Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-12-27
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- STRIKING 4 BALANCE. :.
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(Southern Ruralist. }

realization Of the truth OF the phrase.
! The necessities of life are most con-
| spicuously affected and food Is the
| CHIEF Of all necessities. The farmer
being the chief producer OF food, It
| is perhaps but natural that many
| people suppose that the farmer must
| have become the chief beneficiary Cf
| the higher prices for these necessi-
| ties.
The National Grange at its recent
annual session, recognized this pre-
vailing misconception by appointing
Il special committee to present the
| real facts. The result WAS the issue
OF proclamation" from which We
| herewith present several statements
worthy OF careful consideration.
The most important and general
conclusion is that the farmer is not
receiving either an unjust share Or
an eXhorbitant return for his labor.
AS Il matter Of fact the increased
! cost Of the materials entering into
the production Of many agricultural
products is proportionately greater
than the increased cost OF the pro-
! ducc to the consumer. Dairy pro-
ducts made from present high-priceJ
feed stuffs is good illustration OF
the fact.
The assertion in this grange proc
lamation" that on the ten-year aver
age OF prices the producer is no.
getting living price" is well illus
tratcd in the case Of the great cotton
crop OF the South We hear much
| Of wealth brought to the cotton
grower through the 20-cent price for
his present crop. We forget that two
years ago cotton which cost 8 Il cents
to grow was selling at less than 7k
cents. 1t is not the ups or downs OF
a single season which tell the final
tale. 1t is the average which counts.
The lean and the fat years must both
be counted before we can strike a
correct balance.
"ln many countries with cheap Ia
bor and high-priced lands the yield
per acre exceeds that of the United
States. The American farmer with
! cheap lands and high-priced labor
produces many times as much per
man as does the farmer of any coun--
try in the world.
1T must be borne in mind that the
high prices have struck the farmer in
whatever he buys, as much as they
have the city consumer. Farm labor
is scarcer and higher than ever be-
fore in this country. Everything the
farmer buys, whether machinery, fer
tilizcr, fencing, clothing, or the nee
cssaries OF life. has increased in price
by leaps and bounds. This is also
true OF taxation, the increase being
in many sections 50 per cent or
! more, during the last five years.
"The fact that nearly one-half OF
the civilized world has left the field
OF production and entered upon the
work OF destruction has increased
the demand for all kinds OF products
will be high for several years, espe-
cially for manufactured goods. Az
to the products Of the farm the fix
ing OF prices is mainly by the law OF
supply and demand in the markets of
the world. The farmer competes
| with the cheapest paid labor on
earth. When he sells some Of his
products, as he did only a few yean
ago. at less than cost, he gets no re-
dress, no reduction in taxes nor in
anything he buys, and 1t would be
very unfair, when he is getting a fair
price for some OF his products, TO
place an embargo on what he pro-
duces to lower the price and ulti-
mately reduce the supply. SO that
an embargo on wheat and other ce-
reals would in the long run mean
decreased acreage. But if embar-
goes are to be placed to help the sit
uation, it should be on manufactured
goods, particularly munitions OF war.
This would give the farmer more la
borers and reduce the prices OF what
he buys.
we believe that in some instances
production has been restricted by
trusts and monopolies. This is par
ticularly true Of the meat situation.
as many Of the villages, towns and
cities in many sections are not per-
mitted to kill their own meats be-
cause Of the unfair competition from
the packing interests.
I'VE further believe that while the
CrOOS have bppn short vnt tboro ;o