The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-12-03

+HHE E
and thd '0ca merchant is AFRAID
not to do their bidding for the
Packers are in absolute control
Of the situation. So too, they
are rapidly extending their con-
troll over the butter market
through large centralized cream
reies while before long they will
own the lions share of the cot
ton-seed mills in the South in
order that they may be in posi-
ton to dictate the price of cot
ton-seed meal to cattle feeders.
Even so, they are powerful fac
Gal. Farmers Facing Crisis
tors in the wheat Pit" the
banking business, coal and salt
trade and last but not least, ex-
tensive dealers in grape juice.
The price of cattle and hogs
argely determines the value of
'orn-and thus we have reach
ed a point where these brigands
have both the farmer and con-
umer by the throat and hold in
the hollow of their hands not
merely the future Of the Amer
lean farm but the well-being of
the millions who toll in shop and
factory-and | submit that
there is and can be no greater
economic issue before this Ma
ton at this time than the one
which seeks to scourge these sin
lister influences from the seat of
unholy power which they occu-
py at this time. In short, the far
mers of the United States are
facing the gravest crisis in their
history at this hour-for upon
the outcome of the impending
struggle depends the future OF
every farm home in the Nation
What is to be done? Farmers
must organize as they never
dreamed Of organizing before
They must quit playing the pol.
icy of EVERY farmer for himself
and the devil take the hinder.
most" Farmers represent &
sleeping Hercules-helpless on.
ly because they have never as.
sembled their strength dis.
membered, disorganized mass a:
numerous and as futile as thu
sands of the sea because each i.
/, an entity and a law unto himself
Heretofore we have speculatec
on what farmers could do if the,
would cooperate and stand to
gether. Now they no longer hav,
any choice in the matter. w,
are facing a crisis and organiza
ton has finally become a matte.
: of self-preservation. AS tn,
producers of the Nations food
: stuffs, farmers have it in thei
= power to say through what chan
nels their products shall pass i
t reaching the consumer-an
t here is where the blow must b
. struck for we cannot prevail q
= gainst monopoly so long as W
: use monopoly's machinery.
: The great Santa Fe Railroad
owned by 10000 stockholdel
> who years ago, placed its MAJ
It agement in the hands of a stron
c board of directors and in immI
o date charge is E. P. Ripley-or
If the best railroad men in Il
e 'ountry. Even so, if we al
L driven to it, why should not ia
le ners get together, build the
4 own packing plants, go over Il
p heads of the Packers and sell {
'ect to the consumer? There a
277,0OO farmers in Missouri.
100000 of them would put
n $40 each, it would provide a m
ne ion dollars-and that VOL
ne equip a good sized packing plal
IN f corporations in other lines
III business can be owned and &C
he Quoted by thousands of stoc
rs holders, isn't there sufficient
diligence among farmers to
lis likewise? Of course, the lie,
it. machinery of the state and f,
.es eral governments would have
No hrnnnht inAn l.4