The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-02-05
PAYROLL OF
CIVILIZATION MET
BY FARMER
WANTS NO "DEADHEADS" ON
LIST OF EMPLOYEES.
A CALL UPON THE LAW MAKERS
TO PREVENT USELESS TAX
UPON AGRICULTURE.
ey Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union

Lecturer National Farmers Union
The farmer Is the paymaster OF
| industry and as such he must meet
the nations payroll. When industry
pays It's bill Il must make q sight
draft upon agriculture for the amount.
which tho farmer is compelled to
honor with out 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
as certain to seek the earths surface
as an apple that falls from tree.
When farmer buys a plow he pays
the man who mined the metal, the
woodman who felled the tree. tho
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 AZ pays
for the tools, machinery, buildings.
etc., used in the construction Of the
commodity and the 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
that does not rest upon tho back
Of the farmer. He must pay the bills
all Of them.
The total value OF the nations
annual agricultural products Is around
$4,000. 900. 900, and II is safe to esti-
mate that 95 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
devotes to meeting the payroll OF the
hired hands OF agriculture. such as
the manufactures, railroad, CONNER
cial and other servants.
The Farmers Payroll and How He
Meets II.
The annual payroll Of agriculture
approximates $4,000. 100000. A por>
tion OF the amount Is shifted TO for.
eign countries In exports. but the
sotal payroll Of industries working for
the farmer divides substantially as
follows: Railroads, 31,252, ,000. 900;
manufacturers. 1885, 100000: mining.
$b56, ,000. 900; banks, 100000, 900;
mercantile $500. .oo0. 900. and q heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder
II takes tho corn crop, the most
valuable In agriculture. which sold
last year for 1882, ,o00. 900. to pay OF
the employees of the railroads; the
money derived from our annua. sales
of livestock Of approximately $2,o00.-
5000, the yearly cotton crop. valued
at $920,00), 900; the wheat crop.
which Is worth 610.o00.000. and the
oat crop, that Is worth $440.000,000.
are required to meet the annual pay
roll Of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
staple crops Is used In meeting the
payroll Of the bankers. merchants,
etc. After these obligations are paid.
the farmer has only few lunches of
vegetables. some fruit and poultry
which no can sell and call the pro-
ceeds his cwn.
When tho farmer pays OF his help
he 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
fore, comps slled to call upon all In
dustries dependent upon the farmers
| for subsistence to retrench In their
expenditures and to cut on all un-
necessary expenses. This course 10
absolutely necessary In order TO avoid
q reduction in wages. and we want,
II possible, to retain the present wage
scale paid railroad and all other In.
dustrial employees.
| We will devote this article to .
discussion Of unnecessary expenses
and whether required BY law or per.
mitted by the manasements Of the
concerns. ia wholly immaterial. We
want all waste labor and extava-
Gancs, Of whatever character. cuf out.
We wilt mention the full crew bin -
NlustrAtins the character Of unneces.
tAsy expenses to which We refer.
Union opposss "Fuii Crew" s.ll
The Tssas Fsrmsrs' tnion regis.
tered its opposition to this chAra6ter
Of legislation at the last annual Meos-
Ing held In Fort Worth, Ter. Autust
4. 1915, By resolution. which ws Qtose.
- follows:
"rhs matter Of prime importance
to the farm srD OF this state ID a. adt'
ouate ana cficitnt mAfks(ine tttttfh, |,
and W tetoshite that sueh Z 6yUkUp
10 inpc.sibie y1tAeut AdS!ylts g.