Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-09-10
tBy T.. G.. Dougherty.l

derstandins between the farmer and
his urban customer should be estab-
lished at once, in the view of Senator
Capper. OF Kansas. who today declar-
cd that efforts on the part of the ma
tional board Of farm organizations. ma
tional Grange and other similar bodies
to bring this about should be encour-
aged He suggested that now Is about
the best time to stimulate mutual In
terest and to bring factions that
threatened because Of ignorance OF the
aims of each. to fight each other closer
| together. Senator Capper says that
tho he comes from an agricultural state
and owes his election to the senate to
the farmer vote, he would under no
circumstances take a stand for the
farmer IL the farmer was wrong.
There Is an emergency confrontins
the nation at this time such as we have
never faced before" Senator Capper
said 1T is in some respects fraught
with greater peril than the war threat
| ened. When we entered the war We
knew the strength of our enemy and
knew that thru the mobilization OF our
| great resources in men. money and ma
! terial products, we could win. We had
| measured the task, prepared ourselves
| for payment of the cost and settled
| down to the work Of preparing to over
| come the monster.
| But now we are confronting insidi-
| GUS unseen forces, which no man can
accurately measure. There IS no open
| fighting; no blazing barragcs, but there
is an undermining process going on
that we must be prepared to resist. Its
subtlety makes 1t all the more perilous.
A real ana visible enemy can be me.
and overcome promptly, but the enemy
of discomfort. misunderstanding, pref
! udice and passion is very different
| kind OF enemy to deal with
For Collective Bargaining.
| Senator Capper has introduced a ~
| in the senate which will make 1t clear
| " lawful for farmers to engage in the
| work of collective bargaining. and he
| believes the measure will undoubtedly
become law. He said he has been
promised support by senators, who he
| had supposed were antagonistic to the
measure 1t was so manifestly just. he
said. that It was difficult for him to
see how any person could oppose it.
but, that is another illustration OF
the lack of understanding between the
city and the country" Senator Capper
said How shall we establish that de-
sired understanding If the farmers are
| unable collectively to trade with their
customers? l think the bill provides
way by which this better under
standing can be established"
Senator Capper said he agreed with
Senator Sterling Of South Dakota.
does
not confer any privileges on the farm
er which, under the Clayton law prop
crly understood, he does not already
enjoy. Arrests of farmers who have
formed organizations have been made
thru a misconception Of the Clayton
anti combination law. Senator Cappet
said
Organization Of farmers for the pur
pose Of merchandising their products
is In no sense a conspiracy In restraint
of trade the Kansas senator said. On
the contrary, he declared 1t acts al
stimulous to trade. 1t opens an ave-
nue. from the house In the city to the
wheat bin or corn crib in the country.
so to speak.
| Farmers. like all good citizens.
should be prepared when an emergency
! faces lne country 10 MAKE tHclT
fees and accommodate themselves to
emergency conditions" Senator Cap
per said. But this thing Of requiring
the producer Of food to assume re-
sponsibillty for profiteering Is alto
gether too much. Everybody knows
that the farmer as class has never
been a Stacker. He was ready during
the revolutionary war. during the wal
of 1912, the civrl war the Mexican war
and every conflict In which this coun-
try has taken part. including. and con
spcuously so. the recent world up
heaval"
Senator Capper is a member OF the
sub committee investigating the high
cost Of living. This committee Is try
ing to find who or what Is responsible
for the excessive prices charged fol
everything consumed in the District OF
Columbia and adjacent territory. While
he refused to anticipate the findings of
the committee by announcing Al opin-
ion. he said II was clear that the re-
sponsibility did not rest on the produc-
er. $50 far" he said mo evidence
has been offered which tends to con-
firm the wild stories to the effect tina,
the farmers are profiteerers."
Sioux Rapids Briefs
| e. m