The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-02-03
Farm ERs, EQUITY, DREAMS AND
,r,a PROBLEMS. -

s,s. PROBLEMS. ~ .,.s.
IT is with rapt attention and bated
breath that we listen to the promot'
or for local organizations Of the Far.
mers' Equity society, In that heart
to heart talk in a crowded hotel lob
by we straighten up and take copious
mental notes. .l.,.,:r ii. y3.,l <%i
This is something new. and intense
" dreamy. Every step Of the farmers
duty Is the simplest thing in the
WORM. The keynote Of this speech
outlines farmers organization with
d, little bookkeeping and the price of
hts produce. is at his. dictation and
absolute control. :, !!.a.,@ .g T.. q :,
We are told that. q farmer must
keep tab ION his: expenses. In the
morning of springtime he must in
voice the hay and, oats for his teams,
the toast and sgriddle cakes that make
his own and households breakfast,
the expenses Of milking the COWS, the
AMOUNT of lindling wood used. . At
aoaa the hired man must report the
lost. and broken drag tines, the dam
age TO harnesses and whippletrees,
clevises and bolts. + Another report at
aigat in addition to 1.-The seed sown
during the day. Then she has to tax
up his, own wages, his wife's, the
kids; and the hired mans. He must
invoice, the. tea, Coffee sugar, -four,
syrup, meats, peppery salt, currants,
jelly, salt herring, vegetables and to-
hacco used: during the day. If he
aaH been in town he must enter up
Ave cents worth of: nails, twocent
stamp aud one cock eye. If the
spouse 1ollowed\he has another entry
ribbon, seven cents, thread, five
cents safety pins, five cents, calico;
.wenty-nine cents, candy and peanuts
ten cents. At half-past eleven D.: N.
AZ has fourteen pages of entries on
his notebook. In trying to- remember
he has overlooked the plans, for the
aext days work. and: he is limp. At
the end of year he has stack OF
asy books that,is ,toonmuch for the
family chest. He must call in an ex-
pert auditing accountant in order to
ascertain what it cost him a b4sheI
to sa,se his potatoes, corn, oats,
wheat. barley fax, carrots, tnrEaips,
cahbages. etc. Striking balance he
has 70 add a reasonable profit. What
That should: bes depends ON his oyjfh
-.4ptiGe OF good 'atrallssd oily. .;!si.,y ~.
!. He nowy announces {, to- 4, :lA2pgtlnlg hungry
wurad and an eager market that his;
wheat costs, including reasonable:
seolas, 1925 per bt1shel. If it costs
another farmer 26c~tD raise a bushel
at wheat with 75c. profit, that would
% entirely immaterial to the first one.
Or II i. shodld:sS2st third farmer
$3.50 to raise a 81 Me lof Wheat with
SIC profit added, Ne would insist on
A a ,,heshek for his crop. A. thisf
= H,Iao of the discourse we soar id
sAapia areamland and remain there
until we hear request to join the
yA<ners' Equity society. And. to say
that We jump is putting til tameiy.
Wy, this organization has Hill, Hav-
esaAyer, Harsiman and Morgan nicely
rpnnded up in the industrial kinder
aR1aea, ana the combined labor Or
seaizations playing marbles in our
sack yard. And that night we dreamt
dat we were enthroned on a distant
t3saa stars. the world; sun, Inoon' and
asars doing homage, and crowned with
lannon's real coronetsls !sfv1 {; \
She farmer has been and is now a.
xnhtect of chance. earnings. The
fxSaunt of his output depends on his
9anaxemeRt,; industry and favorable
rnaaitions for raising crops over
saieh he has not the slightest control.
The Overload may lock the reservoirs
ahore. or they may be carelessly>
&SaAed and strike the fields below in
.huRks of ice, a wave of rancid air
u .. July night blanched with a polar
breath, or a few days of tropical
Winds will save twine and ,threshing
AsAta H he escapes these and a thou
aand other ills that crops are heir to,
The farmer is stu met with a chance
.enetAem-a market for his products
that should be determined by the
price created from supply and de-
I.naadA but which in reality is estab-
<.ishet by board of trade and stock ex-
7rhange manipulations. r.. .r... 4
s5s A practical farmer can by certain
methods eliminate some of the haz-
ards Of crop failures. But what ques-
I kian is not considered by the Farmers
k.s,.i1S. Its aim is, or should be, to
create; a reasonable and stable COM
peusations for. his. produce in the
S;msras of trade. That brings us right
70 the point.
H. Today. Wall street and a dozen
other boards of trade, spectators on
the farmers products, and absolutely
astarminess its. value. That is not a
nked and permanent price, but
chanSsable, according to the mood Of
faT personsa This omnipotent pow
bread from one day to another is the
aT 81 changing the price of loaf of
nlsst dangerous industrial problem