The Raymer enterprise., 1919-01-23
A few FACTS
ABOUT FARMERS


BY WILLIAM STULL OF DOUGLAS
The following article we take
from a recent issue OF the Nebraska
Farmer. and it presents view that
Is seldom advance. However. 1t con-
tains food for thought.
An editorial In an Omaha market
paper Of December 3. says: 1t will
cost the government half billion
dollars to make good to farmers the
$2.20 price fixed for wheat The
obvious inference being that this
was gift or bonus to the farmers.
Nothing could be more misleading
and absurd. President Wilson is
quoted. no doubt correctly. in the
press as saying, But for the price
fixing Of wheat and the taking 1t
over by the government. wheat
would have gone to IS per bushel
How could compelling farmers to
take SO per bushel less for wheat
than II Is worth in the market be
construed as giving them something?
Others allege that the price fixing
saves the consumer the SO per BUSH
ell taken from the farmers.
Why should the farmers be singl-
ed out as the one and only class
who should receive no benefit from
the law Of supply and demand, but
instead have the price on their COM
modities based on cost, and this cost
figured at a lower remuneration for
their labor than any other laboring
class in the country? Are they not
suffering In common with other
classes from the law OF supply and
demand? The farmer is paying war
prices for everything he buys, espec-
tally that OF which labor cost is
large item, and In this cost the price
OF labor is from 200 to 500 per cent
above pre-war prices.
Who made good to the farmers
when the worlds competition for
prices on farm products fell below
cost of production. and drove hun
dreds Of thousands into bankruptcy?
The worlds production of wheat fell
from 27.O00. 900 bushels in 1913
to $4,000 900 bushels in 1916,
(see Department of Agriculture
Year Book" 1917, page 46l) and
owing to war conditions this output
has been on the decrease since then
In the absence ot-|war conditions,
such q decrease N the worlds pro-
ductlOn would have brought the
Americas price OF wheat up to SO
per bushsi or over. II brought that
In New York. January /, 1857. and
January l. 1853. when the purchas-
Ing prics Of dollar was more than
zoe per cent greater than now AT
the close OF the Civil war wheat was
worth $3.50, and at the beginning
of the year following, $2.63. Dur
ing the closing year OF this greatest
OF all wars. when American farmers
were called upon to feed the world,
II is restricted to s2.2o.
Labor Costs Approved
As this country produces praci-
cally all Of its food stuffs. the bulk
of the increased cost of food stnffs
has been brought about by advance
in the cost OF labor The wage scale
of labor ESPECIALLY organized labor)
has advanced from 200 to 400 per
cent since the war began These
advances have not only been approx
ed, but encouraged by the govern
ment. The high wage and restricted
output OF labor have been the great
est OF all factors in bringing about
the present high cost Of living. The
rank discrimination between organ
ICED labor In public utilities and In
other industries, on the one hand,
and unorganized labor on the farms.
ON the other. has been the chief
cause OF the widespread discostent
that caused them to change the
,complexion' OF both hopsesSn non-
gress at the last election.
The continued and strenuous ef-
forts. made by the profiteers in or
ganized labor, to pursuade the farm
ers that the interests OF agriculture
and the interests OF organized labor
are identical, are eamoufiage. NO
two interests In our country are so
Numerically opposed as the inter
ests OF organized labor and, the in
terests of the farmers. One OF the
great fundamental tenets OF organ
ized labor Is that the wage scale
must not be based on a measure OF
merit After organized labor has
forcibly or otherwise exacted a min
imum wage, II claims the rignt not
only to reduce the output. but to
prevent by force, II necessary, others
from doing the work. It is chiefly
for this reason that the CLOSED
shop" IL demanded. The insistance