Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1915-01-14
PAYROLL Of :!
CIVILIZATION MET
BY FARMER
WANTS No "DEADHEADS" ON
LIST OF EMPLOYEES.
A CALL UPON Ts4E LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
8v Peter RacFcro
IActurer National itAruuers' Union


Tho farmer is the pAymaster OF
industry aud as such he must meet
the natiou's payroll. When industry
pays its bill it must make a sight
draft upon agriculture Tor the amount
which the GARNER is compelled to
honor without protest This check
drawn upon agriculture may travel to
and fro over the highways of com.
merce; may build cities: girdle the
globe with bands of steel, may search
Aidden treasures tn the earth or
traverse the skies. sut in the end 1t
will rest upnu the soil. No dollar
will remain suspended in midair. 1t is
as aRrtain to seek the eartE's surface
as an apple that TALL, from a tree.
When a farmer buys a pIow he pays
the man who mined the metal. the
Toodman who tclled the tree. the
manufacturer wha assembled the raw
material aud shaped 1t into All ar.
ticle OF usefulness. The railroad that
transported it and Che dealer who
sold him the goods He pays the
wages of labor and capital employed
In the transaction as well as pays
Tor the tools. machinery. buildings.
etc. uSed in the construction OF the
commodity mt the same applies to
all articles of use and diet Of him.
self and those engaged in the sub.
a1diary lines of industry.
There is no payroll IN civilization
that does not rest nron the back
of the farmer. lie must pay the bills
all OF them.
The total value OF the nations
annual agricultural products is around
$4,000. 000. 900. and it is safe to esti.
mate that SIS cents On every dollar
goes to meeting the expenses of sub.
sidiary industries. The farmer does
not work more than thirty minutes
per day for himself; the remaining
thirteen hours Of the days toll he
hevotes to meeting the payroll Of the
hired hands of agriculture. such as
the manufacturer. railroad, CONNER
clal and other servants.
The Farmers Payroll and How He
MEETS tf.
The annual payroll or agriculture
epproximates $12, 900. 900. 900. A por.
ton OF the amount is shifted to for.
e1Gn countries in exports. but the
total payroll of industries working for
the farmer divides substantially al
follows: Railroads.. $1,252, 900, 900;
manufacturers. S4.365. 0O0. 900; mining
$685.. 900, 900; banks. $200,000,000
mercantile S.. 00.0o0. 900, and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder.
1t takes the corn crop, the mos
valuable in agriculture, which solo
last year for 1882 10000, to pay of
the employees of the railroads; tho
money derived from our annual. sale.
Of livestock of approximately $4,000,
100000. the yearly cotton crop, valued
at 1920, O00. 900: the wheat crop
which is worth 100000, 900, and tn
oat crop, that is worth ~,00C
are required to meet the annual pay
roll of the manufacturers. TIL
money derived from the remainin:
staple crops is used In meeting til
payroll of the bankers, merchants
etc. After these obligations are pait
the farmer has only a few punches {
vegetables, some fruit and poultr
which he sell and call the nre
ceeds his
When the i:r.rcr pays OF his !! !
he has very iittle left and to RIG,
these tremendous payrolls he ha
been forced to mortgage homes, wor
women in the field and increase tn
hours of his labor. We are. ther'
fore. compelled to call upon all il
dustries dependent upon the farmer
tor subsistence to retrench in the
expenditures and to cut off all u
necessary expenses. This course
absolutely necessary In order to avoi
q reduction in wages, and we wan
II possible, to retain the present wae
scale paid railroad and all other i
dustria employees.
We will devote this article to
discussion Of unnecessary expense
ana whether required by law or pc
nitted by the arrangements of IL
concerns, is wholly immaterlal. "
want all waste labor and extrav
gance. Of whatever character, cut OF
We will mention the full crew bill
Illustrating the character Of unnec(
sHry expenses to which we refer.
Union Opposes "FuIl Crew. Bill.
rbc Texas Farmers Union reg
ter>d its opposition to this charact
oil legislation at the last annual me
ing held in Fort Worth, Tex, Augl
4, 1914, by resolution, which we quo
as follows:
The matter Of prime importar
to the farmers of this state Is an a.
quate and efficient marketing systel
and we recognize that such a syst
ia impossible without adequate RI