The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-04-15
BEET GROWERS TO
ACCEPT CONTRACT

Five hundred sugar beet growers
of Racine and Kenosha counties in
session at Woodmen hall on Saturday
night voted to rescind the recent act
on the farmers in returning beet con-
tracts to the sugar companies, and
voted to accept contracts for the COM
ing season at the rate of pay offered
+ by the big sugar companies. The
farmers voted by big majority of
four to one to rescind the action by
which they had hurled defiance to the
sugar companies, and it is understood
that practically every grower in the
wo counties will be bound by the action
of the meeting.
The gathering was the greatest of
farmers ever held in Kenosha county.
They came from all parts of the two
counties with a determination to close
up the beet contract question for good
and all. No representatives of the
sugar companies were present at the
meeting but they had sent letters
from the officials of the companies
and from The attorneys representing
them to nearly every grower in the two
counties.
The old fashioned idea that "a con-
tract was contract" and should be
lived up to by the people making it,
rather than the fear that they might
be forced to be defendants in a court
action, caused the change in front on
the part of the beet growers The
contracts made with the sugar COM
,panies had been returned to the com
panies following the recent meeting
of the growers, but the two companies,
the Wisconsin Sugar company at
GAINESVILLE, and the Pope company, at
Riverdale, returned the contracts to
the farmers. The officials of the Wis
consin company pledged fair treatment
for all and urged that the contracts
be honored by the farmers and car
ried out. The Pope company demanded
that the farmers live up to the con-
tracts made with it, and along with
this demand came a letter from the
attorneys of the company declaring
that the contracts would be enforced
if necessary, by court action. The
matter was discussed for two hours
and when a vote was reached the gath
ering voted four to one to stand by
the contract and grow heets.
Herzog Explains Action.
"The farmers held that they had
made contracts in good faith and that
they would stand by them" declared
President John Herzog of the associa-
ton, today. II do not believe that the
threat of suits had a great deal to do
with the action. These contracts had
been regularly made, and while many
of the growers were of the opinion
that the contracts were not fair and
the price was not large enough, still
they insisted that they had signed the
contracts and that they we're in honor
bound to live up to them. have no
way of knowing just how far the COM
panies will go in opening the books to
the beet growers, but we believe that
| if the farmers accept the contracts
and grow the beets, that the companies
will see the advisability of opening up
| the books and showing the growers
just what the bonuses are based on.
The beet growers only want to be
treated fairly. They are not seeking
to profteer, but they believe that they
should be honestly paid in keeping with
the contracts made by the sugar com
panies. There has never been eny
statement made that the growers were
not fairly paid during the past season.
What has been said was that the com
pany did not give out the seaboard
prices of sugar on which the bonuses
were based. I am convinced that the
action of the men on Saturday night
is final and that every acre contracted
for will be sown in beets this season.
To Get Ten Dollars Ton.
Under the returned contracts which
have now been accepted by the farmers
the sugar companies will pay the
growers at the rate of ten dollars a
ton with the understanding that there
will be~an added bonus Of dollar a
ton for each advance that sugar makes
above nine cents a pound at the sea-
board. The sugar companies have
agreed to aid the growers in securing
help to take care of the crop, and il
is declared that the companies hav,
made contracts with whole families
of beet weeders to come to Kenosha
county and help out in the busy season
1t is expected that there will be seven
hundred farmers in the two counties
giving portions of their farms to sugar
/ haa&u- during 4hn ,nnur rnason