The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-01-28

1t strange that our sons are leaving
the farm, or that some Of them may
become short. sellers? There
is more, money in selling III short
crops than in raising them, and the
work is a lot easier. There are
enough natural, selfish interests work
ing against too high prices for farm
products to need or tolerate q great
artificial business agency to continue
to dispoil the farm and take to itself
a great share of the profit that should
belong to the farmer and even worse,
help and aid alien people to profit at
the expense of their own people. The
~inexcusable thing of it all is tina our
states and the national government
should furnish a bright hued
map by which the collective short
seller can steer his craft, furnishing
fuel for its engine, and oil for its
bearings.
Does the government know or see
this? l can't say. Have you ever
heard of the government bringing an
action against any Of the gentlemen
who, acting in oncert and with full
mutual understanding, have at times
welded together their millions and
their united weight and action, re-
straining trade. restrained you from
trading cash for your debts by fore
ing dow the selling value of your
crops? Has the attorney general given
any thought to. or taken n notice
Of, h a possible concert Of action
that might be the a why in six
months there has been such a change
in value that 100, 000, 900 bushels of
wheat are only worth about what $780,
0O0,0 600 bushels was worth then. Don't
lay 1t to the worlds crop or con-
dition. Read he papers and market
reports. The world needs our crop
and would pay a fair price for it but
wants to buy as cheap as they can.
Look at the Liverpool market and see
If 1t has not followed instead or lead
us on this crop. See if it does not
say day after day when wheat is de-
Ginning wheat was lower because Of
the lower prices in America"
No, h attorney general has not
noticed this. But he has been very
busy collecting evidence against Jim
Patten (the best bull friend the farm
err ever had) and will soon try him
criminally, he and some of his friends
because 1t is claimed they run a pool
in cotton, made the price of raw cotton
higher. Probably some cotton manu-
factory figured that he could help to
make the price of raw cotton go lower.
bet his money that way, lost and
%squealed. Too bad wasn't It? to boost
through speculation, n of the raw
materials that farmers produced.
Some farmer might get part Of the
benefit of 1t. Some gambler or manu-
facturer might get the worst Of it.
It's considered highly respectable and
clever to organize, to rob the farmer
by creating unfair low prices, and the
government furnishes a bill Of parti-
culars as to how and when to do it.
But it seems to be a crime to organize
and put prices up. It's only another
case of our government giving heed
to location and vocation. The pleader
in this case represented the cotton
gambler or the cotton manufactures
and not the cotton grower. The pres
ent eason has witnessed the ma
chine working its very prettiest.
Yet 1t has not attracted the govern
ment'S attention nor much intelligent
attention on the part Of the produc-
ers themselves. In a time of general
prosperity world wide, with only a
little above normal world crops, when
everything that enters into the cost
| Of production is at it's maximum, we
see great coverings in prices of farm
products (and on nothing else) in
some cases lowered below the cost OF
production. If this is allowed to con-
tinue it will take more than farm life
W Iva Jul bCyS Ol tIlC
farm-let alone getting back any one
that has escaped.
We should not vent our anger
against the ~specuIator or at the
government that possibly unwittingly
aids him; but against ourselves for our
Ignorance, Indifference and impotency.
1t would seem that having to sell in
a framed up market was handicap
enough for the farmer, without making
1 him aIEn tho Unof fn fhn ht-h non% 80
living agitation. Our secretary Of ag-
riculture has for sixteen years shouted
from basement and housetop of the
wonderful prosperity Of the American
farmer, his wards, and at times has
seemed to take personal credit for the
proclaimed prosperity. It would seem
fundamental that If the farmer has
been wonderfully and unduly prosper
GUS, 1t is because of the more than fair
prices he has received, and equally
plain that the consumer has CORES
p~ondingly suffered. So there has been
built up, and Is still building, a feeling
of u~nfriendliness in the minds of our
fellows, all based on a myth and yet
so-called statesmen are trying to ride
the wave of popularity by talking
about reducing the cost of living at
the expense of the farmer. This aIleg-
ed prosperity of the farmer Is now a
popular topic of discussion and it's
quite the fashion to enlarge on this
overdrawn and exaggerated prosperity,
not only by the public generally. but
by the farmers who like to seem i'm
portant, and are pleased with evenu by
sic of their own voice, and even by
farm journals. l quot from a leading
one.
Your Wife's Salary.
Mr.. Schwartz estimates the cost of
wheat at $10.25 per acre. A farmer in
North Dakota using 800 acres, all in
wheat as a basis, figures $12.25 per
acre. If a business man, a manufac-
Iturer Of farm machinery for instance,
were to figure the cost of growing an
| acre Of wheat as he figures the cost Of
| his product, he would include the in
terest on his plant, the farm cost, the
up-keep, making good and replacing
the wear and tear, the salary of the
| president or manager of the plant, in
addition to that of the employees (the
farmers wife would be considered on
the basis Of an assistant manager and
her salary would be calculated.) The
loss of stock during the year, the in
terest on the note, If any, at the bank.
or, say. the farm mortgage, If such
| things exist, today, in the farm world
taxes and perhaps a percentage for
unseen expenses, that creep into farm
life and yet go unheeded. If the above
items are not legitimate items on the
farm. what are?"
Did you get that part of it cor, say
the farm. mortgage. If such things ex-
list today in the farm world?" Kind of
sweIls you up, don't 1t? Makes you
/ feel for a moment like a ~plutocrat, I'M