The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-10-28
SEEING THINGS FROM THE Low
En- STORY

home from an extended tour OF the
country said that he found it in fine
i shape; he had talked with the cap
! tains of industry who told him that
] there were more people employed
than there were during the years 1913
. and 1914
This paper stated at the time had
| our amiable friend viewed things
from the lower" instead of the up
4 per- story, had he talked to the
workers of industry instead of the
captains Of industry he would have
had different story to tell.
Hon. Gilbert M. Hitchcock, the dis
tinguished senator from the state of
Nebraska, just the other day received
1 from some of the small bankers, who
are in close touch with workers of
industry and some from the workers
themselves and they relate an entire
lly different and most distressing
story.
The following letter is from small
banker who is in close touch with the
farmers:
Dear Senator Hitchcock: For
some time | have thought Of writing
this letter, but have daily put it off,
hoping for some Improvement in
conditions; but instead of improving,
the conditions have been gradually
getting worse. It does not seem to me
that Congress can realize the situa-
ton this locality is in; but the truth
is that, unless there is an immediate
substantial raise in the price of corn,
the farmers are all bankrupt, and if
the farmers go there is absolutely
no hope for the country banks.
The price of oats today is 81 cents
"a bushel and the price of corn is 26
cents, and it is practically certain
that new corn will start less than
| that.
Now, as far as renter is concern
ed, when he pays for Smelling his
corn, as we'll as the landlords share,
and pays for husking the same, he
will not have enough left even to pay
the interest on his obligations, let
alone apply anything on the prin-
cipal; and, from the landlords side,
there are very few farms which are
not encounter, and there is not a
farm IN this locality that will pay
the taxes and the interest on the
loans or come anywhere near it,
know you have no idea of the
/ conditions here or the frame of
mind the farmers are in. They took
their medicine like good sports last
year, and have worked faithfully and
been very saving this year, many
1 and many denying themselves abso-
/ lutte necessities in the hope of get
ting on their feet again; but the
prices offered now have knocked the
last hope from the most optimistic
ones. The condition here is desperate
and nothing will save this community
except an immediate advance in the
price OF corn. Is there any way we
can get the least encouragement?
The following is from one of the
workers of industry"
The letter is of recent date:
Permit me, as a pain, ordinary,
Woodworking Nebraska farmer who
has been practically made bankrupt
along with thousands and thousands
of other poor devils of farmers who
| have been exploited by economic re-
| formers and uplifterS both in and out
of Congress until we are fiat broke
permit me to say
Now. will read extracts says the
Senator.
At central and eastern Nebraska
points we are offered 16 to is cents
| for new corn. December corn in Chi
cago is 48 cents, which means that it
takes 2 bushels of corn to pay the
| freight and commission of l bushel.
and then we can buy 8 tons of soft
coal for SIS. After we pay the she'll
er, we can get ton of very ordinary
coal for 8 tons of good shelled corn
delivered at the elevator, and if we
should be so reckless as to want hard
coal we can get it for $23 per ton
After paying 3 cents per bushel to
the Smelling machine. we can buy a
ton of hard coal for from $50 to 200
bushels of shelled corn, according to
locality
Then he says, later on
| have seen good butcher cows,
shipped from this town ninety miles
from Omaha, bring the shipper as
little as 81 per hundred.
The following are set Of resolu-
tons unanimously passed by the
Chamber Of Kearney, Nebraska:
Whereas prices of agricultural
products have fallen far below the
cost of production; and
Whereas bankruptcy and financial
ruin are confronting the farmers of
this state unless immediate steps can
be taken to relieve the situation:
| Now. therefore be it
Resolved by the Kearney Chamber
of Commerce, That the Representa-
tiyes and Senators from Nebraska be
urged for the time being to lay aside
other matters, and Immediately pro-
| mulgate and press legislation that
will save from bankruptcy the farm
Iers of this state.
Resolved further, That a copy of
this resolution be sent to the Con-
gressmen and Senators from Nebras-