The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-02-18
PROF|TEER IS
H. c. |. CAUSE,
SAYS FARMER
Samuel A. Moore, Wayne
County Man. Gives Views
on Cost Reasons - Others
Give Opinions.
TO STRIKE IS DISASTER

-
ber follow:
SAMUEL A. MooRE-The shortage
OF labor cuts no figure in this section
of the country. With the present
lines of machinery, and cooperation
with his neighbors, the farmer is able
to care for all he can grow.
But. the profit on his labor and pro-
ducts stares him in the face as
nightmare" He looks through "a
glass darkly"! Not face to face"
We are at present feeding 20 hogs
for the market. With middlings $66
per ton, tankage $110 per ton and corn
$l.65 per bushel and the price of hogs
1--we do not know, do your, this
puts us in class with the gambler.
Farmer is Gambling.
The farmer is a gambler. He has
TO bet, with his cards face down."
Pays If he wins, and pays if he loses
This is the situation in which we
farmers find ourselves, and then the
question, why?
l am CHASING the farmer as pro-
ducer. He Is the "salt of the earth"
One OF the main causes of the situat-
lon Is that profiteer. He stands be-
tween the producer and the consumer
He scrape the producer and bleeds
the consumer. He is leech! par
asfte! There are some of his breed
most everywhere.
To illustrate, he (profiteer) bought
from the producer tomatoes at 81 per
bushel, retailed them to shopmen con-
sumers) at cents per pound. A
profit of 200 per cent and the consum-
er blames the producer for H. C. l..
do not care TO spread any salve this
morning. l will call the retailer the
profiteers. He is one of the great
factors that is swinging us into con-
dition that seems intolerable.
The Part Of Politics
Another cause Of these conditions is
petit Qittle) politics by petit politi-
clans. They seem windy. Want to
have their way or no way at all. 1t
was said that Nero fiddled while Rome
burned. Have we Neros still? These
factors and others are fast goading
the farmer into condition that de-
mands relief.
He has threatened to strike. He is
in a position to command strike. Will
he strike? II so, it will be unlike any
other strike we have ever witnessed
in history. He can cut production to
q minimum. Only produce enough for
his own needs. This would cause a
TeTy QrdSC1C SITUATION.
People cannot eat the ground. Ma
tional disaster would inevitably come.
Hunger dethrones reason! Hunger
knows no law, Will the farmer strike?
Will he curtail production while thous-
ands Of people of all nations are hold
ing out their hands and begging for
bread? I hope not! 1 am no pessi-
mist.
His Solution,
may be little phlegmatic. I want
TO see things on their best side. It
looks better. We are looking forward
to change of conditions which mean
better things. We believe that col
1ective bargaining, both by producer
and consumer is going to show results.
IT is bound to come. Then the profit
Ger will have this thumb to suck.
Collective selling and collective buy
ing will swing prices toward each
other. We get prices-labor gets low
or cost on products. We are plan
ming larger production for 1920 than
ever. Let's all make a strong pull to-
gether. Let's have someone who can
handle ''big stick" and square deal
Kick that petit politician under the
table and then kick him after he is
under. Choke the profiteer until he
is white in the face, then black one
eve Double up that "scrap of paper
upon which the plan of the league OF
rations is written and consign it's in.
eidious contents to the Junk heap
Make peace with Germany along sane
lines. Be Americans for America and
then we will have America for Ameri
/. cans, 90 TO work!
MERRITT NICHOLSON - There
will be a general curtaiIment Of pro
tuction Of all farm products because
of low prices of products. due to the
agitation of nersons of the city and
rnion labor for the lowering Of the
IT. G.. L., who are wholly unfamiliar
with the facts nertaining to the high
cost of production of farm products
and a general scarcity of labor Farm
ers can not end will not produce food
at loss and until the consumers are
ready to pay fair market price tc
the producer. there will continue tc
be a curtailment of production.
ALMOND OSBORNE-The reason
things are in the condition they are
;s that union labor is one great cause
They want shorter hours and more
pay. Also the capital and profiteer
ing. Another great reason is joy
riding in the automobile. They do not
produce but spend most of their time
riding around They depond upor
buying rather than to produce. The
only remedy is for the government tc
take a hand or for regular panic
JOHN NJ. MANNING-We expect
to produce as much this year as il
any normal year-so will the average
farmer. All this talk about non-pro
duction is buncombe. The farmers o
this community are still sane ane
know that to live they must hell
others to live. The continual cry fol
shorter hours and more pay has giver
everything false measure of value
Some day, however, folks will have t.
Il learn to mete as it is measured unto
sthem.
n. r. KING-The wheat acrcs.se II
this community was cut down 20 Pc
last fall and from from preseh. hs ehea9 pros
pvS S.x;.,,>A nva Dare Sivteen