in large
ways, with fine economic administrative