Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-05-29

J cry is meeting with conditions of his
own making. Does he think for one
N. mute that the farmer sets the prices
The farmer takes his products to mar
ket; is he asked what he will take
i for them? No, the merchant tells the
: farmer what he will give him. no mat.
i ter whether it is live stock or dozen
eggs. Sometimes berries or vegeta-
bles are not wanted. There is where
the dictrine of supply and demand
i shows up. Though the farmers in the
United States raised more food than
ever before last year that there might
be a supply, Mr.. Abbott accuses them
of causing high prices and attempting
to starve his fellow-men if he should
quit his easy job of farming and get
ting rich fast
The farmer must buy his flour gro
ceries, meat and butter He must buy
clothes, even if shoes are ten dollars
a pair. He must buy many things a
man working by the day does not-ma-
chinery, tools and such Why should
the farmer boost prices?
L
did not buy his beef from the farmer
direct. He said the farmer never had
any good beef, nothing but old lean
cows. Still the shipper buys the beef
of the farmers, ships it to Chicago,
lays expenses and gets enough to
make living for himself and family
The packers buy the beef They must
make enough to pay their workmen
with other expenses and a living be-
sides. The meat is shipped back to
the butcher. He must sell it at
profit to make his expenses and liv-
ing. Meanwhile that COW is no younger
or better for much travel.
MI. Abbot is right in saying: IF
the farmer wants to organize; he will
find that others have organized ahead
Of him." The merchants say they
make the prices They put the price
on what the farmer sells them, they
put the price on what they sell the
farmer. What has the farmer ever
lad to do with setting prices? The
government put a pr &c on wheat.
Last year the farmers sold their
wheat and bought corn and barley
and fed their families on these grains
paying fifty cents per bushel more
than they sold their wheat for. They
were glad to do their bit to help the
allied nations.
A few years ago the farmer sold his
hogs for $3.50 per .cWt. He sold
fresh COW for SIG. Wheat went for
so cents per bushel, rye, for so cents,
oats ii cents, corn % cents and hay
IS per ton. Butter was 10 cents per
pound, eggs 6 cents per dozen. Tur-
keys alive were 6 cents per pound,
dressed g cents. If the farmer makes
prices, why did he not raise these
pr.ces to present quotations? He
might have made enough money to be
able to spend his winters in Florida,
California or Hot Springs Mr.. Alb
bolt asks why the farmer retires to
the city in his later days to spend his
time in idleness and comfort. The an.
sWer is because in his later days he
is not able to work the farm alone
and must rent it and give up the home
to a renter Some give up to go into
a city to work with a team where they
make more than they can farming.
Mr. Abbott says farms have quad.
rupled in price in the last two years.
have not heard that farms in this
vicinity have SO increased in value.
How does this benefit the farmer I'M
less lie sells his farm? He can raise
no more on land priced at $500 per
acre than he did on the same land
wen priced at $50 per acre. He can
pay four times the taxes, though If
land is that much higher, it is time
farmers sold their farms and put the
money in Liberty bonds. Four per
cent is better than most are getting
on Their investment in farm BY so
doing the farmer would give those who
think farming such an easy money
making job a chance to try their hands
at it. But don't threaten to extermi-
nate them and confiscate their land if
they quit
Mr.. Abbott says there is but one
way that the consumer can organize.
That, he says, is in the form of an ir-
responsible mob. With the example
of Russia before us, people would be
foolish to think of such way What
has Russia gained? What would we
gain? We are all consumers in the
United States and | have faith to be-
TeVe we will never be governed by
mob law. MRS. w H. NEWELL.
East and Fourteenth streets.
Baraboo, Wis.