Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-12-07
ODE Farmer =
and Socialism,

There is no class of.our people
that is so ruthlessly exploited and
ruthlessly Dlundered as the farmer.
None works harder than he, and
none gets less returns for his labor
and capital. After he has by grind
ing toll for weary months produced
a crop of anything, the gamblers of
the commercial world take his prod
uct and gamble with it until it fin
ally reaches the hands of the con-
sumer. Standing as they do be-
tween him and the consumer, they
have it within their power to take
all that he produces and leave him
just such portion of it as they may
think fit.
To the farmers lot falls all the
toll, the expenses. and the losses
occasioned by storms, drouths,
frosts, blights, birds, animals. in
sects and numberless other causes,
while the railroads, commission men,
and the combines of all sorts that
prey upon him are guaranteed their
profits and charges, whatever hap
pens.
Whether the farmer realizes any
thing or not from his crop. the rail-
roads and commission men must
have their pay in full, and that, too,
in cash. BY the peculiar arrange
ment of their business their charges
become a first lien upon the farmers
shipments, and it is only after these
are fully satisfied that he has any
thing.
Thus all the risks of gluts in the
markets, the losses that may arise
from rough and reckless handling
by the transportation companies.
the negligence or dishonesty of the
commission men, and, in fact, all
risks whatever are thrown upon the
farmer, while the profits of the
handlers are guaranteed. If the
railroads, through careless handling
have injured or destroyed the goods
the farmer has shipped, or the com
mission men report the goods as
having arrived in bad ORDER" the
farmer is without redress and is thus
compelled to shoulder the losses due
to their carelessness as well as those
heretofore enumerated. 1t thus
happens that the farmer is abso-
lutely at the mercy of these irres-
ponsible and unscrupulous parties
whose interests are precisely antag-
OnlstlC 10 MS own.
1t is a well known maxim of the
railroads to charge all the traffic
will BEAR" which, being interpreted
into plain English, means simply,
all that can be squeezed out of it,"
1t is charged by Hon. ]. l.. Cowles
in his book, "A General Freight and
Passenger Post" upon the authority
of a member of one Of the railroad
traffic associations, that the rail-
roads of this country have over two
millions of freight rates for the ex-
press purpose of being able to grad
uate their charges to take all there
is in the business. In this way
they can and do so adjust their
freight charges so as to take all the
results of the farmers labor and
leave him only just whatever they
like. The last census shows that
what was left by them for the farm
ers In the year 1900, amounted to
an average Of only $3.50 (gross) per
farm. Out of this must be de-
Quoted all the farmers expenses for
labor, repairs, fertilizers, interest,
insurance, taxes and all other ex-
penses necessitated in running a
farm. Taking these out, it is safe
to say that what is left will amount
to less than the average day labor
er's wages.
This sum-not more than 5000 at
the outside the years
earnings of the farmer and his entire
family, which makes it absolutely
....sL I. 4.