The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-04-23
PAYROLL Of
CIVILIZATION MET
BY FARMER
WANTS NO "DEAOHEADS" ON
LIST OF employees.
ia CALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
by Peter Radford

by Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union
The farmer IL the paymaster OF
industry and as such he must meet
the nations payroll. When industry
pays It's bill 1t must make q sight
draft upon agriculture for the amount
which the farmer 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
hidden treasures in the earth or
traverse the skies, but in the end 1t
will rest upon the soil. No dollar
will remain suspended In midair; 1t is
IS certain to seek the earth's surface
- an apple that falls from a tree.
When a farmer buys a pillow he pays
the man who mined the metal. the
wOodman' who felled the tree. the
manufacturer who assembled the raw
material and shaped 1t into an ar
ticle Of usefulness, the railroad that
transported 1t and the 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 and the same applies to
al articles Of use and diet of him.
self and those engaged In the sub
sldtary lines Of industry.
There 10 no payroll In civilization
that does not rest upon the back
Of the farmer. He must pay the bills
all Of them.
The total value of the nations
annual agricultural products is around
81, 0O0. OO0, 900. and It is safe to esti.
mate that IS cents on every dollar
goes to meeting the expenses Of sub
O1diary industries. The farmer does
DOT work more than thirty minutes
Per day for himself; the remaining
khiYteen hours of the days toll he
,devotes to meeting the payroll Of the
hired hands of agriculture. such as
the manufacturer. railroad. CONNER
,cial and other servants.
Tho Farmers Payroll and How He
Meets It.
The annual payroll Of agriculture
approximates ST., 000, 000, o0O. A por-
ton of the amount is shifted to for
eign countries in exports, but the
total payroll of industries working for
the farmer divides substantially as
follows: Railroads. s1,252. 5000.
manufacturers, S4,365, $1,000; mining,
$685., 00O, 900; banks, 100000, 900;
mercantile $500. ooO, 900. and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder.
It takes the corn crop, the most
valuable in agriculture. which sold
last rear for $1.692, 100000. to pay off
the employees Of the railroads; the
money derived from our annual sales
u livestock OF approximately $4,000
100000, the yearly cotton crop, valued
at 1920. 600. 900; the wheat crop,
which Is worth 610.0O0.0OO and the
.oat crop, that is worth $440, 900, 900,
,aro required to meet the annual pay
nh OF the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
staple crops is used In meeting the
payroll Of the bsnkers. merchants,
etc. After these obligations are paid.
the farmer has only q few punches OF
vegetables, some fruit and poultry
which be can sell and call the pro.
ceeds his own.
When the farmer pays of his help
10 has very little left and to meet
these tremendous payrolls he has
been forced to mortgage homes, work
women In the field and increase the
hours Of his labor. We are. there
lore. compelled to call upon all in
1ustries dependent upon the farmers
4s1or subsistence to retrench In their
expenditures and to cut OF all un-
Unnecessary expenses. This course is
Nhsolutely necessary In order to avoid
reduction In wages, and we want,
possible, to retain the present wage
SdSDcale paid railroad and all other In
1nstrial employees.
W. VIII devote this article to q
1kDcussion OF unnecessary expenses
nnd whether required by law or per-
nitted By the arrangements OF the
ooncerns, II wholly immaterial. We
Muant all waste labor and extrava.
saenuco Of whatever character. cut out,
NJ Will mention the full crew bill az
Education n . developing Of tn,
.mfnA. not ! stunning Of the memory
Dfeest what you read.