The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-09-09
Kennewick, Washington,
September 6, 1920.

l also read the front page remarks
in the current issue of the Kennewlck
Courier-Reporter. This combination
leads me to wonder if the i'll feeling
annent this lecture will die out as
rapidly as expected by many. In IL
wears residence in Kennewick / have
never attended a meeting where the
speaker was treated as basely as in
this instance. Insults and asper-
sions of every degree and color We're
hurled at him without regard to age
or personal feeling and the appetite
of some of the men was not appeased
until the lowest possible personal IN
suit had been hurled at him. l am
moved to wonder where our splendid
American code of "moral ethics" have
gone to. Evidently it persisted along
with many other sane ideas in the re-
cent European cataclysm.
The people of Kennewick who did
these things should not forget that
every one of those insults was hurled
as surely and effectively at every
farmer member of the nonpartisan
league as at the speaker himself and
for this reason there are a number OF
business men whose stores viii never
again enter for this reason. Doubt-
less many more progressive minded
farmers will be tempted to adopt the
same reprisals for there are some
among us who fail to appreciate a
merchant who begs us to spend our
money cat home" and trade with him
| in one breath and then turn around
and throw insults in the next.
The year of 1909 marks the Begin
ming of the cooperative spirit in Ken
newick: it also marks the beginning
of well defined opposition to this
spirit on the part OF the city people.
Every effort of the farmer to I'M
prove his condition has met with
strong opposition, not stopping at
honest, legal attacks but STOPPING TO
every low, undetermined method that
came to the conniving brain OF man.
These attacks have met with consld-
cradle success in the past but an ele-
ment is in view that will change the
situation as inevitably as the sun rises
and sets. 1t is the younger genera
ton of farmers, brought up and edu-
Gated in the same schools and colleges
as the supposedly superior city man.
/ This younger set is prone to watch
the actions of the town people, note
their easier time, their shorter hours
and greater remuneration for their ef-
forts. The independent" life of the
farmer has been lextolled in song and
/ story, the scent of new mown hay ano
other similar absurdities has been
handed to us alike by every one who
does not know the other side OF the
farmers life. The 16-hour day hoe
ing the corn or the top of 5O-ton hay
stack with the sun shining at about
100 degrees in the shade and 70 de-
erees higher on top of that stack
lacks al the poetic elements but does
include enough of the stern realty
to make us wonder and think. things
over, especially as two or three hours
of chores must be finished after tne
more privileged set has been JOY rld
ing for several hours and still at II
/ Nor does it inspire any more kint
feeling to see the city man dresse<
in hunting style with his dogs ant
various accessories roaming over ou
farms shooting the game which w
ourselves have neither the time or In
clination to shoot. And the only rea
son seems to be that they make bot
, their money and leisure at our ex
pense; they hold the whip hand b,
virtue of the same organization an
cooperation that they are as earnestl
trying to keep the farmer from &C
comprising.
This communication will probabl,
be placed in the radical category
If SO we will see if it is justifiable =
place it there. All the farmer asks
square deal either in poliics or an,
other aspect of the present. A fey
illustrations taken from the past sum
mer's work will throw little light OF
the subject. The early potato GRO
in this valley was big factor tni
season. Eliminating the large yield
and assuming a five ton yield to close
ly approximate the average for tn
entire valley and the bulk of the GRO
selling under five cents per poun
gross. At the same time that tn
farmer was obtaining this price Their
is ample proof that he was not re
ceiving so per cent Of the price charg
ed the consumer. This being worke
to our detriment both ways In that
seriously reduced consumption Thereof
flooding the market and precipatln
a steep decline that forced many Q
the farmers to sell at price tina
would not pay the expense Of growing
the crop. At the same time , we pa,
boxes and other things incident e
making that crop. And these condi
tions prevailed on a year that is sup
posed to be unique and not likely t
be recorded again soon; ! blush IL :
tha usual price of two and one-half Q
t thr esc cents per pound prevailed. !
s signs f point to that figure for mex
Il years crop it is certain TO reduce Gel pro :
dduction and if people in the city s q
,.ov of the farmer it is time to figur
lio An the farmer asks is square dea
first ST., last and all the time, and , whe,
yisld Us v shnt die s as sht ths so forss
ii - - reaches the back fire