The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-17
10, the Poor Farmer.
In his speech at Lansing President
ROOSEVELT said:

In his speech at Lansing President
ROOSEVELT said:
The people Of our farming regions must DO
able W combine among themselves, a. the most
eficient meAns of protecting their industry from
the highly organized Interests which now surround
them on every side. 4 vast neld In open for work
by cooperative associations OF farmers In dealing
with tho relation OF che farm to transportation and
70 tho distribution and manufacture OF raw ma
terials. II Is only through such combination that
American farmers can develop 70 the full their
economic and social power"
The economic interests OF the country
are Invisible into four interdepcndent
although distinct groups. These are
capital, labor, transportation and agri-
cultural production. From the Presi-
dents point Of view at the immediate
moment of his Lansing address it would
appear that predatory capital, predatory
labor and predatory transportation are
playing the mischief with the poor, help
less farmers who feed them all. Farm
ers are therefore advised to organize, "to
combine among themselves, as the most
efficient means Of protecting their in
dustry." We are obliged to confess that
we have hitherto quite failed to realize
the awful oppression Of the unorganized
agricultural group by the organized
pirates Of the other groups. 1t is not
indicated in official statistics, and the
walls and the groans Of the sufferers
have not reached our ears. In fact, all
the evidence in the matter indicates that
our farmers are getting their share Of the
prevailing prosperity.
This advice, under the circumstances,
can only be regarded a an exhibition
OF Mr.. RoosEvELT's characteristic bellig-
erency. Present we'll being is no excuse
for failure to improve conditions. The
law Of improvement is struggle, con-
f1ict, the effort to get what is wanted
from some one else by fighting him.
This is best effected through o~rganiza-
ton. So rune the logic of the Presi-
dents advice to the farmer.
1t is probably all right because Mr..
ROOSEVELT says so. Yet there are
those who are a good deal puzzled to
understand just why the organization
or combination OF predatory capital
and predatory transportation should be
frowned upon while the organization of
predatory labor is encouraged and the
farmers are urged TO organize and be-
come predatory.
Admitting with all humility the posi-
bility II not the probability Of error, We
are Of the opinion that the economic
gospel according to ROOSEVELT, as set
forth at Lansing, rests on a distinctly
f~allacious premise. The right OF men
to organize for the protection and adj
vancement of their interests is fully
recognized. 1t is equally clear that
there is no we'll defined difference, in the
matter Of morals, between the purposes
and methods OF Mr.. HARTMAN, the
Standard Oil Company and the San Fran
cisco labor unions and those Of the Ameri-
a Society of Equity, whose aim is so
to organize the wheat growers Of the
country that the price of wheat can be
fixed and maintained, by monopolistic
means, at a minimum OF a dollar a
bushel, or OF those Of the cotton grow
er, who have long sought to effect an
organization through which the price of
cotton can be kept, also through mon
opoly, at some purely artificial figure.
Should the Presidents recommended
ton be carried out one result would be
inevitable: There are millions OF people
in this country TO whom organization on
the ground Of any common or allied in
dustry is impossible. They are people
OF limited and comparatively fixed in
comes derived from investments or sala-
rios. They are clerks and preachers and
teachers, widows and ~spinsters Of mod
est means, artists, musicians and writers,
statesmen and saleswomen. The class is
large, and so far as organization is con-
cerned is helpless.
Should the injunction OF the President
be carried out all Of these people would
only become the victims OF four instead
Of the present three predatory groups.
IL may be doubted II any kingdom Of