The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-02-13
Is Cost Of Living
Blamed On Farmer?
Editor Rural World

Dear Sir: The consumer and the
producer must not quarrel. They must
make common cause against their COM
mon enemy-the special privilege par
asites who rob both.
Joseph Hartigan, commissioner of
weights and measures, New York, is
charging the farmer with the high
cost of living" He accuses the farm
er with Understanding the crop pro-
duction in order to boost the prices"
Absurd, the farmer is bear" on
the market, selling his crops seventy
times out of hundred directly from
the field, gambling that the price will
not go higher and giving to the bear"
the advantage of immediate delivery to
smash down prices.
II all our cities, big and little, would
establish municipal markets, cold stor-
age plants and slaughter houses; IL, in
addition to this, they would devote spe-
cial attention to reducing the cost of
distribution between producer and con-
sumner and in getting rid of the gam
blers in all the necessaries OF life,
they would produce results worth
while.
This attempt to put the blame on the
farmer for the increase in the cost Of
living is ridiculous from the economic
vfn Int h,tN naI fro yuhar
it is seen to be part of a movement Of
the exploiting interests to make bad
blood" between the city workers and
the farmers. The slogan, Feed Amer
lea First" is mighty catching to stam-
pede the harassed city dweller to de-
mand an embargo on food products,
and has all the potency of red flag to
bull to infiame the farmers against
the labor classes and get them to
fight all labor legislation.
Reduced to its last analysis this plan |
to place an embargo on food products |
means that the farmer is to be robbed |
of his share of prosperity and made to |
bear the entire burden of the increased |
profits of manufacturers and mer-
chants and increased wages to city !
workers. The anti-dumping clause in |
the last revenue bill will prohibit the
sale of imported merchandise and
articles at less price
han similar articles manufactured in
he United States, thus requiring the
consumer to continue to pay after the !
var is over, the enormous war prices
low being placed on our manufactured |
articles and merchandise. Provision |
has also been made to give our mer
chants, manufacturers and bankers a |
free hand in combining to capture for |
eign trade, and now these advantages |
are to be supplemented by an embar-
go on the export of farmers manufac-
tured articles-for wheat, corn, pork, |
beef, butter, etc, are his manufacture
ed articles. To place the farmers pro-
duct under an embargo would result in |
nothing less than ruinous prices for |
the farmer, a veritable gambling orgy |
for the food spectators, and the de-
velopment of a spirit of enmity be-
tween farmers and city workers that |
would take quarter of a century to
heal This dividing of the nations |
workers would inevitably result in the !
of big business with
increased power to exploit both the
producer and the consumer.
The farmer is not unmindful OF the
hard situation that confronts the city
worker and his family in the increased
cost of living, but instead of attempt
ing to cut down farmers profits, i'm.
mediate relief should come in increas-
ed wages to meet the present abnorm-
al conditions. The permanent RENE
dy is to solve the marketing prob
lem by killing off every parasite who
lives without working and grows rich
by robbing the worker of his full
wage.
C. b. KEGLEY,
Master. Washington State Grange.