Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-05-04
6be Farmer
and Socialism
BY A. w. KICKER.

we enter the southern field we meet
the race question, and are thus
TO define our attitude to-
~ard the negro. In like manner,
as we invade the rural districts we
are confronted with the farmer
question" and we are Just as surely
compelled to define ourselves here
as with the others. can add to
the discussion on the subject only
by giving my own personal views,
which I submit. i hold that the
farmer is is being left in possession
of the soil by the capitalift class be-
cause he can be more exploited as
owner OF occupant than as direct
wage employe. Each farmer pro-
duces in competition with every
other farmer, and the capitalist
class are thus able to keep prices at
a point where they return but a
scant wage to the producer for his
years work. This reduution of the
farmer to the wage basis is accom-
plished through the capitalist owner
ship of the machinery of finishing
the production and distribution of
the farmers commodities. AS a
class the farmers can get no relief
till this entire machinery is
transferred from private to public
operation, and as this machinery
includes the railroads, packing
houses, cotton and wooden mills,
ETC., etc. it follows that at the point
where the wage warkers want to
take over this machinery to be
publicly owned and democTatically
managed the farmer IS equally in
terested, and the two interests unite.
Now this applies to the farmers
as a class, whether they be tenants
, or owners. All that l have written
on this question has been along the
line of endeavoring to interest the
farmer in the struggle of the wage
worker, assuring him that only
through the emancipation of the
wage worker can he-the farmer
hope for any relief whatever. The
rural population may be divided in
to wage workers (faTm hands). ten
ants, mortgaged farmers and farm
owners, large and small. l doubt j
there will ever be an industrial or
ganization of farm hands, for theiI
ranks are thinning. Rent is th'
most popular and profitable mean
of exploitation on the farm, and j
| is possible, | believe probable, tha
the tenants will ultimately organic
. against landlordism, for the latte
is increasing rapidly. The presen
. tendency of landlordism is not to
. ward enlarging the unit of the farm
but toward subdivision. When tn
industrial struggle of the tenan
, comes against the landlord master
, and il will soon be here, we will fin
, material for the rural local in abund
, ance. Again, however, must tn
, poor tenant wait for state and ns
y tional success of the Socialist part
= before his condition can be relieve
and il is very doubtful if any relic
. can be reached short of the complet
overthrow of capitalism. With Sc
4 cialist success in township o
= county will come the administratio
of public work, but il is of sma
importance. With success in cal
: turing a state will come some benz
1 ht through public ownership of raj
n roads and similar utilities, but agai
J, these things belong with the states
i and ought not to be placed in ma
C tional declaration. In my judg'
I ment all that the National CONVEX
e ton ought to do on the farm'
IS question is to include the farmer
e the definition of the working class
/, and that is all we farmers will
e present ask. We certainly do nj
y want a farmers program for nation
a action, for we have none to ofte
n lust hang out the latch string"