The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1921-07-14
FARMERS SHOULD
TELL OF PLIGHT
SOIL TILLERS FROM Al STATES
GENERALLY AGREE THAT
FREIGHT RATES ARE TOO
HIGH.

Chicago, H., July 14.-What is
wrong with agriculture? Answers to
! this question which began pouring
into the American Farm Bureau
/ Federation offices here tonight indi-
Gated that farmers agree that condi-
tions in this country could be greatly
improved by lowering freight rates,
| levying tariffs on foreign products
and marketing farm products coop
, eratively.
Farmers in 1000 counties, repre-
senting fortyseven states, were call
ed into small local groups today and
asked various questions about their
business. This was done in order to
ascertain directly from the man on
the farm his idea of what is wrong
with his business, hoping that this
information will be of great value to
the joint agricultural commission at
Washington.
Some of the reports had the pes
simistic ring, while others indicated
that farmers are hopeful. George
Bergtoll, a farmer near Midland
Mich, says that If present conditions
are not remedied the farmers will be
| driven out of business or there will
be developed in this country a peas
ant class of soil tillers.
Il suggest as a remedy for the
present situation" said w. c. Kurth,
Edgemont, S. D., that the govern
ment stamp out $500,0O0,000 in
farm loan greenbacks to be returned
in five years, and to loan this money
out to farmers at per cent through
federal land banks. The American
farmer needs help now, if ever"
Michigan farmers seem to have
suffered a severe blow on the price
of their products. Clyde Ctewart, of
Midland, Mich, says ''it cost 81 more
to ship my hay to Detroit than he
paid me for the hay"
George Foster, or Album, Mich,
thinks the farmer should fix the
price on farm products. "If it is
right for Henry Ford to set the price
on his car, so it is just and right for
us to set the price on our products.
George Colbert, from the same
town says that high freight rates Is
the farmers greatest drawback.
II never raised better crops in my
life than l did last year. l could
hardly shut my granary doors, but /
went behind financially good many
hundred dollars. l had to pay high
prices for labor and was forced to
sell on an abnormally low market"
said Herbert Vincent, Freeland,
Mich.
Nebraska farmers say that freight
rates are not in harmony with the
price they are getting for their prod
ucts. A farmer near Weeping Wa
ter, Neb., says he gets only AZ cents
for his corn and pays 17.S cents a
hundred to ship it from his town to
Kansas City, while in 1917 he only
paid cents a hundred.
Another farmer says the solution
will come when the farmers of Am
erica limit production. In compar-
ing the price that farmers get for
their live stock and what they have
to pay for the necessity commodities
that they buy, Illinois farmers have
figured it out that the farmer is
coming out at the small end of the
horn. One down state farmer writ
es:
"a year ago hogs were selling
from II to 90 cents and now at 7h
cents. Farm necessities have only
dropped 10 per cent while hogs have
dropped sc 2-3 per cent"
Backed by long list Of figures
one farmer points out that the fact
that corn is down to AZ cents bush
el-pre-war price-while machinery
is 100 per cent above.
Farmers out in Kansas do not
complain much about low prices, ac-
cording to Arthur l.. Meyers. "They
expect that" he says. "But they do
object to high prices of farm machin-
cry, clothes and other commodities
which they must use. They COM
plain, but they do not quit working.
The farmer is on the job and is ex-
pectantly waiting better days. He
has faith the representatives of his
organization will be able to show
lawmakers what is needed and that
they will be fair and furnish him re-
lief"