The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-20
McCumber Tells Farmers Their
Salvation Lies in Organization

'raue even for that sack of wheat =
I you get hungry you can take . hit,
A or two out Of your luck and let Dousta,
.ake bite or two out of his shoes
a now long will that contest lastq or.
, Jay and Douglas will hand vo,, o,,a,
!. 60 slioes' TWO days and he will turn
s 80 =, uoSen pairs. On the evening
me third day he will be ready IL
q .,ahu over his whole establishment for
| ellst SACK OF wheat You are STANDING
!, eouay at the door of equal justice where
you nave long knocked In vain. Cease
NrlocKlng and proceed to action. ThF
NY ls IN your own hand. Its name is
organization.
Extending Trade,
ms brings me to the consideration
" another matter of vital interest," Ia
the farming public, the extension of our
markets. To what extent have the
! eHorts of the farming public ever in
nuenced the extension of their products
INTO new markets or in retaining old
ones? None whatever. They have
produced the things to feed the. world
and sold them to some one else VIM
looked after their distribution, They
nave exercised no more control over
their products or over those manipu-
yations at the trade scenters which have
advanced or deprecated their prices
/ tflsh the laborer in the iron mines has
exercised In marketing steel rails. The
farmer turns his exclusive attention to
production and pays no attention what
| ever TO the consumption OF the thing
produced, Some one else does that for
MIN; and the greed of that some one
else has built up competition at other
points and lost for him market after
market.
other industries make the question
or marketing one OF the dominant feat
ures to be considered The halter tbe
shoemaker, the clotl1ier. the manufac-
turer of farm implements and rnacbin-
cry first investigates the field or con
sumption ascertains the class q goods
that will be most saIeable. the quality
and quantity that will be needed and
the price the public will be able to nav
he then manufactures to fiji that de-
mand. This year he may MANUFACTURES
one class Of articles in excess of an
other. Another year another class ac-
cording to the yearly i1uctuation or de-
mand. All the information NECESSARY
Tor the exercise of his Judgment il oh
famed through the proper channel of
his trade organization.
How Organization Would Work.
Suppose now that the agricultural
industry were organized and conducted
It's business the same way. One bureau
might secure all information concern
ing supply and demand. 1t would adj
wise the trade that this year SO MANY
acres were In wheat, so many acres IN
oats SO many acres In barley, etc. that
the wheat supply was i'm excess and
that oats and barley were not I'M tn the,
demand. 1t might further advise the
thade that the wheat acreage should he
decreased a small per cent and the oats
ana barley acreage increased 80 as +o |
produce the greatest amount OF pro3t |
along every line of production. The
beneficial result from that alone wo,,Id |
De sufficient to justify the oreanIzation |
even though no attempt were made 70
fix prices
announcer bureau might INVESTIGATES |
and give to the trade Information nnor |
the question Of preparing the products
Tor market SO as to conduee To ereatay /
economy in handling and the saving
OF what are now waste products---vo,,r
docxage which you now pay freight On
ana then give away dollar saved Is
always dollar earned,
Benefits Already Secured.
Your organization, although in it's
infancy has already been of great value
ana benefit. The literature it is bring
ns nome to you il full Of valuable in
-oFInation. II is enlarging your own
vision as to those conditions directly
anecting your interests. II Is bringing
home to you that fundamental truth
mat In unity there is strength. IT, is
carrying to those who have uniusttv
reated your products a note of warn
ng, signal of danger. Ii Is building
elevators In whose profits Won have 4
nrect interest and every word of con-
iemnation of your progress that comes
rom the mixers and gamblers is a
rem IN your crown OF righteous en-
leayor. You are more closely follow
ng the advice of your society and reap- /
ng benefits accordingly. Heretofore 4
'ou have rushed your grain to market I
2 the threshing season, increasing tha
,lslble supply and depressing the price I
mis- year you have to a great extent
eld back that supply and the result !
as been that notwithstanding the fact
nat you raised this year about 49, q
10000 more bushels of wheat than In {
soS, which had to compete with the '
forld's market. you have still kept your a
rice nearly UP to the price OF the 1908 i
rop. v
Organization Necessity. n
Mr.. Chairman, have tried to pre- :
ent some of the dement's which VIM
ssult from national agricultural I'M Il
IN. would that 1t were in my power
reach the heart and mind Of every
'iler IN the field, to impress upon him
ne duty he owes to himself and his