The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-08-16

To the Citizens of the First Legislative

Dlstrlct OF tennessee county.
When decided to enter my name as
candidate for State Representative in
the first district of Genesee Co., real
lied that there were hundreds of people
in this district that never heard of me
before and for this reason feel that it
is my duty to tell the people some of
the things for which l stand and why ]
desire to go to the legislature.
believe in law and order. | believe
in constructive legislation and not in
that which destroys or weakens the
fabric of our institutions whether they
be industrial, agricultural. mercantile
or governmental. | hold in contempt
the man who resorts to criticism and
blackguardism and yet has nothing bet
ter to offer than the men whom he as
sails. am Republican but the des-
tiny of my country today is in. the
hands of Democrat, therefore. every
word and act of mine, trivial though
they are. shall be directed to add just
little mite to the mighty power of
Woodrow Wilson. dare say that no
citizen of the United States will deny
that our statesmen of the past, regard
less of party, have made some terrible
mistakes. perhaps even the world war
might have been prevented had we but
foreseen the ultimate consequence of the
murderous machine that Germany spent
over forty years in perfecting. But
"this is no time to make reply, no time
to reason why, but the time to do and
de-"
Let us turn our eyes to the future
and while we are carrying light and
hope to the stricken and wounded and
bleeding common people of Europe, let
US also look at the welfare of our own
people in the great days that are to
come after the war. am a farmer
and therefore am quite familiar with
farm conditions. What l say along
this line does not apply to the abnormal
conditions that exist at present. The
Federal Administration has deemed it
absolutely necessary to fix the price in
certain foodstuffs and whether these
prices be right or wrong they will not
be questioned until the unconditional
surrender of our enemies.
All rational political economists agree
that the law of supply and demand
should regulate the price of all farm
products. This is true in theory but
the fact is that the law of supply and
demand has been a dead letter for years
past and will continue to remain 50 as
long as certain conditions are allowed
to exist in this country. The great
majority of farmers need their money
most in the fall Of the year when the
expenses of the farm must be met. AL
most without fail at this time of the
year. wheat will bring about Soc per
bushel, oats 35c per bushel, rye Zoe per
bushel, barley 81. 80 per hundred pounds,
hay 8 to 10 dollars per ton, and 80 on in
the same ratio with all farm products.
Later on when these products are out
of the farmers hands and controlled by
our financial kings the prices will soar.
lnasmuch as during the course of the
entire year these products all find q
market, why is it that the manipulation
is allowed to reap great profits on farm
products and the man who digs them
from the soil is shunted off with prices
that barely meet the cost of production,
very often fall far below it. My an
swer is, that it is because some of our
lawmakers do not understand the sit
uation and those that are fully CONVEX
SAINT with it do not care. There are
men in this country whose chief aim in
life is to enlarge the barrier which to-
day stands between the farmer and his
city brother. They delight in pointing
to the enormous prices of farm pro-
ducts as they are retailed in the city
and then derisively tell how the farm
ers are complaining and how they must
want the earth. Only short time ago
/ heard city man protesting that he
had to pay COO per Id. for ham. What
he said about the farmers was any,
thing but complimentary. When told
him that at that time hogs were bring
ing the farmer 15c per ID. he would not
believe it until / showed him the official
market quotation. When | told him
that it takes 10 bushels of 81. 80 per blu.
corn to produce 100 lbs of pork, he fig
ured it out and said that be would not
attempt to fat any hogs If he were a
farmer. 1t would take too much space
for me to run the whole gamut of prices
but here are just few comparisons for
my city brother to mediate upon. Oats
today are bringing the farmer &c per
pound. Oatmeal is selling over the
counter for SC per Id. Barley is bring
ing the farmer $500 per hundred
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