The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-05
FOOD FOR MILLIONS
ROT IN THE FIELDS
Government, Tied by Big Business
Interests, Helpless in Great
E Emergency.
Heroic and Timely Work Per-
Formed by Dakota Farmer
to Get Cars.

With millions OF bushels of grain
rotting under Dakota SHOWS, MILL
ons of bushels of apples and or
anges already decayed under the
trees that grew them, potatoes MAX
ing fertile the ground whence they
came, and millions without fuel in
zero weather, the United States
government, the state governments
and big business concerns are help
less.
There is no exaggeration here.
All these tremendous facts are found
in the records of the slow-moving
intestate commerce commission.
This body, set to work to dis
cover why crops raised by farmers
cannot be delivered to consumers,
has done nothing to solve the prob
lem. 1t went to work as If it was
investigating a theory and not a
condition.
Ole Sather's Way.
Only one man so far has shown
how to solve the problem.
At Parkhurst, N. D., while other
men were praying, petitioning and
suffering, one man by the name of
Ole Sather took the situation into
his own hands. The railways had
ignored his pleadings for weeks
His elevators were full to bursting.
into Parkhurst with a lot of empties.
Fortunately for Ole, the train STALL
ed on grade. The crew cut off
eight empties to be picked up by a
later train. Sather saw the empties
and he saw the means of relief.
He sent for neighbors and friends
from the countryside. The cars
could not be moved but the grain
could be hauled to the cars. Teams
were impressed into service Night
came on, but the countryside was
light with lanterns and torches. The
farmers labored to beat the on
coming train. And when morning
dawned the eight empties had been
loaded to the limit. The railroad
employees threatened to- throw the
grain into the snow. But finally they
decided to take it to market.
Railroad magnates, those great
captains of industry who alone are
competent to manage the public
highways, say prosperity and big
crops have given more business than
they can handle.
Less Grain Hauled.
The figures are against them.
Facts show that less grain was
hauled this year than last year.
While the apple trees gave TO "th the
greatest crop in ages, the fruit is
high priced, yet the farmers who
planted the trees, sprayed them and
watched them weary years Till they
gave the best that was in them, get
less fro mthe bumper crop than
from the small production of other
years.
With their grain out in the snow
decaying, the red cheek of the apple
rottening and forced to burn his
barn to keep his children warm, the
farmer is in a receptive mood for
lectures on anarchy in distribu-
tion.'
Idiocy of Competition.
Never before has the idiocy of
competition for bread been shown in
clearer fashion. The farmer with
his. cold children and blue featured
wife, setting around fire kept
going with boards from his red
barn, looks out on the snow-covered
grain, the black orchard and the
cattle growing lean again because
they cannot be hauled to market
In the city the weary clerk, shop
worker, the teamster, the reporter
and the business man." pricing the
apples in the grocers' window, find
them "too high" Their bread is
lighter in weight, their potatoes cost
81 a bushel. and they find them
selves pinched in the midst of pros
perity.
The only fat ones are in Wall
street.
If war should be declared and
soldiers needed food the federal
government would take charge of
the roads if need be. Then "busi-
! ness men" would be pushed aside
and the men who always do the real
railroad work would be in charge
and supplies would be delivered.
If, in this emergency, the farmer
and city worker should be taken
care of as if an army needed sup
plies, the trouble would be over.
Separate the real railroad men from
Wall street and they will do the
business.
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