The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-02-19
PAYROLL Of
CIVILIZATION MET
BY FARMER
WANTS NO "DEADHEADS" ON
LIST OF EMPLOYEES.
A GALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
BY Peter Radford

The farmer Is the paymaSter OF
industry and as such he must meet
the nations payroll When industry
pays its bill II must make a 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; It is
as certain to seek the earth's surface
as an apple that falls from a tree
When a farmer buys a pillow he pays
the man who mined the metal the
wocdman who felled the tree, the
manufacturer who assembled the raw
material and shaped It into an ar.
ticle of usefulness, the railroad that
transported It and the dealer who
sold him the goods He pays the
wages Of labor and capital employed
in the transaction as well az pays
for the tools. machinery, buildings,
etc, used In the construction OF the
commodity and tho same applies to
all articles of use and diet OF him.
self and those engaged in the sub
sidiary lines of industry
There is no payroll in civilization
thC, 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
Sl2, 600, 000. 900 and II is safe to osti.
mate that 50 cents on every dollar
goes to meeting the expenses OF suD.
sidiary industries The farmer does
not work more than thirty minutes
per day for himself; the remaining
thirteen 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.
The Farmers Payroll and How He
Meets II.
The annual payroll Of agriculture
approxlmates $i2, 900, 00O. 900 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.O 900. 900
manufacturers, S4,365, OOO, 600; mining.
$685., 900. 900; banks, 100000 900:
mercantile $4,000, 600 900, and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder.
II takes the corn crop, the most
valuable in agriculture, which sold
last year for $l,C92, 600, 900, to pay on
the employees OF the railroads; the
money derived from our annua. sales
Of livestock OF approximately $4,000.
100000, the yearly cotton crop, valued
at $4,000 900; the wheat crop
which is worth 500. 1000. 900, and the
oat crop, that is worth &f40, 0OO, 900
are required to meet the annual pay
roll Of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
staple crops is used in meeting tho
payroll OF the bankers, merchants
etc. After these obligations are paid
the farmer has only a few bunches o
vegetables, some fruit and poultry
which he can sell and call the pro
cecds his own
When the farmer pays on his hell
he has very little left and to NEE
these tremendous payrolls he ha,
been forced 10 mortgage homes, worn
women In the field and increase thI
hours Of his labor. We are, there
fore, compelled 10 call upon all In
dustrics dependent upon the farmer
for subsistence to retrench In theil
expenditures and TO cut ON sill un
necessary expenses This course II
absolutely necessary in order to avoiI
a reduction IN wages, and we want
II possible, to retain the present wagI
scale paid railroad and all other In
dustrial employees
We will devote this article 10
discussion OF unnecessary expenseI
and whether required by law or per
mitted by the arrangements Of TN
concerns. is wholly immaterial. w
want all waste labor and eXtrava
Eance. OF whatever character, cut Out
We will mention the full crew bill