The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1921-09-08
A SQUARE DEAL FOR FARMER
(By T. F. Peck, Commissioner Of
a eppirtilfupn \

1 Agriculture
/ know that when the farmer sells
his fat cattle for from to 6 cents
a pound on foot and goes into a
first-class restaurant and pays from
80 rents to $3.50 for a good beef
steak he feels that he has not got his
rightful share out Of the cattle sold
by him; and he has not. When he
sells a bushel of tomatoes for less
than a dollar and pays quarter for
one average sized tomato, sliced and
served in a dish, or sells his clip Of
wool at 10 cents a pound and buys
it back in suit of clothes at from
So to $40 a pound, the conviction
grows stronger that he is not getting
square deal. He sells his fat hogs
at from to 10 cents pound and
pays from 40 to rs cents for an
order of ham or breakfast bacon. And
so with everything he produces on
the farm for market.
If the farmer were like some
other classes he would 20 on a strike
so far as producing a surplus is
concerned. When he figures his
cost of production for the past year,
he can not see any profit for him IN
his work on the basis of what he
receives for his surplus. The manu-
facturer; when the market gets over
stocked and the price of his product
1oes not yield him a profit, shuts
down his plant So does the mine
operator. The merchants will not
buy goods unless their sale will yield
them a profit. When the railroad
companies find that trains are not
profitable they are annulled.
Now, what would happen if the
farmers should do as people in other
lines of activity do when certain Of
their operations cease to be profit
able? If the farmer ceased to pro-
duce surplus all other activities
would cease, because all other ac-
tivities are dependent upon the surp-
lus products of the farmer for their
life. People in all lines of activity
must eat and they are dependent
upon the farmers surplus supply of
food
If the farmers we're Inclined they
could stage strike with competent
organization that would come nearer
enforcing their demands than any
strike that has ever yet teen called.
They could quit producing a surplus,
producing only enough to sustain
themselves and their families. True,
they would be denied some of the
conyeniences of present day ciyili-
cation which many Of them now en-
Joy. Put when their forefathers as
pioneers wrested this country from
the savage they lived and prospered
without what the farmer of today
would have to deprive himself.
But farmers are not going to
strike. They are going right along
producing, but they are waking up to
some mistakes they have in the past
been making in marketing. They
re going to approach closer to the
consumer with their products. They
are simply going to adopt some of
the practical business methods EN-
ployed by those producing and mark
citing other products. They are no
ing to do it by merchandising their
products instead of dumping them
without regard to market demands.
They are going to do it by co-ope-
alive community effort, by cohesive
organization, never BY striking and
demoralizing the country. And
there is one thought that should be
fixed in the minds of every nom
producer of farm products. That is
that he is consumer of food and his
only available source Of supply is
the surplus produced for market by
the farmer. He should know that
the farmer can live, with some in
convenience, without producing
much surplus, but that he (the non
producer) can not live without the
farmers surplus and for that reason,
if for no other, he should lend his CO.
operation in every way possible to
aid the farmer in getting a fair
margin Of profit for his labor.
When sensible people realize to the
full the important part the farmer
plays in the very life of the country,
they will help instead Of hinder him.
"A policy that is handicap to the
prosperity of the farmer is as UNI
wise as was the tabled foolish fellow
who killed the goose that laid the
golden egg.
If we want to insure surplus of
foodstuff being produced by the
farmers they should be helped TO
build good roads, good schools and
churches in the country When those
are provided in the coun-
try districts, non-producers of farm
products in the cities and industrial
centers need have no fear of a short
age of farm products. Without such
facilities there may be grave fears
Of such a calamity.