The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1921-06-30
The Corn Controversy
Sunset Ridge Farm,

Fairfield, Maine, May %, 1921
To the Editor
After reading the letter of Jas. p
Baxter. president OF the Maine Can
ners' Association, as published recent
y in the press Of the State. find
little difficulty in understanding that
gentleman's expressed reluctance tc
entering a newspaper controversy
when 50 poorly equipped with facts
and arguments. And | appreciate how
aptly the poet wrote:
For what a tangled web we weave
When once we practice TO deceive
| cannot but feel that the most fit
ting reply to Mr.. Bakers tangled
web of little fact and more assertion
and fancy would be to ignore it with
the silence it SO richly deserves. But
as a member of the Maine Sweet Corn
Growers Association | realize that IN
Justice to ourselves the farmers side
of the case should be presented to the
public who might otherwise construe
our silence as a tacit acceptance OF
the assertions and claims made by
the representative of the Gamers AS
ISOLATION.
While perhaps of minor importance.
the part of Mr.. Baxter's letter that Is
likely to prove most offensive TO the
farmers of Maine IS his imputation
that they are being led blindly astray
by the secretary Of their association,
C. II. Crawford. If Mr.. Baxter is hon
est in striving to create this impress
sion. then he has demonstrated how
utterly he has failed to grasp the SIT
uation. For Mr.. Crawford in his ef-
forts in behalf of the Growers Asso-
citation has but acted as the trusted
and authorized representative OF thou-
sands of intelligent farmers all over
the State. If Mr.. Baxter and any
other of the packers have any doubts
of the farmers real views on the
question. let them consult the files oil
the Maine newspapers for the last
two months. Here let them read IN
the accounts of meetings held by the
various locals the unanimity with
which the growers voted to support
their association in its efforts to ob-
tain fair price for their product
Mr.. Baxter, you have stated that we
are being led in strange paths. the
burden of proof is on you.
Mr.. Baxter informs the public that
the Growers Association has returned
us no financial gain< And further
states that the price of five cents PAID
these last two years was determined
entirely by economic conditions and
was freely offered by the packers
These statements are in part the
truth, but they are not the Whole
truth. In the fall of 1918 the pack
ers contracted for corn the next sea
son at five cents pound. And Tor all
that know they may have offered this
price willingly enough. But it proved
to be case of Indian Giver. The
next spring these same packers can
celled their contracts, but offered tc
remake them on four cent basis.
have in my files letter from the
company for which we had contracted
to plant, written under date OF April
18th. In this letter the company in
formed us that due to poor marker
they would be unable to pay the con
tract price of five cents but instead
were willing to pay four cents Al
IulS lllut tue bIbHtio AApo'N "hiS'
was organized A large majority OF
the growers were among its members
They refused to plant for less thar
five cents. Under date of May 9th
have in my files a letter from this
same company stating that they will
pay the original price of five cents
Perhaps economic conditions were
working overtime in those q days
But we and all other growers with
whom | have ever talked credited one
fifth of our corn check that fall to the
work of the Growers Association
Mr.. Baxter you have stated that the
planters have received no financial
gain from their association. Can you
deny the facts | have stated above
If not, the burden of proof is on you
Let us now look briefly at Mr.. Bax-
ter's attempt to prove that from finan'
cial reasons Maine farmers should
grow sweet corn this season, A care
full analysis will betray the fact that
the whole structure of this argument
is founded on a fallacious definition
PROFIT" says Mr.. Baxter, lis rela
tive term. The farmer like all the
rest of us obtains profit when he EN-