Evening star., 1921-04-21
FARMERS SEEK END
(. OF ECONOMIC EVILS
President Harding Asked to
Call Conference to Unite
Many Influences.

President Harding today was re-
auested by the National Farmers
Union to bring together TIE "un-
! scrambled fragments of America s
industrial life. now Threatening ruin
to the whole economic fabric. by call
ing a conference of representative of
, the steel, oil. finance. coal. labor. lum-
Der and other basic industries 20 meet
with representatives of the farmers of
the nation and of the railroads IL
correct the industrial evils from
which the whole country is suffering -
Tnt request was embodied in me-
ro--ai personally presented to The
executive Offices of TIE White House
by delegates 20 the farmer union
conference here.
The memorial contained requests in
clean-cut style. 1t said:
ITO settle this problem and to settle
it right. agriculture needs the Coop
GRAFTON of all basic industry. In the
war America was great brotherhood
why in peace, should this brotherhood
be unscrambled into fragments, each
contending with the other for mastery
and threatening ruin to the whole
economic fabric?
I'VE want You to lead all.
We ask you. Mr.. President. to bring
these fragments together. Call a con-
ference of the heads of finance. the
heads of the coal industry, the oil in
duStry, the railway industry and the
heads of labor. especially the railway
labor boards. Let these gentlemen. in
harmony with agriculture and under
your leadership. work out solution
to this problem. Bring the poles of
human thought together and focus the
eyes of all upon the one great goal of
enlightened reconstruction"
Freight Rates BIamed Most.
Reduced railroad rates were espe-
cial1y urged by the delegation. The
memorial declared that it was i'm
possible for the farmers to market
their products without mourning n
loss with frozen credits, with al
most rrohibitive freight rates and
with costs Of distribution so enor-
NOUS" 1t was added that the con-
sequence is that while millions of
tons of food rot in the field or are
held In the barns or other places Of
storage. scores of thousands Of our
children in the cities are unable to
0ptaln 1000 sufhcient to nourisn their
little bodies"
Tne farmers said they wete the
innocent victims of an economic
situation system manipulated. we
fear. by shortsighted and selfish in
terestS"
Declaring that farmers realized the
Importance of transportation as sec
ond only to production, and an
preached the problem in spirit of
friendlinesS to the railroads the
memorial said they were ready to
take their places by the side of steel.
OIL. nnance- coal. lumber. labor the
railway executives and other great
agencies under the leadership of the
President in solving the problem be-
fore the nation
Seven Billion Dollar. Lost.
The farmer has sustained total
loss OF seven billion dollars due to nm
necessary prof1teering CT middlemen.
arbitrary restriction of credit by fed
eral reserve banks, and "unreason-
able rise in railroad rates" ali Of
Whlch have been created by auto
cratic economic power exercised un
der unjust laws" declared s w
Brookhart of Iowa. secretary of the
committee on the losses sustained by
farmers. in presenting the report OF
the committee.
AIthough the report was not adopt-
ed imm ediately. President Charles S.
Barrett declared after its presentation
that it was "one of the most able
documents ever presented before the
body He said that he knew that the
body was in favor of the "overwhelm-
ing majority" of recommendatjons
submitted in the report. and that he
Would ask 1or action and disposal of
1t as soon as it had been mimeo-
graphed and read by the individual
members.
Among the statements in the report
were:
Out of a dollar which labor pays
for farm products. the farmer gets 3s
cents. Out of the dollar which the
farmer pays for labor products, the
laboring man gets 35 cents A gap
between reciprocal producer and con-
sumner of 60 cents out Of each dollar
is caused by distribution costs.
Would Eliminate MfddIemor
THE conclusions Of these facts are
inevitable. The producers and con-
sumers composed of farmers and all nee
essary labor of hand or brain in botb
production and distribution must ioin in
such complete economic and political
cooperation as to take over the dis
tribution of the product from pro-
ducer to consumer. This calls for
cooperative code, both state and ma
tional"
The rise in freight rates was term
ed 'eXtortion."
Suggestion is made for the taxation 1
of war millionaires," who. he claim
ed. had passed on taxation to the peo-
pie and paid nothing directly.
After summing up the causes for
farm losses, he said relative TO the
situation:
"A unihed government regulation
under the management of honest and
men would reduce costs of
tranSDOrta tiOn in vast amouptS