Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-14
Be Decently Fair with Farmers.


Alongside its leading editorial on
/ Friday, the Boston Journal published
the following letter. showing that the
gospel of common sense and fairness
which we have been preaching for
months is at last seeping into some of
the gray cells of the metropolitan
press. It is true that the letter itself
might have been taken from Kennebec
Journal editorials, but the fact that the
doctrine springs from another source
and has been given a wider publicity
than we could give it. serves as an ex-
! cuse to show our readers that others
are seeing the point The communica-
tons follows:
! To the Editor of The Journal:
! Why not make the world safe" for
the farmers? Why not grant equal JUS
tice, fair play and the right to a de-
cent living and reasonable profits to
the food producers of the land, who
represent such a small and steadily
decreasing proportion of our popula-
ton? Surely, the promises made in
the Constitution of these United States
apply to citizens who are food produc-
ers as well as to others who produce
less important things or produce Moth
ing at all. Why not wake up the
sleeping Constitution and invoke it's
aid?
There has been a steadily increasing
clamor in the press for the Smashing
of food prices" On publication Of the
| United States Department of Agricul-
lures July forecast of food crops, this
clamor has been doubled. The Boston
Globe editorially calls for "conscrip-
ton" of every bushel' of this food
crop. The Post suggests that Hoover
! bring Americans to the same stand in
relation to foods that the Teutons have
adopted, and tells us that the imperial
! government of Germany is making a
move to prevent "hoarding of food sup
plies by certain portions of the popula-
| ton, principally the farming popula-
| ton" The American has both direct
ly and indirectly suggested confisca-
! ton Of foodstuffs and yelps frantically
for the smashing of food prices" Even
! The Journal, which generally exhibits
more sanity and common sense than all
the rest put together, joins the hue and
cry of the pack.
The food producers of the country.
/ the soldiers of the commissary," have
responded nobly to the appeal to their
Patriotism: Farmers, your country
needs you. Produce more food" The
food producer has paid the high cost
of living with all the rest of US; he has
invested his capital and borrowed and
invested more money. sometimes
straining his credit to the limit so that
he could increase the food supply of a
world in need. He has fed out high
cost grain and fodder to live stock: he
mas paid for high cost seed and feYtil-
! lzers: higher costs on equipment.
higher cost for labor: and he has
worked early and late for from u to 1s
hours a day, battled with a multitude
of pests, and set his wits to work
AGAINST unfavorable weather condi-
tons, so that we may be fed Is it any
more than right for him to receive
back again his expenses plus a fair
profit and decent living?
The stock feeder has been feeding
and fattening his animals on high
priced grain and he is in a most un-
comfortable position. With corn at
present prices and fat stock at selling
prices now quoted, the hog feeder nets
a loss of 81 on every hundredweight of
lat pork he is producing; the stockman
can figure loss of $26 on each 130o-
pound fat steers. The poultry man has
Eeen responding to the appeal: pro
duce more eggs. raise more poultry
and for the past eight months has been
feeding out grain costing from $50 Der
cent to 200 per cent higher than Ia ST
year, and TOR labor a prevailing higher
rates. Right now he is selling eggs,
chlckens and fowls a prices lower. or
no hlgner. than a year ago same dates
prices that do not pay cost of pro-
auction. Storage houses are closing
thelr doors to egsg and poultry not
contracted for and are full to over
| flowing" If we smash prices" now,
what becomes OF the food producero
Where would we be if farmers
harmed as does the Boston public
safety committee? Think of only los
acres under actual cultivation at a cost
o! $4,000. Think of farming los acres
with a labor expense of $500 a wear
for a boss farmer. SIS per week each
Tor two assistants and 5000 weekly for
additional labor, to say nothing of the
added labor of hundreds Of women and
children. If "safety's" farming ex-
penses. at this rate. cost the city SC
hlgn price, to say nothing of what 1,
Will cost to replace sod on the farmed
park land. why can we not spare
enough funds to pay real farmers a
reasonable profit? Better make the
world safe for farmers.
PRINCE T. WOODS, M. D.
Silver Lake, July IL.
H. n. Hickey. member of the