The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-12-30
CONGRESS, THE FARMER AND
THE REST OF US.

In view OF the fact that in the last
census decade every great agrlcultur-
al state east of the Rocky Mountains
excepting Texas and the Dakotas
grew slower than the nation as
whole did, it is time that the law
makers of the country turned their
attention to legislation which will 90
for the farmer what such laws as the
Federal Reserve Act and the conser-
walton acts are doing for the bust
ness man.
The secretary of agriculture mas
nut his hand on the weak place IN
the farmers relation to the business
world. While a manufacturer always
knows more about the worth OF his
product than the man who buys 1t,
the farmer always knows less. The
cotton buyer at the gin and the grain
buyer at the elevator know more
about the quality of wheat and cot
ton than does the farmer.
The explanation is simple enough.
The manufactures makes things; the
farmer grows them. The manufac-
turer becomes an expert on quality
in the very process OF manufacture;
but the work of testing and grading
grain or cotton is "a trade by Itself.
The cotton or grain expert need
know nothing about raising the pro-
duct he judges, nor does the farmer
as farmer, learn to judge qua!ltles.
This produces a state OF things
which ought to interest us all. 1t IS
of tremendous interest to the farmer
that he often sells a first class article
for a second class price. 1t should
be of tremendous interest to the rest
of us that the farmer has not the
stimulus to produce high grades OF
cotton and of grain which the manu-
facturer has to produce high grades
of manufactured goods-the stimu-
lus which can only come to him IN
a market where high quality always
commands it's price. 1t is OF inter-
lest to every farmer and every con-
,sumer that the farmer should get eV-
cry cent his product is worth IN the
market-that the profit OF raising
wheat of extra weight or cotton OF
extra long staple should go to the
grower, and not to the mlddleman
with the trained eye.
The first step toward this consum-
nation is to establish by law stan
dards for farm products, according
tn which they must be bought and
sold in the market The present
congress ought to pass cotton stan
dards act and grain grades act.
This is as elementary a duty on
the part of congress as coming money
is The government does not put
coin into circulation; it merely takes
your gold and stamps it, certifying
that every $40 piece weighs 25S
grains and is nine-tenths fine. Be-
fore coinage was invented-that Is,
before the government established a
money standard-merchant carried
balances and weighed out dust and
nuggets. The establishment Of
coinage prevented much cheating and
put an end to much trading in the
dark. The government ought to es-
tablish standard for cotton and
wheat just as it did for gold.
The establishment of grain and
cotton standards would cause the
markets of the world to quote fancy
prices for fancy grades and give the
farmer a rational motive for making
his product as good as he could, and
not simply good enough to pass IN
spection. 1t would then pay assocla-
lions of farmers to hire expert grad
ers of cotton and of grain, and so
establish conditions in which the sell
er knew as we'll what he was selling
as the buyer knew what he was buy
ing.
Then, with licensed warehouses,
for the storage of agricultural pro-
ducts, whose certificates would be as
good collateral as st. Louis eleva-
tor certificate is, the farmer would
be equipped to sell as all other
classes of producers sell-on even
terms with the buyer.-St. Louis Re-
public.
Aot;no If prohating Will.