The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-09-05
Punching the Producer

Aue peopiS nave started an upr0ak.
cIamoring for the lowering Of the coat
of living.
This is right. and 1t is certainly to be
hoped that the insistance Of the people
will result In the utter squelching of
the profiteers, big and little, who are
mulctiDg the people.
But just as we anticipated, the first
results Of the hue and cry is to bear
down the prices of farm produce, while
the real causes of the trouble are to be
Investigated"
The following excerpt from a news
Chicago illustrates the way the thing
Of reducing the cost of living works.
Just read this: High wages continue
TO pour into cash registers for high
priced clothing. shoes and luxuries to-
day, while prices in food commodities
were breaking under the strain Of in
creased shipments by producers, who
feared lower prices. government inves.
tigstion of boarding and profiteering
aroused public sentiment"
In other words spectators, jobbers.
wholesalers, manufacturers, middlemen
of every kind. industrial workers. trans
pottstion workers, ETC., the folk who
are making hay while the sun shines
add skinning the public without mer-
cy are demanding more ''eats" for their
cheap money, and thus passing the
buck" 20 the farmer.
In otoer words, il is proposed to beat
down prices Of farm products to the
very limit, while prices are held up on
everything the farmer must buy.
Organized labor leaders and Industrial
leaders tell US that wages and the prices
OF manufactured articles cannot 90
down until the cost Of iyingas reduced.
This means that the farmers have been
elected to stand the first great loss
ln the 'come-dogn.
The farmer-an when we say farm
er we mean the inhabitants of all sg-
ricultursl sections are expected TO
pay around sixteen dollars for pair
of shoes with corn at about seventy
five cents to one dollar bushel. He is
supposed to work sixteen hours a day
ut about $l.5O per day while he uses
the products of the manufacturer at
iron four to six prices.
According to the organic ed labor
crowd and the industrial magnates, the
farmer Is not supposed to have any
rights the balance Of the population
must recognize. He IS supposed to
furnish the eats cheap. while every
thing else scars to the sky. The pure
ar and the pastoral scenery of the
country Is supposed to be interest
enough on his investment, and he is ex-
pected to get up with the chickens"
and wotk all day and feed his stock af-
ter dark, purely FOR the ''good of the
cause"
The whole scheme of profile aring by
both organized labor and capital il
working at the expense of unorganized
labor and the farmers especially.
The farmer has no organization for
fixing prices and must consequently, sell
tne results of his labor for whatever is
offered him by the other fellow. Every
article he has to buy is fixed at price
which covers the extra high cost of
production plus any old profit a con-
SC enceless prohteer may think it con-
venient to add.
The same is true as TO other unorge-
nized labor, and 10 this class Is TO be
found the great majority of profession
al people, teachers. clerks, bookkeep-
ers, artisans. aud unorganized mechan-
les and laoorers. The old, the widows,
orphans. the week. the ailing the in
competents of every Kind, are the great
est bearers Of he burcea Of inflated
prices.
Wnen the selfish, organized labor.
ans the predatory cspitkiisi or cum
nefelsissf eomblses TO get more than
is jastly coming to him. soDsbsiy hns
TO suffer, and it is the last named claes
that is ground to powder.
Fortunately. the agriculturist is not
so much at the mercy Of organized cap
itsi and labor as he once was. AZ pri-
ces have risen for labor and goods, boys
have been drawn off more and more
from the farms, until the scarcity is be-
ing felt decidedly, and production must
decrease In spite Of the most tireless
efforts Of the farmers. This decrease
promotes high prices for farm products.
and thus, without organization. the
farmer is coming more and more to
have his inning.
TIE hue and cry fOr cheaper farm
products. while the carnival Of spend
lng for high priced clothes and other
luxuries goes on, Eill not get far. Il
vouId really serve the sorld right II
the farmers would go on : strike snd
let the other strikers knos bos itfesIs
70 run into real boomerang Courier