Omaha daily bee., 1917-09-12
Farmer States His Case.

Peru, Neb. Sept. ITO the Editor
Of The Bee: l have just read the
article in The Bee where Neal scores
the man who holds wheat for high
prices.
Now think Mr.. Neal is rather pre-
mature in applying the word Stacker
to the farmer just at this time. for
l think the farmer should have been
given time to take UP his belt after
the government hit him such a Jolt in
the wheat bin. l am a farmer and
belong to the majority OF real farm
ers in Nebraska-a renter-and l am
pretty we'll acquainted with the feel
ing among the farmers in this COM
munity respecting government price
fixing, and have yet to hear any word
of complaint from any farmer who has
expressed himself as dissatisfied with
the government fixing the price on
farm products, providing the govern
ment will fix a fair price on the art-
ces that the farmer has to buy, and
I know of no farmer who Is asking for
more than market price for wheat for
seed. I sold my wheat for s2.25 a
bushel, and delivered it, from the
threshing machine when it was worth
s2.65 on the market. I kept in the
-four for family use, and II any farmer
wants this fifty bushels Of wheat for
seed he can have it at market price,
and / can tell him of other farmers
of the neighborhood who will sell all
the wheat they have for seed at mar
ket price.
Mr.. Neal seems to get the idea that
because the farmers did not haul their
wheat to market the next day after
the government took charge of the
wheat buying that they are slackers,
profiteers and enemies to the govern
ment. On behalf OF farmers Of Ne
braska | resent such accusations and
contend that the farmer is just as
willing to do his bit and just as loyal
to the government as any other class
of men-as evidenced by the boys
from the farm who have volunteered
their services to their country. / have
no objection to Mr.. Neal or anyone
else applying the word Stacker to a
real Stacker, but do not think he Is
justified in calling the farmer Stacker
just at this time and think he has done
more harm than good--for all slack
ers are not farmers-and when the
government fixes prices on the articles
which the farmer has to buy there
will be no complaint from the farmer.
The farmer will be found doing his
bit willingly and without complaint
no matter what the sacrifice.
AS an evidence Of slackers and prof.
teers, l call your attention to the i'm
plement dealers and manufacturers of
shoes and leather goods; also sugar
manufacturers When Mr.. Hoover
came to look over the food situation
he told us that we ought not to be
paying more than Sc per 100 for
sugar; yet we are paying from 50 to
$40 per 100 for it. AS another instance
of profiteering, our local implement
dealer sold certain cultivator for $31
until he had sold all he had ordered
for his spring trade, and to supply his
customers after that he ordered them
at the wholesale house at Omaha or
Council Bluffs, each time with an in
crease in price, until the last cultiva-
tor he sold cost the purchaser $36. !
don't believe the last cultivator ordered
had cost any more to place on the
market than the first one, as there
were only a few days between the sale
of the first cultivator and the last
one and no doubt the last oultivator
ordered was in stock in the warehouse
when the first cultivator ordered was
shipped; therefore 1t had cost nobody
an extra penny.
Now l am wearing pair Of COM
mon work shoes that I paid So for
just about two years ago. That same
shoe today would cost me IS. Two
years ago + shipped a cow hide that
sold for II cents pound. Last April
I sold another COW hide, equally as
good, for II cents a pound. Now
here are some places where I think
Mr.. Neal can use his branding iron.
Now Mr.. Neal may brand the slack
ers wherever he finds them. but farm
ers will not submit to the branding
iron unless he brands a. few Of the
other slackers. AS evidence that ! am
not a Stacker, volunteered my serv-
ices and served on the registration
board of my precinct. ! purchased a
Liberty bond, I contributed to the
Young Mems Christian association
fund. to the Red Cross fund and to
the base ball fund for the boys. l
also have two sons who volunteered
"heir services; one Is In Company B,
the other in Company D, Fifth Me-
braska regiment, and am still ready