The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1920-04-01

great gulf fixed between the price
which the producer Of the fruits of
agriculture gets for his finished pro-
duct, after he has labored the summer
through in bringing it to perfection,
and the price which the aforesaid city
man must pay for much less attrac-
tive specimens Of the aforesaid
fruits" as they are delivered at his
kitchen door. A benevolent desPot
who should try sincerely and ruth
iessly to reduce "the high cost Of liy-
ing" would fling away so ineffective
an implement az q pruning knife, and,
Selling q double-headed ak, would
slash right and left into the entangle-
ment Of middlemen's charges and
profits precisely at this point That
IL exactly where the farmers ques-
tionnaire strikes first. 1t demands
such direct dealing between producer
and consumer as will secure TO the
farmers a fair share of the wealth
they create, reduce the cost Of living
to the consumer" and wipe out the
profiteer. The farmers see clearly
that the entire elimination Of the in
termediary is impossible in our rami-
fled modern civilization. There is a |
legitimate service to be performed in |
carrying the fruits Of the farm to the |
city and there selling them. But, af !
ter all, that service is only supple
mentary and convenience. 1t should
not get anything like the lions share
of the profits. as it so often does. 1t
should be rigidly debarred by law
from taking from these "fruits" which
only pass through its hands the win
nings of speculation, the levies of mo-
nopoly, the plain steaIings Of unpro-
ductive and often destructive manipu-
lation. The two big men in the trans
action are the producer tthe farmer
and the consumer. The delivery cart" /
activities between them should be no
more than penny accommodation
We lack the space to analyze all the
"planks" in this live wire
platform There is no waste motion s
n the document. IL points straight :
At the things the farmers want and
he things they will not have. They
want full right to buy and sell coop
,ratively. They are dead against
hat Old World incubus, "the great a
md growing evils Of farm tenancy" I
they do not propose to permit the s
Gradual creation of tenant PEASANT
" in -America and they are splendid
Y right. Nothing could more quickly s
n completely cripple our magnificent h
ural freedom, prosperity and up
tanding manhood.
They want Secretary of Agrcul- !.
ure "who knows actual farm condi- I
ions" This does not seem an un- Z
reasonable request--not to anybody d
nat party placeman who thinks that V
II government offices are kept up for
he sole benefit Of the politicians Z
hey want this properly educated
ecretary Of agriculture to use his
departmental funds and staff 70 study Il
arm production costs at home and n
broad and TO publish the uncensored
acts for the benefit of the American "
armers whom he is supposed 10 u
arve. They want the next president p
) realize that private ownership of n,
ailroads is still and always will be on
rial. III it fails TO make good, then
ley want the question raised again
! two years Some people may not M
ute relish this; but this is exactly h,
hat the "embattled farmers" are GO pl
" to demand. They do not make the N,
listake of committing themselves to ;,
e proven folly Of "public ownership" ~
hey only say that the railways must ca
, we'll run, no matter who does it. til
he farmers want the war debt paid w,
: those "best able to pay it," Un-
they want the farmers to
, put into that class If they are not
ere already. They want forest con- W.
rvation SO do we. They want Oh
control of all great inter- oy
ate combinations of capital. They ~,
ant free speech and free press. "r
1t is fine, practical, courageous, ca
ain spoken platform. No man tn
ould be elected president who can un
/ give clear and progressive an fill
Iers to these questions.
TR. HEARST is now an independent -,