The Sauk Centre herald., 1916-08-24


called upon to address a gathering OF
local farmers called together for the
ostensible purpose of organizing a
farmers elevator company, Mr.. Min
cite did not explain, and we have not
found out yet.
Believe US, Mr.. Randall proved
himself to be some jaw-smith and as
an agitator he had an old-fashioned
Nichols and Shepard vibrator separa-
tor skinned seven ways from the jack
and he was even noiser than the sep
arator.
He informed the farmers. that it
was awful the way they had been SO
robbed by the innumerable trusts that
they could not even afford to come in
tc town with horse teams but had to
drive in in their own automobiles
that they were easy marks, the prey
of sharpers who plundered them of
their substance, but failed to inform
them that the slickest way to work
the agriculturists is for some near
farmer with gabeous gift of CAB,
and stentorian voice, to paint so lu-
rid a word picture of their real or
imaginary wrongs, that while the
farmers were holding up their hands
in holy horror at their own terrible
condition which they had just discov-
cred, the discloser could 60 through
their pockets without difficulty and
flim-flam them out of their loose
change.
The speaker skillfully resorted to
the old-time, overworked subterfuge
Of endeavoring to arouse and create
prejudice between country and town
dwellers, characterizing the later as
parasites" feeding and fattening up
on the former, ignoring the fact
that country prosperity and town
prosperity are interdependent; that
one follows the other as naturally as
the night follows the day. You can
not have a prosperous town without
a prosperous country or a prosperous
country without a prosperous town,
any more than you can churn rancid
butter out of the milk of human kind
ness.
In this region, at least, the pros
perity of all business is based on ag
riculture and the volume of the bus
mess transacted depends almost en-
tirely upon the prosperity of the
farmer, and the theory that all other
olo Of h,,c
gantic conspiracy to reduce the farm
er's income is as preposterous the
ory as that they would burn up their
stocks of goods and merchandise in
order that they might sell the ashes.
Any men or set of men who declare
that Commercial Club whose invited
guests they were and whom they neg
lected to thank for their courtesy in
granting them the free use of, their
hall, but at which the speaker openly
sneered while enjoying their hospital
ity, would not gladly welcome any
means, from whatever legitimate
source derived, that would increase
the prosperity of the farmer as glad
ly as they would welcome shower of
silver dollars instead of rain drops, is
either a fool or thinks everybody else
is a fool or can be fooled.
Mr.. Randall was followed by Mr..
Peiterbaugh, the spectacled represen-
tative of the Equity Exchange. He
did not rant like Mr.. Randall but was
smooth, suave and persuasive.
He gave out that there was no con-
nection between the Equity Exchange
and the so-called Farmers League of
North Dakota, when it is a matter of
common knowledge that they are
cheek by jowl. Their potsers are
identical; they travel together and
stop at the same hotels. If they wish
this connection known, why these
clumsy attempts to conceal it?
He also stated that bushel trans
portation for wheat from Duluth to
Liverpool was thirty-three cents. Last
June we saw a contract that was en-
tered into between a Duluth grain
house and an ocean steamer company
for the transportation of cargo of
wheat between these two points for
ninety-six cents a bushel and the con-
tract did not include insurance, and
the grain men were mighty glad to
get the contract at that price. We do
not believe the price of ocean trans
portation has been reduced two-thirds
since that date.
He stated that a grain elevator
could be built in this city every year
out of the profits made by the handl-
ing of the grain delivered at this
point, and that the profits were paid
by the farmers. Possibly this is true.
The Equity people and their coad-
tutors have at the present time 1O5
automobiles travelling through this
state organizing the farmers. Each
car is accompanied by two or more
men at salaries of at least $3.50 per
month and expenses. At moderate
estimate it costs at least $500 month
to maintain each car. That amounts
to $52,5OO each month, enough to
build five elevators or more every