The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-08-21

enClCled TO the use Tor repuDlcdJlOn
Of all news-dispatches credited to ii
or not otherwise credited in this paper
and also the local news published
therein.
All rights of republication of
special dispatches herein are also re-
served.
SHOULD THE FARMER STRIKE!
Men in every trade have been strik-
ing for higher wages, shorter hours
or better working conditions, or just
for the mere desire to be devilish.
Some strikes are successful in a meas
ure, but the majority of them are
failures. If the men who strike sue
coed in getting an increase in wages
the increase, with as much more, is
added to the price of the products of
their labor and the consumer pays it.
Eventually much of this comes back
upon the farmer, who must buy cloth
ing, shoes, leather goods, farm ma
nhinery, groceries, etc.
In the past two years the farmer has
been protected by a guaranteed price
OF So or more per bushel for his
wheat, which naturally advanced the
price of all other farm products. But
next year he will have no such guar
antee and he will be up against it"
unless conditions change materially.
The farmer must have relief or there
will be a strike of farmers and that
will leave a hungry world.
Just let the farmers strike once und
the strikes of the labor unions will pale
into insignificance. The farmers pro-
duce the food for the world. Let them
join together and curtail production
to their own needs-and the farmers
are the only class that can live upon
his own products alone-and the rest
of the world will go hungry.
The farmers cannot pay $50 to SIS
per month with board for farm labor
during the planting and other seasons
and So to 81 per day for help during
harvest, under normal conditions. Only
the guaranteed price of wheat has
years. He cannot pay from Is to 80
cents for grain bags and % to 80 cents
for Irvine, $210 for a wagon that sold
prior to the war for half that sum, nor
can he continue to pay 100 to 200 per
cent increase for his farm machinery,
and produce wheat and other products
at the prices that are liable to prevail
during the next few years without a
farmers expenses must decrease ma
terially, or his production will be de-
creased to his own needs. He cannot |
produce wheat and oats and potatoes !
ton at pre-war prices and pay postwar
price for labor and everything he buys.
If the farmers were to organize as
other industries are organized, they
could end this strike business in short
order. If farmers controlled their out
put as the merchants do, they could
refuse to sell food stuffs to the strik-
ers whose demands mean increased
cDbtS diu ueCTedSeu pIUlllS lOE tue
farmer. But will the farmers do this?
They have the power, but history
shows that the farmers, the most pow
srful class in the world, if they were
organized as others are organized, |
Will not organize in this way, or if
hey do organize, they become the
lupes and tools of such INSCRIPTIONS
as Townley and his like :
md the farmers do not get the benefit q
# their organization. The farmers
re much like the Chinese empire. a
igantic power, if only they would
vork together, but helpless in the
ands of schemers who are organized
nd INSCRIPTIONS.
"a "a "a
IDAHO'S ADMINISTRATION.