The representative., 1900-09-27
Fl. A. s. l. u. Dept.

The following letter Is being sent out
from the headquarters Of the Interna-
tional Congress Agricultural Associa-
tions of the World.
st. Paul, Minn., U. s. A., Sept. II, 1900.
To the Officers and Members Of Agri-
cultural Associations. Farmers and
Friends of Agriculture Throughout
the World, Greeting:
We desire to call your attention to
the efforts now being made to secure
the universal cooperation of the farm
ers throughout the world to unite in
an international movement to advance
and defend the interests of the Industry
OF Agriculture.
We desire to call your attention to a
few brief facts which may aid you in
deciding to throw your support with
us in achieving the benefits which can
be done by universal cooperation and
concentration of effort.
1st. The Industry of Agriculture is
the most important industry in the
world, and on it depends all other in
dustries.
2nd. Over one-half of the inhabit-
ants of the globe are engaged in agri-
culture, and as the farmers of the world
are prosperous SO is their respective ma
tions, so is the world.
3rd 1t is generally known that the
farmers throughout the world are not
enjoying the full measure of the pros
perity which their vast industry pro-
duces each year. 1t is well known that
the farmer is a helpless victim to the
present conditions which prevail which
deprives him of naming the price for
his products and forces him to accept
, such price as the gamblers and oper-
ators choose to give him, which gen.
orally speaking is about what it costs
| to produce.
4th. Through the ignorance which
| lack of organization has produced the
| farmers throughout the world have lis
tened to the sweet story of these middle
| men who would state that the American
| farmer was responsible for the condi-
tions which existed in Europe, through
| the immense crops which he raised,
! while in the same breath tell the
American farmer that it was the fault
/! of the European farmer who produced
no or
would be repeated to the Argentine
farmer that the American and Euro
pean farmer was responsible for his
poverty by the great crops raised in
Europe and America and so on. They
! always wound up their plea by suggest
ing that the farmers of all countries
increase their acreage and produce
greater crops which would give them
bigger income because of the fixed
charges which they (the middle mem
charged for marketing the farmers
crops, while the very volume Of these
crops thus produced destroyed the value
of the whole crops for the farmer. The
railroads and transportation companies,
the elevators, the middle men would
charge their full fixed price for market
ing the crops whether the crops were
great or small, whether the price was
high or low, whether the grain was
good or bad.
False Crop Reports.
9Th. It is we'll known that the large
boards of trade and large operators
throughout the world, especially in
Chicago, New York and Liverpool, are
the great "bears" on the agricultural
products of the world, and the prices
set by those operators" are the prices
which all the farmers of the world must
take for his entire crop. Through a
system of reports which they control
they systematically cOnspire to publish
the most extravagant Forecast Crop
Reports" stating that the acreage in
Russia and Argentina has vastly in
creased over last year, the acreage Of
the United States and India shows a
decided increase, and as the crop sea-
son advances they commence system
| of large acreage production of Is to 40
bushels to the acre which creates such
immense prospective crops that by the
very volume Of it they are enabled to
beat down the price of the grain on
hand and destroy the value of the crops
of the world through this endless chain
of False Forecast Crop Reports" It
has been proven that these acreage re-
ports were nothing more than guesses
| made out of whole cloth, and when the
threshing machines had done their
work and told the story 1t was found
that these reports" which had done
SO much to destroy the value of the
farmers crops were "unmitigated lies"
Elevator Combines.
They also were able to further de-
press prices by a system of "combina-
ton" with each other where the com
blne elevators would pay but lone
| price" at a grain market and divide the
| business between them after crushing
| out any Independent buyer or competi-
! ton that existed when they entered the
| combine
Further, through their ability to Sc
| cure rebates as favored and large ship
rers" they were enabled to crush out
local competition and enjoy an income