Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-05-24
Fair Play Gat the Producer

Fair Play lot the Producer
L. B. Irish, XXI farm, sends the
following from a recent issue of The
Christian Herald as a contribution to
the Ollapodrida column
Having noticed of late, in your edi-
torials, comments on the high cost of
living / think it time that the farm
er's side Of the situation is given a
little attention. The farmer lis not in
a position to make prices to suit him
self, if he were SO inclined. To bring
the point before you, | will ask you
who makes the prices on all farm
products? Are they not made by
few men in your cities? Are they not
made by men who are members OF
your chambers Of commerce? Have
you ever known of any board Of farm
ers demanding a certain price? Do
you know that the farmer is the only
producer that has no voice in the
selling price of his product? He takes
what is offered, and that regardless
of the cost of production, in many in
stances.
Some time ago the meat-packers,
while in convention in Cincinnati, had
the question put to them, who would
stand the loss if an embargo was
placed on meat products. It was
agreed that an embargo would affect
made no difference to them as they
merely acted as a clearinghouse be-
tween the farmer and the consumer,
and that the loss would have to fall
to the farmer or producer. He was
honest, at least, and he left no doubts
in our mind on the point. But why
should the producer saddle the bur-
den? Why not divide the loss with
the packers?
The writer of this letter has not
always lived on Dakota prairie farm
He went to work with the whistle and
he has seen about thirty-five years of
the ups and downs of life in a large
city. He has been one of the dinner
pail squad | was one of the many
who thought that everything the farm
err sold grew on trees. and that the
woods were full of them. Since leav-
ing the city, l have learned that
knew little or nothing of the ques-
tons the farmer meets with. You
asked us to raise a big crop. We
answer that big crop cannot be
raised at profit to us. That seems
strange, doesn't it? 1t can easily be
proven. The crop of 1918, which was
regarded as the largest crop this
country ever produced, was raised at
loss to the farmers of the north
west? Why? Because we got fer it
less than the cost of production. We
were at the mercy of few city peo-
pie. Had we had voice in the price
of that crop, we would have had at
least fair margin of profit for our
labor. AS it was, that crop left a bad
taste with us.
When anyone is asked to put spe-
cial effort into anything he is prom
ised some special reward. You prom
ise us the everlasting gratitude Of
the people in the cities. The re-
ward in itself is worth striving for.
But allow me to ask you how we farm
ers are going to buy and pay for your
high-priced city manufactured goods,
of which we are large consumers?
We will have the everlasting graft
tude, it is true, and we will also
have a beggarly price for our crop.
Will the city people come to our
rescue and instead of asking us to
pay them for their products of the
factories and mills at the present rate
of eight hours work and ten hours
pay, will they let us have their products
at the rate of twelve hours work and
ten hours pay? The farmer fails to
see why he should work from day
light to dark, without ever thinking
of the half or full holidays that the
city man never overlooks, and with
no more reward than the good wishes
Of the city people.
You may think that the writer is
heartless. Oh, no; / have sisters and
brothers, as well as an old father and
mother, who are feeling the effects of
be high prices. However, that does