The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-05-12
THE FARMERS CASE

OF the farmers at this time.
We have heard great deal of com
plant from farmers in the past six or
eight months about how they have
been financially injured in all their
activities since the first move was
made to bring the country back to a
pre-war basis but not having any real
knowledge of the actual farm condi-
tions not now being farmer, we, like
many other city men, didn't know de-
finitely the seriousess of the condi-
tions the farmers were up against but
= now that we have taken occasion to
get at the real facts about the actual
conditions with which the farmers are
face to face we are convinced that
they are justified in, even, protesting
more vigorously about the way they
have been Disseminated against since
the return to pre-war conditions set
in.
The farmers today are back to a
pre-war basis on everything they
have to sell, but are buying their sup
plies, when they buy at all, at double
and treble pre-war prices.
If farmers coud buy the things
they must have to live on and operate
their farms at prices somewhere in
proportion to the prices they get for
the things they have to sell they
would not be justified in complaining
of being Disseminated against as a
class but as long as they are singled
out as the one class who are forced to
sell their products on pre-war basis
and buy their needs, let them be what
they will, on wartime inflated prices
they will protest and they will be jus
titled in making more strenuous eff
forts in protesting to get the same
consideration in the efforts of the
country to return to a pre-war basis
that the other industries are getting
They are asking for nothing more and
they are justified and are warranted
in being satisfied with nothing less.
Now, as to the legislative needs and
other means outlined by the farm or
CARNATIONS that held conventions in
Washington recently TO bring them
partial relief from the burdens they
are now forced as a class to
bear, we can heartily approve of
them because we believe they are just
and void of any selfish faint. Their
purpose seems to be to put all classes
or near so, at least, on an equal
footing.
The farmers first demand is a re-
duction in freight rates so as to make
it possible for them to ship their pro
ducts to market and realize a small
return for their efforts in producing
them. We, after making careful in
quiry of farmers learn that present
freight rates will not permit the ship
ping of hay and many other farm pro-
ducts in the central northern states to
where there is a market for them
and in the southern states vegetables
and even fruit cannot be shipped and
bring the growers any return for their
labor; and the result in these products
are allowed to rot on the farms where
they were produced rather than have
the producers run the risk of shipping
them and not realizing enough out of
the shipments to pay transportation
charges and commissions for hand
ling. If freight rates were reduced
to an extent that would leave the pro-
ducers a small return above cost of
transportation and commission
charges these products would be ship
ped and would help materially to re-
duce the price of such commodities to
the consumers at the other end of the
line
The railroads wouldn't lose any
revenue by making a reduction in
freight rates because the increase in
the volume Of business by the ship
ping Of these products now allowed
TO rot on the farms would more than
make good the reduction in freight
rates necessary to make it paying
proposition to ship them.
The second most urgent demand of
the farmers is law to prohibit gamb-
ling in grain and cotton. Senator Cap
per in an address in the United States
senate said gambling in grain was re-
sponsible for the price of wheat, in
the past three months, of more than
so cents a bushel.
There is several times as much
wheat and corn sold on the boards of
trade every year as produced Even
wheat is sold and resold and resold
long before it is harvested. The great
bulk of the sales of wheat and cotton
don't carry with them any expecta-
ton of delivering the goods by the