The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-04-23

PAYROLL Of
CIVILIZATION MET
| BY FARMER
WANTS NO "DEADHEADS" ON
LIST OF employees.
IN CALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
70 PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union

ey Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union
The farmer ID the paymaster OF
industry and - such he must meet
the nations payroll. When industry
pays its bill it 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
lstdiary lines Of industry.
There IL 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
.412,0 O0. 000, 900. and 1t is safe to esti.
mate that IS cents on every dollar
goes to meeting the expenses of sub
sidiary Industries. The farmer does
pot work mor than thirty minutes
per day for himself; the remaining
khirteen 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 Il.
The annual payroll OF agriculture
approximates $4,000. 10000 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. S~l.252.o00. 900;
manufacturers. s4,365, 900 1000, mining.
$685., GOO, 900; banks. 100000, 900:
mercantile $500. 900 900. and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder.
1t takes the corn crop. the most
valuable in agriculture. which sold
hast year for 1852. 100000. to pay off
the employees Of the railroads; the
money derived from our annual sales
d livestock Of approximately $4,000
100000, the yearly cotton crop, valued
at $4,000, 900; the wheat crop.
which is worth 500, 10000 and the
.oaf crop. that is worth $4,000 900.
,aro required to meet the annual pay
IlNll 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 lunches Of
vegetables. some fruit and poultry
which he can sell and call the pro.
oeeds his owl.
When the farmer pays OF his help
- 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
tore. compelled to call upon all in.
a1ustries dependent upon the farmers
ag4Or subsistence to retrench In their
expenditures and to cut OF all un-
expenses. This course is
absolutely necessary In order to avoid
# reduction In wages, and we want.
Z possible. to retain the present wage
51fca1e paid railroad and all other In
1nstrial employees.
w win devote this article to q
1Dcussion OF unnecessary expenses
|iSnA whether required by law or per-
aSnfkted by the arrangements Of the
ncerns. Ii wholly immaterial. We
want al waste labor and extrava-
snonce. 81 whatever character. cut out.
40 Vim mention the full crew bill as
Uducation n Z developing OF the
iniud. MT : stufing Of the memory.
DleosE what ION read.
Old mGa have visions. young men
49, Anaanmn. Successful farmers