The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-03-13

Should Begin Their Spring House
Clearing Esriy-.Th. ST: Paul In.
vestigat'sr.
When the American Society Of
Equity was launched a few years ago,
the Independent welcomed the organ
ization, in hopes that it might &C.
complish something for the better
ment of the most useful class In so
ciety--for the farmers and produc-
ers, who feed us all. We were
aware OF the fact that all other class
es had organized and were working
together for their own interests,
while the farmers toiled from sun to
sun as though all they had to dc was
to work and produce and know the
road to town.
We had the idea that by co-opera-
ton they could SO control the produc'
ton and marketing of the necessar-
les of ;ife that by retaining the tarih
and regulating production so az e.
merely keep pace with the growth Of
population the American farmer
could command such prices for his
products az to allow him good III.
terest on his large Investments and
liberal reward for his toll.
But, alas! recent developments go
to show that the erstwhile promising
organization has drifted into the
hands OF selfish business men Of
questionable repute; that the farmers
instead Of getting any benefits out Of
their organization have allowed these
irresponsible demagoeues to use It
to promote ther own selfish schemes:
in other words, the farmers have sim
ply jumped from the ashes TO- the
fire.
Aud why? Simply because the far
mers have been swayed by some Of
these smooth takers who have at
tended their meetings and have cried
"stop thief and succeeded in mak-
ing honest farmers believe that they
were being robbed out of large
share Of the value Of their products
at the terminals; and soon as these
wolves in sheepskin garb had sue
ceeded in creating such prejudice IN
the producers minds, then they vecy
naturally offered to become the
Moses who would lead them out Of
the desert.
Sure enough, it appears that largo
number of farmers swallowed the
bait, hook and all. They lost. sigh
Of the original calling Of their or
ganization and allowed their selfish
leaders to drag them into the grain
business at the terminals, in order
to get better prices for their grain,
as the promoters had promised them
The farmers paid their hard earned
money for regular dues and for stock
in what the smooth promoters called
"our own terminal elevators at Min
neapoljs and Duluth" and were ,jollied
along until the began to believe that
the Millennium was near at hand.
The promoters sent out broadcast
the most alluring advertisements
about how they coGld obtain higher
prices for grain than the regular CON-
mission men; how they could store
the farmers grain in "our own termin.
al elevators;" that the Chamber Of
Commerce, Minneapolis, and the
Board of Trade, Duluth, We're garb-
ling institutions which Farmers Eie-
vator companies should steer clear Of
and ship only to "our own exchange"
thereby inferring that the Equity Ia
kris had their own market prices, an
exchange where buyer and seller
could meet and where higher prices
we're obtained than at the regularly
established markets: in fact, on some
Of their fake advertisements appear.
ed a large picture of a building pur-
porting to be the exchange" or the
great market place Of the Equity or.
ganization.
In their ofdcial paper and In speech.
es At farmers gatherings these same
promoters charged that all managers
Of Farmers Elevators who failed to
ship to this myth, the Equity termin
al, were icing bribed by regular com.
mission men. thereby libeling honest
and competent men who knew that
the socalled Equity exchange Wa :