The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-06-05
FARMER DEMANDS
RELIEF AND RIGHT
OF AUGMENTATION
Has Swiftly Combined Ener-
gies Into Powerful 0rgani-
cation to Force Passage
of Relief Legislation

hare today in the halls of Congress de-
manding relief from their ailments
and the right to modernize their bust
ness affairs. They are, perhaps, the
most powerful force in the presence
Of the national legislature. so swiftly,
silently and effectively have they
combined their energies that few per-
sens, even here, are aware Of their
existence and fewer still have even
an approximate notion of their
strength. Their representatives are
working tirclessly and with almost
certain prospect of success for the
passage of a cluster of bills whose eff
feet upon American economic life will
be asserted In the hundreds of mill
lions Of dollars.
AS the farmer sees himself as he IS
today, he is, in an economic sense, the
siclsest OF sick America. Women
folks his children, his other depend
ents and his hired help, he makes up
some 40.000.000 of people. He has
something to se11--all that America
eats and much that It w-ars---and hts
products have dropped into an abys-
NAL market. His purchasing power
has been cut more than half within
the past year and his needs, like those
/ OIL OLncT TOIkS, nave luCTcdScu. DC
cause Of his numerous numbers and
troubles he regards his condition as
the basic ailment of American com
lfmerce and industry. Through hts or
ganization he Is seeking Legislation
which, he believes. viii help bring
him back TO economic health.
lCapper Cisief Champion
Capper of Kansas, in the Senate,
stands out today as the most Fskilful
and energetic of the farmers cham
pions. His name is on almost every
one Of the half dozen or more impor-
tant measures which the rarmers are
pressing upon Congress.
Foremost of these measures is the
Capper -volstead bill to authorize the
formation of cooperative organza-
tions Of farmers and permit them to
do business in Interstate commerce.
lit seems strange that such authority
should have to be sought at this late
date on behalf of the nations bread
makers when almost every other line
of business is so organized. But the
farmers want, legal authority, plain,
specific and direct, before they pro-
coed. The bill seems certain of pas
sage Under its provisions they ex-
pect to unite in big CO cooperative So
cieties for the purpose of shortcut
| ting to the consumer, slicing down the
tremendous spread between prices paid
for fruit, produce, grain and other
products in the fields, ana the prices
for the same products in the markets
of the country.
Apples rot on the ground OF New
York-and other farms--in the sum-
mer and fall because the prices the
farmers obtain are so low as not TO
Justify picking the fruit and sending
i+ A he those
apples are rotting, other apples, no
better, are selloing retail at and 10
cents apiece in the eastern cities. That
situation, the farmer holds, is an eco
monte sin. Milk sells in New York to-
day at say, ~ cents a quart, deliv-
cred; the farmer gets 5, or there
Enthusiastically enough to Justify his
keeping the COW, feeding her, paying
labor to attend her and sending her
milk to market. That situation, the
farmer regards as an economic wrong.
The price of both commodities, and
all other the farmer raises, should be,
in all fairness, he holds, cheaper to
the consumer and at the same time
should yield the FARMER at least
enough to make an honest profit on
his investment and toll.
VIII Bring Retirement
cooperative organizations some
how, some time can bring about q
betterment OF these conditions, the
farmer believes, and that Is ono rea-
son why he wants such organizations
lcountable to the federal department OF
agriculture Another measure the
United Farmers OF America are press
ling through Congress is the bill
creating joint committee to investi-
gate the realivity or agricultural
prices to other commodity prices
That bill. too. rs going through. II
has passed the Senate and when the
| Joint committee OF 10 gets on the JOB
the farmer believes there will be news
popping that Will make most folks
! either red-headed or wild-eyed about
some of the prices they are paying
today for things not raised on the
farm.e
Farm prices have dropped like FALL
ing stars: other commodity prices
have gently and slowly eased down
a bit. Why? That's what the farmer
wants to find out and place before
the American public through an Off
cial committee. OF Congress. II eggs
have gone down SO per cent, why
haven's other things? II corn on the
cob is off go per cent from high why
do the rates OF public utility corpo-
re tions stick up where they USED
to he?
If beef Is selling today for half Of
what 1t sold for last year. why isn't
gasoline?
In other words. the farmer feels
that he has been made, in street Ian
guage, the goat. Being q goat Is no
fun unless one can butt bit and the
farmer expects to butt. He wants to
butt into the true facts about the
price drops; why everything he sells
has slowed down into the softest mar
ket ever known while everything ne
buys still hangs around the high point
Of last year or but little below IT,