Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-09-11


ern states. This enormous burden
Of the ground landlords of our cities
must be paid before the workers of
any kind can receive a cent, or have
cent to pay for farm produce.
These things Il have spoken of
show how greatly the cost Of living
could be reduced il they were prop
erly adjusted But back of them all
are other causes for the high cost of
living, burdens which all the peo-
ple-prodacers, middlemen and con-
Isumers --bear in common. Chief
among these are:
t) The enormous burden of
government debt-federal state and
local.
CD The enormous increase in gov
eminent costs, due mainly to the ex-
cessive burdens of war expenditures,
and the ever increasing army of pub
lie officials.
go The enormous burden of over
capitalization of railroads and other
public utility corporations.
(4) The enormous burden of our
monied aristocracy. We boast that
we have ne nobility, but we have
private individuals who can live in
regal magnificence that puts the
richest Of the European nobility in
the shade.
In New York City alone are over
1000 millionaires and multi-million-
aires, whose aggregate wealth runs
into many billions and whose annual
income exceeds the entire cost of our
government, the war expenditures
Guided.
These things in the aggregate i'm
pose burden of many millions upon
the entire people which must be paid
before any one-producer, consum-
er, or middleman-can have dollar
for themselves. These expenses, be-
cause of the indirect means of pay
ment, are lost sight of by the
masses, but they are big factors in
raising the cost of living. In the last
analysis the consumer must pay for
| it all. The burden of the army, the
navy, the cost of keeping the idle
rich, and the idle poor must be borne
by the workers. And as long as rural
producers and city workers have to
carry so much and such heavy bur-
dens, they will never get the cost of
living down to where it belongs. Re-
living will go down at once. Increase
them and the cost of living goes up.
The supreme duty of the hour,
| both for the city consumer and the
farmer, is to get together and, by
their joint effort, medy these con-
ditions. The farmers are ready for
this cooperation. Thorough organi-
zation of the farmers is needed: IN
many sections of the country, the
Grange, a farm organization nearly
sc years old, has done great deal
ipl III bSLl6I uGuL. II ID Q6YHlOU-
ing higher and better manhood and
Womanhood among the farmers; it is
enhancing the comforts and attrac-
tions of our farm homes, and is sys-
tematizing farm work, and through
its discussions and it's splendid pro-
grams at its meetings, a higher de-
gree of social life is developed and
the latent possibilities OF the mem
bers are brought out. Where farm
organization has not received the
support that it should, agriculture is
tagging. Financial assistance can be
rendered to the farmers of a COM
munity, when organized. For ex-
ample, in the matter of rural credits,
Sc farmers, each pledging their in
dividual credit, and these jointly but
together, would give these farmers
a combined credit of thousands of
dollars. This credit could be used
as collateral at local bank, for the
purpose of securing money by any
individual of this organization to pay
cash for what he buys which would
mean a big saving to the farmer.
This cooperative credit should be
, managed through an executive COM
mittee. No one would be responsible
for more than his individual sub
scription, and any local bank would
, loan up to so per cent of the coop
erative credit. Losses would rarely
, occur. They would be divided among
the individual subscribers to this
credit fund. No interest would be
) charged, except to the members Dor
rowing. This plan will work under
3 any banking law in the country, and
t needs no additional expense. The
. executive committee OF the organiza.
l ticn should be composed of its most
] capable men, because they pass or
9 the individual purchases of the or.
/ ganization.