Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-09
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Crofton. Neb.. Nov. a6.-To the
Editor of The Bee: In the issue Of
The Bee November 81 there Is an
editorial entitled Farmers and Good
Government" This editorial con-
sists of fiattery. misleading state
ments and an ostrich-like avoidance
of real facts and actual conditions.
The first paragraph has this state
ment: They discountenance con-
tentions and strikes that disturb
peace and halt prosperity. pledging
aid to the government in its efforts
to support law and order and calling
for a square deal for both capital and
labor" True. And when capital
refuses square deal to labor, then
the farmers consider a strike justi-
fed.
The farmers have never struck in
the past, patiently Flooding along
under intolerable conditions, but now
they are being aroused and are de-
manding Justice. For centuries the
farmers and their families have been,
and still are. overworked and under
paid.
When wheat mounted to 50 4
bushel city jewellers sincerely be-
lieved that farmers were making
vast profits, whereas all farm ma
chinery and wages rose so much
higher in proportion that the farmer
had little or no profit left. The
farmers are the only class which is
dictated to in both buying and SELL
ing. The farmer is told how much,
or rather how little, he shall receive
for whatever he raises and how
(very) much he shall pay for what
ever he buys. II the farmers do not
receive better prices for their prod
ucts, to enable them to live comfort
ably and decently, why shouldn't
they striks? The editorial states:
The farmers of this state are ac-
lively planning for another great
campaign for food production, to add
to the world, as they have for many
years past, another half billion of
material wealth, drawn from the soil
by industrious toll intelligently di
rected." Who gets that half bill
lion? Certainly not the farmers!
And how do you know what the
farmers plan for the coming year?
What il the farmers should get to-
gether and say, 1--WE do not receive
any profit from our toll; we prefer to
work eight to ten hours day instead
of having 16-hour day: let us cut
down the number of acres planted
and sown to grain and seed down,
the. remaining land; raise. less live
stock and thus compel fair prices to
be paid for our products?" If the
farmers should strike thus, and they
will II their wrongs are not righted,
the people would learn the horror of
famine and starvation.
Those who want to be better
posted should read the interesting
article entitled Suppose the Farmer
Should Strike" printed in the Coun-
try Gentleman, October 25.
The city dweller who pays 80 cents
per dozen for eggs thinks that the
farmers are making money, but fails
to realize that the farmers receive
only 40 cents dozen for those same
eggs. There are too many middle
men between producer and con-
sumner. The middleman is the de-
testable cootie Of the human race
and must be stamped out Of exist
ence.
Here is an instance Of human
cootie: An implement dealer, to save
money for his customers, the farm
ers, always ordered direct from his
wholesale firm, thus saving the ex-
penses of travelling salesman. Oc-
casionally that firms travelling sales
man came to this dealer, requesting
the order which he never received.
One day he said to the dealer: Look
here, why don't you order through
me?" The dealer replied: Because
by ordering direct from the firm 1
get big discount and am thus able
to sell the implements at lower prices
to the farmers" The salesman said:
IF I were you | wouldn't be con-
cerned in the least about the farmers
and the prices they have to pay.
What is the difference to you II [
make money on these orders? Let
the farmers pay the higher prices"
The dealer answered: This Is the
difference, I deal with the farmers;
you don't. The farmers sometimes
have it hard enough as 1t Is to pay
fair prices for farm implements with
out having the expenses of travel
ing salesman added to the prices of
the implements. You do not benefit
me, the firm nor the farmers. I'll
JUST hcCp Ol vi dCl lis I'll wv hoAAi sA'S
firm"
The editorial says that the "Town-
ley crew" made persistent and in
tensive campaign to sow discord and
dissension among the farmers" If
by the 'Towney crew" is meant the
nonpartisan league, let me state that
it's object is to weld the farmers and
laborers together into a strong or
ganization and in this the league is
succeeding splendidly.
The next statement in the edi-
torial is this: 1.-THE Plumb plan par
ticlllar1y has been recommended to
them and their support for it eagerly
sought" Who recommended 1t?
The editorial tries to make it appear
that the Plumb, plan was recon-
rnended by that "Townley crew"
when such is not the case. 1t is time
that the big newspapers. like The
Bee, looked facts squarely in the