The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-09-03

He feels it keenly both in what he
buys and in the selling of his own
products. Farm machinery and
barb-wire have long been under the
control of powerful combinations.
Within a few weeks past, a hundred
million dollar pillow trust has been
organized. These are but passing
examples of the products which the
farmer must have that are under
trust control. Broadly speaking,
every staple article that he buys
comes from the hand of a cOmblna-
ton.
Then, too, he is reached directly
by the great railroad combines"
Here he is in their hands both ego
ing and coming" Whatever he buys
that comes from outside his imme-
date community, and all that he
ships to any other community, passes
through this combine agency.
SMALL FARMERS AT THE MIDDLEMEN's
LEROY
In attempting to formulate a sug-
gestion for a feasible scheme of COM
bination and cooperation among
farmers n fact is of vital and para
mount Importance. This is that the
price of corn, as of eUery other crop
eChich comes into the general market,
is LOWEST 1OHen the bulk of the crop IS
moUtng out Of the hands of the farmer.
That is the key to the whole situa-
ton. The crop statistics for the last
ten years-that is TO say, from 1891
to 1900 inclusive-show that there
has been a difference of from ten per
cent. TO twenty per cent. in the cash
price of corn between the first few
months following the harvest and
the months ending the crop year. In
other words, when the renter and
the poor farmer, who must dispose
of their oern as 500 after harvest as
it is ready to ship, have corn TO sell,
the prices r from ten per cent. to
twenty per cent. lower than at the
period when this class of farmers
have nothing TO sell because their
holdings have passed into the hands
of the middlemen (and here I do not
mean the country grain buyers) who,
with little or no risk or labor on their
part, secure as much profit for fur
nishing buildings in which the crop
may be stored until wanted for con-
sumption as the farmer gets for his
years toll on that crop with the risk
of it's failure.
In view of this fact, there is no
escape from the ooAclusion that the
central object to be aimed at in
formulating a practicable plan for a
farmers trust, SO far as c~rop-raisers
are concerned, must be the disposi-
ton of the first and heaviest move
ment of the corn crop at as high a
price as possible.
The only person to be unfavorably
affected by such a result would be
the middleman, who produces moth
ing, but who makes g. speculative
profit upon the necessity of the
farmer who cannot afford TO hold his
crop in the crib against the period of
higher prices.
Of course it must be recognized
that there is a class of we'll TODD
and forehanded farmers who are not
compelled to realize upon their crop
as soon as it has been harvested, but
are in position to bide their time
until the middleman has put up
the prices, at the time when he has
the main part of the crop under his
control. This class does not include
the tenant farmer or the agricultur-
ist of small holdings.
It has long been recognized that
certain financial conditions govern
ing the handling and marketing of
crops are intolerable to the farmer.
As a relief, it has frequently been
suggested that the government build
warehouses and advance money or
the crop products deposited there.
This plan has been the central idea
of several farmers organizations.
1t was clearly set forth, for ex,
ample, in the propaganda of the
Farmers Alliance. To this scheme
there has been n fatal objection
1t presents a species of p~aternalism
in which the whole people is taxed
for the benefit of a single class
| Naturally and inevitably this be.
comes a political issue.
5 Other producing classes will not