Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-12-12
EIGHT HOUR DAY
FOR THE FARMER

The Country Gentleman has bought
out some interesting problems in their
issue of November % regarding the
farmers eight-hour day. The farmer
is the largest employer Of labor in the
United States. He constitutes almost
half of the population. and he has the
key to the food storehouse from which
the capitalist. laborer and innocent by
stander must eat.
The farmer did not get very urgent
invitation to attend the late lamented
Industrial Conference The DISPOSE
the conference as their personal affair."
but the farmer came anyway. seated
himself on the side lines. qualified as
Il representative of the public. assuring
the two factors sparring for advantage
that he had no favOrs to ask. and had
nothing to put over-he was there to
see fair play. The temper of some of
the members in both the capital and
labor groups made agreement impossi-
bic. and SO the conference with all it's
possibilities for great achievements.
came to an untimely end. In spite of
this the American farmer is going to
have the last word Farmers are or
ganizing and with good county agent
are fighting for Justice Back of them
are farm bureaus of leading farmers.
and more rapidly than either capital
list or laborer can conceive these farm
bureaus are forming into state fedora
lions. and getting in touch with each
other A press of economic circum-
stances is driving the farmers into col
lectiye movements.
The farmer has been SO generally
misunderstood, that both capital and
labor have been at loss to understand
his butting i'll. They have not noticed
that every time they had clash they
were stepping on the farmers toes
Last summer in Chicago great
manufacturer of farm implements was
tied up by a strike while parts for ma
chinery in the great wheat states were
all awaiting attention. These repairs
were needed for harvest. thus forcing
the farmers TO buy new machinery or
cut their wheat the best they could
while capital and labor were arguing
with each other. Strikes of railroads
tie up farmers shipments to the extent
of almost banllrupting him at times.
yet he has never been seriously cOnsid-
cred. The wool grower hefts his $1,000
new suit. and calculates that it con
tains not over $3.50 worth of wool.
and wants to be shown that wool is a
fair price. These are the reasons why
farmers are organizing.
Labor proposed that an eight-hour
day he made the standard of all indus
tries. little caring for the fact that
COWS MIXED after eight a. m and be-
fore five p. IN. would soon go dry. La
Dor men suggested shifts. but there are
not farmers or farm hands enough for
one shift. Eight-hour days for the
farmer will never grow food enough
for the people Of the United States and
the point people overlook is the fact
that the farmer will be the last TO
starve
Talk OF eight hour days and time and
lldii lOf Over 'IHiS' anu uouDie time
on Sunday for the farm. when the
farmer is working from eleven to fiji
teen hours per day. and from two to
four hours on Sunday! When farm
products are figured on the union basis
as they will he figured in the future
look ont. Prices then on all farm
products will be at least double what