Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-14

the necessary power % demand TAR
play.
"Mr. Hoover desired that the allies
be supplied as cheaply as possible"
said the witness, "but the reduction
in the cost were taken out Of the pro-
ducers' pockets and none other"
Dollar -a-year men in the pay Of
the hackers served the food admins
tration IN many departments" Mr..
Lasater said, and not a thing was
done which was not known Of and ap-
proved by the packers.
Now il is proposed to largely in
crease the numbers of farmers Tin the
name Of "relief") and to largely in
crease the war gardens" and to
largely increase the interest in farm
inx by school gardens and agricuI-
tural instructors everywhere. SO that
the competition for the markets Of all
kinds Of produce will be doubled and
trebled and the marketeers and
profiteers can Sit back in their easy
chairs and watch the growth of their
storage houses and fortunes-while
the men who saved the world from
. Prussianism are sweating through
years OF farm making. interest pay
ing and mortgage lifting, because the
government helped them to make
| producers the slaves Of greed.
You don't see any government Dc
partment helping soldiers into any
other line of misunderstanding the
plant. teaching the soldier the bust
ness and then loanins him money for
a long term of years. Why not"
We would not have our position
misunderstood We would have every
soldier who left farm and desires 10
return to IT because he has learned
and is adapted TO no other business.
aided by the Eovernment-and by
aided" we mean governmental action
that will not only help him but all
other farmers, by cutting the rrof
teering out OF the marketing game.
We would like to see all other SOL
diers who desire TO try their hands
at agriculture given assistance in the
same degree that other soldiers are
assisted into other forms OF industry.
And If the government is TO 60 10
the aid OF consumers let it do SO at
the expense of organized greed rather
. than to the cost of producers.
! II the government would really DO
something for the country let il send
few thousands profiteers to the
stone pile. Let It force an army Of
middlemen to earn their profits by
tillinF the soil Let il cut the num-
Der Of retailers in two and then do It
again. Let it stop the unholy COM
| binations of trade tina, hold profits UP
! to where all can prosper, regardless
of the number that crowd into every
hole in the wall.
When a few Of these things are
done there will be no need Of worry
over unoccupied farms. Then SOL
! diers and others could get fair and
honest living by working -easona BILE
, hours.
| II the farms of the country are oc-
cupied and operated by people up to
and past middle age, and Industrial
centers prospecting on labor from -
| years up, there Is reason for II,
The sure tendency away from the
farms, increasingly rapid with every
year, has alarmed certain men III
high places and big interests parasites
that live on the backs OF producers.
Blu; the only thing they are willing TO
| do is to add by sophistry, and swlndie
new forces to the ranks Of producers
J and thus maintain the grip Of greed
and graft who own the great storage
houses. control the markets and
| manipulate trade to their own profit.