The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-10-12
BOB DUNN Says THERE
IS NO FARMERS TRUST
Editor of Princeton Union AnsW-
ers Argument Of Alvah
Eastman.
Calls Turn on st. Cloud Paper,
and Defends Organization
of Farmers.

to fix the minimum price for which
they will market their products 4
goodly number of Well meaning news
papers raise the cry against a farm
er's trust" The Standard Oil COM
pany may continue it's mad plunder
without protest. The Steel Trust
can secure control Of all the iron ore
lands. and all this without a murmur
from the same newspapers. but when
the farmers attempt to get profitable
price for farm products they pretend
to be mighty scared. OF course the
farmers do not advertise, and hence
there is no danger Of subsidy from this
form Of organization.
In a recent edition Of the st. Cloud
Journal Press the following editorial
appeared:
THE farmers are now getting into
the trust" business. Some Of them
have secured a charter from New Jer-
sey, with an authorized capital Of one
million dollars. under the cumbersome
name Of producers and Consumers
International Equity Union and Co.
operative Exchange" The purpose Of
this is to hold the produce of the
farmers until it commands a high
price, and then sell 1t direct to the
consumers, cutting out the profit Of
the niddlemen. Likewise to buy di-
rect from the manufacturer and sell
to the farmers"
Bob Dunn didn't like the tenor OF
this editorial, and true to his lonk
known opinions he gives out the fol-
mt IN,
Princeton Union:
'The Journal-Press Is laboring
under a Misrepresentation. The main
object Of the American Societ Of
Equity and it's produce exchange is to
secure better prices for farmers pro-
duce by intelligent marketing. State
Secretary Aldrich's lette in another
column succinctly sets forth the pur-
pose Of the organization.
There Is no sense In glutting the
market with wheat, oats, corn or pota-
toes in the fall Of the year. The in
evitable result is low prices J. ]. Hill
truly said that the car shortage last
year was a blessing in disguise to the
farmers-they were obliged to hold
their wheat and obtained better prices.
If. through the American Society Of
Equity, the farmers can be educated to
market their produce Sintelligently
much good Will result therefrom, and
no unnecessary burden will be inflict-
ed upon the consumers. When pro-
duce is bought in large quantities at
low prices and stored In elevators and
warehouses it does not necessarily
follow that the consumers will be
benefited. The m1ddlemen and specu-
lators reap the profits. In the past
when wheat has scared to the dollar
mark there has been very little in the
hands of the farmers. We believe the
society errs when 1t fixes an arbitrary
price for produce. Conditions may
make it impossible to obtain the prices
fixed. Perishable commodities must
be disposed Of, If at all, within linn
tied time, and complete unity of action
among all farmers is an impossibility.
We believe the better plan would be to
market potatoies or any other crop
gradually and get the best prices OBJ
tainable. We should dislike to assume
the responsibility of advising the
farmers of this vicinity to hold their
potatoes for 81 cents per bushel unless
we had positive assurances that the
farmers in the other counties Of the
potato belt in this and neighboring
states would do likewise. Considering
the high price of labor, machinery and
almost everything the farmer is OBJ
liged to buy, we do not think 81 cents
per bushel an exorbitant price for po-
tatoes at the home railway station.
Under present conditions prices for
farmers produce are largely fixed by
gamblers and spectators. It will be
better for both the producer and con-
sumer when the farmer will have a
voice in fixing the price at which he
will dispose of his produce. The mer-
chant sets a price on his merchandise,
the manufacturer on his wares. the
professional man on his services, the
workingman on his labor, the farmer
alone-the man who feeds all the rest
must accept the prices fixed by 9TH
ers. and, as already remarked, those
fixers are mainly board Of trade gamb-
lers. God speed the American Society
OF Equity In securing a square deal