Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-04-26
Editors Letter Box
Farmers Need Seed.
Kennebec Journal:

Editor Kennebec Journal:
Have Just been reading in the Ken
nebec Journal, What Do You Think
of It?" also a report from Secretary
Houston. Here is the farmers situa-
ton just as it is.
HOW is the farmer to get even enough
grain to plant to produce enough to
Feed his necessary stock the coming
winter. let alone raise any extra for the
nation, when his government allows
spectators to double the price of it?
They buy it at cheap price, hold it,
until the farmer is compelled to paw
any price the spectators or middlemen
wish to ask him, in order to get it.
No farmer but the wealthy ones can
get the money to buy wheat at $3.50 per
bu. and oats at ninety-f1ve cents and
$l.l0 as they are now and probably go
ing higher. Every farmer is patriotic
enough to do his share but he cannot do
the impossible.
II is true that some farmers did make
enough on potatoes this year to buy the
gram at this extortionate price, but the
lucky ones are only tiny fraction of
farmers in this State and section.
IT Is impossible to buy it on credit as
the spectators know and our govern
ment must that the middle class
and poorer owners farms are mort
gagged all they can be and creditors
ready to take them at any moment for
deot, SO they will not trust him with
one nushel OF seed unless he were
10 be backed by the government.
our government, which is surpassed
10 ne by the people. for the people"
couid 90 away with these middIemep
ana spectators by debarring them bv
law from specializing with a nations
etaH OF HE. A system can be devised
winch VIII enable the farmer to sell di-
rect 10 the consumer; also enable the
farmers TO deal directly with each other
ifoIh all sections of the country. The
government must see this also, but the
FARMER does not demand it. so notbino
is done for him.
me government takes a hand in
neiping to better the conditions of every
class or working men but the farmers
ana vet they are willing. even now RI
struggle along with their poor eouin-
ment Tor farming if the governments
"oulo furnish them with seed al reas-
onaoie prices. The spectators sho,ld
not De allowed to bleed the farmers and
poorer classes to death by ADVANCING
prices on commodities already scarce
10 extortionate prices beyond the aver,
age mans pocketbook
Inc farmer is the backbone Of. tho
country and yet the government allows
tnose mean, cadaverous worms Of snec-
ulators to snaw at it's verv vita,s NV
allowing them to soak the farmer aI,
xmas OF high prices on ANYTHING he bas
10 buy, but only paying him one hair
the worth of his labor if he sells to
them. "
True, there are not enough men N
work the farms properly. but who can
pIame any man for preferrins sbort
WORKING hours, better wages and a
wider social life, if he can get those
conditions. to putting in a mere exist.
ence on lonely farm He gets M az,
couragement,s but frequent probes to
produce more and ask less for his wor1,
There are many city men who would
prefer farm life if they could have ~
same advantages here as in the c,tv
But with SO few laws to protect tho no.
tons feeders, most men prefer tn "T et
George Do It."
But right now, shortage of funds to
q r,
extra large crop, or even a necessar ilv
large one. is staring the farmer in the
race. What Is the government going
TO 40 ABOUT 1T? The farmer is short Of
seeu' 1000 and help. and I know Of a
community or ten farmers where there
is hardly enough seed or macbinerv
among them ali to cultivate one farm
properly Yet these men, in order to
earn an honest living. would struggle
along without murmer. If they could
get any money to buy the necessary
seed for this summers crop
After expanding nearly every cent for
necessary food (the farmer does not
nor can not buy the dainties which
most city people do) during the winter
when ne gets for his Fall crop, and he
Is not oVerpaid for his produce, he is
then left to purchase more seed than he
ordinarily does, at prices which are
double that Of most years.
Of course his aesthetic tastes are not
so highly developed that he minds
wearing an old pair Of overalls the wear
around, which are so permeated with
sweat and soil that they obliginglv
stand in the corner at night and he
simply has to stumble into them at
four o'clock each morning. But he does
need food that is palatable enough to
encourage him tired as he is after his
hard work, to partake of enough nour-
ishment to keep him going But he can
not get it at the prevailing prices
which are just as high to him as to the
city man.
The farmer never complains. He
mortgages his farm to buy machinery,
food and seed. hoping to keep his head
above water. He overworks every day,
as any one knows that a sixteen-hour
day Of real manual labor is a strain on
a man. At last. being nearly cripple,
hard year spells failure for him and
a Spectator takes his farm for debt.
He Is then left to go to the city and find
such QYnnlOVrncpf q man ~, III. ,l,.