Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-20

and Mexico backErounded by the At
lant.C and foOtlighted by the Pacific
The 10000 900 farmers Of this
country are lahuriug under an in
ae1tcdress Of $4,000. U0U. 900 ON this
amount counting commissions and
renewal charges. they are paving an
annual interest Of S l-Z per cent. or
E1lU.uug.U1U while the business men
and manufacturers pay an average
Of per cent interest or $500. 600 900
on 26.U000U0 900. This $2lO 600 600 eX-
cess interest paid by the farmers
would pay off our farm Indebtedness
ln 2s years Cooperative efforts and
rural credits would right these
wrongs. So. let us continue TO dis
courage this present system until il
has passed into history and Is only
remembered I'm the misty back yon-
der
distribution being one Of our
greatest problems, our second deCla-
ration Of purposes is to assist our
members in buying and selling The
Federal Government has spent 500.
coo 600 ia the last ten years, teaching
us how to produce, and not a cent to
teach us how TO market
The real reason of the high cost Of
living Is not because the farmer pro-
duCeS an inadequate amount of prod
uCts or gets too much for what he
grows, but 1t is that there are too
many toll gates between the field Of
production and the table Of Consump-
ton
As long as we continue our pres
ent methods we will build up the
towns and cities al the expense Of
the rural districts. The consuming
public pays S13.OOO.0OU. 600 for what
the farmer parts with for $4,000, 600.
600. The farmer gets a. cents and
the distributor gets So cents Of each
dollar If there is a practical work
able way TO stop this plundering Of
the producing and consuming masses.
and do away with this stupendous
waste, il should be done Surely no
one would oppose the change, except
those who think the ieweled hand Of
greed should be licensed 10 pick the
threadbare pockets Of those who toll
Expense Is Unavoidable.
I'VE all agree that there is an un-
Of farm products. But let us make
what seems to us a reasonable di-
vision OF the $4,000 600. 900 consum-
ers other than farmers pay for farm
products each year
Give the wholesaler and iobher
$1,000 600 600, the transportation COM
pauies $1,000 600 600 the retailer
$500, 900 600, then throw IN $500. p
600 900 for an possible misallowance,
and we have $4,000, 600, 600 which s
S3.00O,O00 600 more than the farmer
gets This amount fails into the
waste basket Of speculation
IF II were divided between the
producer and consumer 1t would
D. ]
educate tine illiteratc, instead Of
breeding milliOuairos. paupers. an
archists and suicides. II the Farm
ers' Union fills It's mission, It VIII
not be long until "a less portion OF the
laborers' toll viii be turned in at IN b
toll gate of the palace and q great
portion VIII find Its way through the
door of the cottage. and help to lift
the humble tenement to the COmtOrt,
dignity and luxury Of a home
within the next dcCa[e the farm
ers of this country vhu produ, q
enough to load 5000, 900 freight
cars, and its value viii approximate
Sl0o0OO,0 100000. II properly handled,
this should double the farmer
wealth. But producing IS { all Of
farming We cannot prosper unless
We can control prices We cannot
control prices unless We cooperate:
We cannot cooperate unless we or
ganize The farmer must keep his
pace with the organized industri $
of the age, or verify he viii have his
reward"
Mir Rhodes then spoke In detail "
the work the Farmers Union had
done, its aims, its objects, Its hopes,
and the effect was so marked that
there We're responses on every hand