Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-06-03

cations of the United States let me give
you this very significant fact. In the
Farmers Union of the South, compri-
sing organizations OF farmers covering
most of the southern states not in the
Grange districts. and the National
Grange of the north would join forces
in legislation they could carry any
measure they were DESTROYS of carry
ing, by their vote at the polls.
We have heard, for number of
years a great deal about the inefficient
methods employed by the farmers.
Folks have said that the thing
they need to learn most of all is to
make two blades OF grass grow where
one is growing now. That is the cry
of the capitalist and the middleman.
And talking of middle men let me say
right here that 1 do not think that we
can get along without all middlemen,
neither do / think that the middleman
should be excluded from his share of
the profit in certain cases. When a
middleman adds TO the value of the
article that he handles he is entitled
TO fair margin of profit for his labor.
II he does not add to the value he
should be eliminated absolutely How
is the farmer going TO do this and does
he have any inclination to do il? Do
you think that he is particularly an
Xious to double his efforts to increase
the yield of his acres when by so doing
he loses from two and " to three
per cent on his labors Statistics
show that the average net earnings to
the farmer on his labor and money he
has invested is 3 u per cent. Do you
think he is going to the bank, or other
source of supply and borrow money at
the prevailing rate of interest, Y per
cent, and add to il his labor and energy
and then realize 3 u on his undertake
ing? No, the farmer is too smart a
man to do that. But if you will show
him where he can secure even rea-
sonable profit on the deal the farmer
will gladly borrow the money TO grow
the two blades of grass:
why bless you, let's look at the
prices the agriculturalist receives for
his products. The experiment stations
have been doing some figuring along
these lines and they find, that after all
the expenses incurred in raising a crop
of oats is charged against their cost
to raise, the farmer is allowed the
handsome sum of ten cents an hour
for his labor in raising them. Hurrah
for oats! And yet we must raise
them. The eXperimenters have found
out that the average cost of raising
a two-year old COW is upward of SAP
and a three year old about $62. I'm
less you are dealing in thoroughbreds
how many of you get SAP for your two
year olds and $50 for your three year
olds on the average? And yet the cry
is to make two blades grow i'm place of
one.
THE government has been doing
some research work in Europe recently
and this is what they have found to be
the conditions in Europe, according to
Frederick II. Allen, who has been in
charge Of the work. In Europe for
every dollars worth Of products Of the
farm the producer or farmer, gets Csc
and the middleman 35c. The people
Of Europe think that this proportion
is just about right: They like the
division. Now what is the proportion
in the United States? Just the re-
verse is true. The Michigan farmer
has been content to take as his share
for producing a dollars worth of pro-
duce the sum of 35c. He has thought |
that to take Csc would be piggish.
Now you say is il not possible for |
the farmer to go to the bank and bor-
row money so that he can operate his
farm efficiently and therefore econo-
mically and thus realize a handsome
n, to-
deal easier for the merchant or the /
man in business along the street TO get |
The average banker is not ac-
luainted with the farmer and does not I
know his condition and method of do
ng business as he does the merchants.
Then again the farmer cannot afford to
pay as high a rate of interest as can
he merchant: He requires an entire
V different rate. You say why
The merchant turns his stock on an
lverage OF three times year. Suppose
ne pays per cent interest and turns
he money three times with only a 10
,er cent profit. he has realized hand
But his usual profit is nearer
20 per cent Why can't he afford TO
borrow the capital with which TO do
business? Now the farmer turns his
ash once a year at a profit Of 3 x per
.ent and pays Y per cent interest
% you blame him for appearing skep-
ical?
We'll some fellow says if the farmer
lid get a good profit for the fruits of
lis labor he would run it all down in
lis pocket, and there it would stay
That is a gross misrepresentation. 1
will guarantee to you that if you give
he far,,or a raooopab1a nro6t and no