The Washington herald., 1920-03-17
my q stan correspondent.)

indianapolis, Ind. March Is
Lewis Taylor and. J. G. Brown are
farmers. Each owns a, farm of am
pie dimensions. Besides looking
after their own fields they repre-
sent several thousands of other far
mers as secretary and president. re.
spectively. of the Indiana Fedora
tion of Farmers Associations. Both
spend a great deal OF time in In
dianapolis but they were raised In
the country and they look like
farmers and are proud of II.
As veteran tillers of the soil they
are a 'hard-headed pair of the old
school but they have kept abreast
of the times. They have investi-
gated all the isms and are mot
afraid to express their opinion,
which, boiled down. are to, the ef-
feet the present-day farmer has en-
tered upon evil days. He is a much.
prosecuted individual economically
and, like the venerable worm. is
likely to turn. in fact turning.
much. to the disadvantage of that
other worm-the consumer.
Not Afraid of Union Ideas.
A little thing like the union Of
farm laborers does not worry the
officials OF the association. They
have weightier things to think
about. as for example the price OF
cattle. Said Mr.. Brown: 90
Il bought forty head of feeders
the other day for $4,000. and I am
going to lose money on them. I
bought them because.I had extra
feed, but am not comipg out
even"
Said Mr.. Taylot: " :,
They are talking about hiehi
prices. So far as the fafmer.is con-
cerned. he can't raise hogs for less
than s17 a hundred pounds. Hs
isn't getting that now. so he. is. los.
ing money. That is why half of the
corn land is mortgaged for more
than 1T cost fifteen land twenty
years ago"
Discussion Of the union of hired
hands veered the conservation to-
ward Henry Fords scheme of COM
bining farming and industry.
Calls Ford Plan Impractical.
1T can't be DONE" was the ex-
pressed opinion.
Ford may think that is a new
idea" saidSMr. Taylor, "but I have
given ii a trial and found 1t want
Ing. A couple of years ago the
stores and factories In Bonneville,
near my farm. closed up shop dur
I'M r IN h
ed out on the farm, and the majority
OF them were set to shocking grain.
breeze came along-I would hard
ly call 1t wfnd-and I worked for
days afterward setting up those
shocks.
Farm work Is semi skilled labor
Just as much as there is semi-sknl-
ed labor In the factory. A city man
can't run a harvester or even a
plow. He cacaot make a wheat
shock stand up. except after a long
practice. and he cannot cut corn ana
make good job of 1t. Supposing,
after this proposed union is formed,
that the factories in the cities and
towns close up. as has been suggest
ed. do you think for a moment il
will mean efficient help on the
farm?, No! The real farmers will
have to do the work. as usual"
As for the lack of help on the
farm, that was due to the unat-
tractive features of farm work, ac-
cording to Mr.. Taylor and Mr..
Brown. The latter argued that
whenever children were sent to
the high school in towns and
later to colleges just. that soon
soon were recruits for the farm
Soldiers Remain I'm Cities.
Tire youngsters" said Mr.. Brown.
get a taste Of comforts the farm
does not provide. and they do not
go back. 1t has been my expe-
riencs that the soldiers in the
world war feel the same way. They
have talked with. others, have in
Vestigated for themselves, have seen
more, and consequently they have
remained in the cities. They prob
ably will come back, but not for
some time: and In the meantime
production Is getting less and less.
Don't think for a minute the
farmer is going to worry about
labor unions. though. He soon will
have to quit worrying about the
scarcity OF labor, as there won't
be any to worry about. He will
simply settle down and cultivate
what nc can with the help off his
family and put the rest. to grass or
let II grow up in weeds."
Farmers products are the
cheapest commodities in the mar
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