The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-08-29
FARM PRICE COMPARISONS.
Seth Warfietd Writes Giving Pricss Of
Products.

COLUMBIA, Tenn, Aug. q, 1913.
Editor Columbia Daily Herald, Colum.
bia Tenn.
Dear Sir-Your illusion to piece
which / wrote for your paper twenty.
one years ago, Claiming there was
Little money in farming has caused
me to be asked why | wrote the
piece.
TIE refreshen my memory | have
Just looked over my day book OF
1892 and will give you a few items
to show you the prices that l was
compelled to take for farm product
then. Compare with the prices now.
On Feb. 18th, 1892, delivered to w.
#. Embry one load of extra good sec
ond crop potatoes at 67kc per bar
rel and had to work off balance OF
crop at so cents per Dbl.
On March 26th l delivered to II. +.
Alexander the shoats to which | had
been feeding corn all winter at l3A)
then and one-fourth cent per pound.
On the same day delivered to ]. B.
Ashton one large red Durham cow
for which he paid me $4,000.
April End delivered fancy selected
hand nubbed white seed corn at 60c
per bushel and bacon sides at &c per
pound. A trial balance in ledger for
1891 shows that l did not net SO on
value Of real estate not allowing one
cent for mules or salary for myself
Notwithstanding and put in full three
hundred and sixty-five days. Was
right?
Let's see what others think Of it
after twenty-one years.
Melville Post in Saturday Even
ing Post" of Aug End 1913 says in
speaking of the high cost of living
"The men who titled the soil and
bred the herds IN this country have
been SO oppressed that their sons
have had NO heart to go on with the
business of breeding the herds or
tilling the earth, but have abandoned
those industries and gone elsewhere
about the world, and consequently
the prices of food products have be-
gun to approach those which prevail
ed in Samaria when Benahadad King
of Syria beseiged it. 1t is difficult to
grasp adequately how unfairly the
men who produce the food supplies
Of this coantry have been treated.
An unjust tariff system has laid them
under tribate for almost half cen
tury. What they had to sell they
had to sch in the markets Of the
world. Free trade markets, for they
produced in excess Of what was used
in this country. No protective duty
could help them. The prices tAey re-
ceived were free trade prices fixed
in free trade markets. But every
thing they bought, everything they
enjoyed, everything they wore, every
thing they used they bought in a
high protective market. They bought
at price in excess Of what they
could have bought IN the markets
where they sold their meats and
breadstuffs.
All that they bought they pur-
chased at price 50 excessive that the
accumulated excess has made the
manufacturers rich beyond the power
Of the English language to expfe ss
1t; so rich tina. words ike multi-mil.
lionaire had to be coined in order ia
express. The very utensils these
men used to till the land cost them
more than these manufacturers sold
them for in foreign lands.
1t was great back breaking pitt
less tribute that these men paid fol
almost fifty years. In addition to this
the law permitted men who did r
produce any of this meats or bread
stuffs to corner it and load it, ant
trade in 1t, and force the producer Il
take the price they offered him.
So exploited and oppressed thes,
men had no heart to go on producin,
meats and breadstuffs. Their son,
were discouraged and went ava,
from the land, and so the production
of the things we live on does no
keep pace with the increased popula
ton, or the development Of other IN
dustries.
To appoint a commission then b
inquire gravely into the causes o
the high cost of living In the face O
these facts is-as the comedians sa
ito create laughter"
! q