The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-09-05
THE PRODUCERS SIDE.

.dCnicFeu Wy Jcaooi VI ,lhe eholtS VI
the national administration to reduce
the cost of living" they have been
obtained at the expense Of the produc.
ars OF foodatuffs. When the campaign
commenced through governmental
j.agencies and not through o sane eff
fort to increase production, The Her
laid predicted that this would be the
result It protested then and it pro-
tests now against decreasing the cost
of living at the expense of a single
class--the farmers. 1t agrees that
,,cost of living has been too high, but it
i,denies that the farmers have been the
chief or only offenders in bringing
about such a situation. On the contra
ny it contends and can demonstrate
that they have been more sinned
against by the monopolistic organized
labor and the capitalist mon0polists
who have made eytortionateo profits,
aatban they.have aipned.Y Nosuggestion
has. come from governmental sources
ffor a reduction in the cost of prOduc-
ton through reduction in lab0rl costs
or by increasing. the days laboBJ The
whole machinery of powerful and
autocratic government is directed to-
ward denying the producers the re-
awards of their toll that other and IA
fYNored classes may continue toicontfih-
isutc to the high cost of living and en-
joy special favOrs from government,
That the farmers are at last beeom-
4 ing aroused to the injustice. of the sit
uation thus created is shown in the
:,gress The Farm Bureau Federatons
4 Of the great agricultural states of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Ne
braska, have sent to-.the- congress a
memorial that contains more of sound
common sense and shows a keener alp,
probation of true conditions than is
to bexfpund In sang message, bill or
rescltAiSn submitted iMsahV bmcial to-
!. tLe ,national lfgislaVre. The Herald
laatttes frdshs4e 4 Hlshpual as follows:
The Nigh cost of living is not due
to the storage Of meats, vegetables,
fr'dLa ~eggS>fandi poultya i'd the sea
son when these are produced in sur,
i9ras against the season of short sup
ply. Popular as is the hue and Cry
l@gTinst the storage of foodstuffs. it is
"a palpable fact that modern storage
methods are the. greatest food savers
iinFthc world, and at one and the same
time saving food in time of plenty and
supplying it, in time of scarcity, and,
moreover; maintaining d steadier lev.
oil Of prices, throughout all seasons for
any given commodity lndiscrimnate
restrictions on food storage will serve
only to wastefully glut' the market in
the harvest season of meats, vegGta-
'bles,' fruits, eggs, and poultry at
price disastrous to the producer and
create a dearth of these products out
of season at a prohiibtive price Food
Storage for Speculative purposes is in
tolcrablc.
The high cost of living is not due
to expectation Of food and clothing
any more than it is dut to our heavy
exports of manufactured goods, ma
chinert, etc. of which the farmer il
heavy purchaser An embargo on
footlstuffs to bring down the high
cost Of living vii be as demoralizing
to- American agriculture as the en-
bargos placed on fcodstuffs was to
French agriculture in the time of
Louis NiN' Moreover the high cost
OF living is not merely local or ma
tlonat considerations IT ista world
matter Applying firat-aid remedy
at home 10 create and f6stor anarchy
and revolution abroad should not be
the policy of The United States even
at this critical jupcturc.
The high cost Of living is not due
to lack of desire or effort on the
part Of the farmers to produce to the
limit Of their physical ability. Not
within the knowledge of the present
generation have all the farmers sof
the country extended their cyory en-,
ergy in y concentrated effort to pro-
duce to tho last kernel and round all
the grain aud meat products uenjad
tn feed hungry world. The opera
ton Of the short.hour day in indus
trial ceuters and q talk of shorter
hours and teyeradvancing pay has
made it Mcknight impossible for any,
where near. the normal supply>of help.
to be maintained on farms. The day.
light-saving plan has snitigated
against Maximum prediction by re-
ducigI materially the practical work
ing hours of the day on the farm, cs-
pccially in so far as the hired mans
labor Is concerned Following a