The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1909-01-27

must be something WRONG with our
market OF with the way We maTget,
when a big crop having one hundred
and twenty million bushes more than
the previous crop, actually sells for
forty million dollars less. Suppose
that the International Harvesting Com
pany found that Il was actually true
that every time they sod ten thOus-
and mowers. they were put on the
market in such a way that they re-
ceived less money for them than
when they sold nine thousand They
would wonder what was the matter
with their way Of doing business.
They would find the remedy and soon
apply that remedy. In other words
they would change their way Of doing
business, and the American Society
Of Equity viii never stop I'll Il leads
the farmers Of his country TO adopt
the same cooperative business
methods which are considered Just
and righteous and wise In the bus
inees word.
Another obsticle IN the way Of the
farmers prosperity Is the uncertainty
OF the price. l neon the fl0ctnation
Of the value Of every thing the far
mer has 10 sell This is not true 90
any extent Of the manufacturers prices
the mine operators prices OF the
business mans prices in general from
the fact that they have long ago sub
stttuoed cooperation for oompe-
ton. Before the Kentucky tobacco
growers organized, there Was only one
thing you were cure % when you
planted your crop. and that was that
II you succeeded in the production Of
q good crop. your price would be low
and unjust When the cotton men
planted their crop I'm the spring Of 1904
cotton was up 10 sixteen cents per
pound. but when that crop was ready
to bah and sell In November, the
price was down 20 six cents per pound
q fail OF ten cents on every pound.
Fifty dollars On every bail, from the
time the farmers planted 1t, until
they were ready to market. We sowed
good seed wheat IN Ilisnoas m 1904,
worth one dollar and twenty cents m
St Louis when va eowed II, but
when we were ready to thresh and mar
ket the crop It was down 20 seventy
cents. A fall % fifty cents per bu-
shel, between seeding time and thresh
ing time. When we put up our hogs
in September, 1907. they were six dol
lars and fifty cents per hundred in
ST. Louis. but when the bulk OF our
hogs Of Illinois we've ready for mar
ket in December and January, the
price was dropped two dollars and ff-
ty cents per hundred. Now gentlemen
how long would your manufacturer do
business If he had this uncertainty Of
price continually thrown into his
business? Suppose here IS a manufac-
turer who can manufacture a mower
and sell IT nc sixty dollars and make
a good profit During the winter he
starts up his great factory to supply
his trade the next summer but suppose
as be runs his great factory, that
he did not know but what his price
would come down from sixty dollars
TO thirty dollars, I contend that he
could not exist as a business man
with this uncertainty Of prices con-
tinually staring him in the face.
Farmers how have the manufacturers
removed this great element OF weak
ness and threatened disaster in their
business? You know it is by eHminat
ing all competition. by intelligently
coming together laying aside all mino
differences in other words substituting
fraterTTal cooperation for deadly COM
petition.
What we need then farmers, is a
National Union Of the farmers, in
which we loyalty support our local,
County, State and National organiza-
tons. And let me say 20 you THAI
the life Of this great movement on
which depends our economic freedom,
rests firSt of all upon the life Of
the local union, without a live local
there is no foundation and no sup
port for either a County, State or
National Union. l am working for the
union of seven great classes under one
national head The cotton men. to-
bacco men. grain men, stock men,
dairy men, fruit and produce men and
our home business men. A grand or
ganization, which will bring millions
Of dollars produced by our farmers
into the country TO build up better
homes, better roads, schools, churches
and home towns. | am glad to say
10 you to-day that the national
head Of the American Society Of
Equity Is now in better sraria than