Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1922-01-19
/ V

ana laDOr.
Now, what is the farmer asking
without trying to catalogue the re-
medal measures that have been sug-
gested In his behalf, the principal pro-
posals that bear directly on the I'M
provement of his distributing and mar
keting relations may be summarized as
follows -
First: storage warehouses for cot
ton, wool, and tobacco, and elevators
for grain, of sufficient capacity to meet
the maximum demand on them at the
peak Of the marketing period. The
farmer thinks that either private capt.
tai must furnish these facilities, or the
state must erect and own the eleva-
tors and warehouses.
Second: weighing and grading Of
agricultural products, and certification
thereof, to be done by impartial and
dislnterested public inspectors (this Is
already accomplished to some extent
by the federal licensing Of weighers
| and graders), to eliminate underpay-
ing, overcharging, and unfair grading,
and to facilitate the utilization Of the
stored products as the basis Of credit.
Third a certainty Of credit sufficient
to enable the marketing Of products
In an orderly manner.
Fourth: the Department of Agricul-
ture should collect, tabulate, summa-
rize, and regularly and frequently pub
llsh and distribute to the farmers, full
information from all the markets of
the world. so that they shall be as well
informed Of their selling position as
buyers now are of their buying posi-
ton.
Fifth: freedom to integrate the busi-
ness of agriculture by means of con-
solidated selling agencies, co-ordinat-
ing and cooperating In such way as to
put the farmer ON an equal footing
with the large buyers Of his products,
and with commercial relations In other
Industries.
When a business requires specialized
talent, 1t has to buy It, SO will the
farmers and perhaps the best way for
them to get 1t would be to utilize some
Of the present machinery of the larg- |
est established agencies dealing In |
farm products. OF course, II he wishes,
the farmer may go further and engage
in 1our-milling and other manufactures
of food products. In my opinion,
however, he would be wise to stop |
short Of that Public interest may be
opposed to all great integrations; but.
it.c oh ha - - |
the farmer and permitted to others?
The corporate form of association can
not now be wholly adapted to his OBJ
jects and conditions The looser CO.
operative form seems more generally
Therefore, he wishes to be
free, II he finds 1t desirable and feas-
Ible, to resort to cooperation with his
fellows and neighbors, without run
ming afoul Of the law. To urge that
the farmers should have the same lib
erty to consolidate and coordinate
heir peculiar economic functions,
which other industries in their fields
,njoy, is not, however, to concede that ;
my business Indignation should have
legislative sanction to exercise monop-
'listic power. The American people
re as firmly opposed to Industrial as $
o political autocracy. whether at |
empted by rural or by urban industry. $
For lack of united effort the farmers {
8 a whole are still marketing their /
rops by Anticipated methods or by no {
lethods at all, but they are surrounded t
y business world that has been 2
iodernized to the last minute and Is e
relessly striving for efficiency. This i
is due In large measure to I
liz business, to united business, to In a
sgrated business. The farmers now L
eek the benefits of such largeness, un- "
m and Indignation. r
The American farmer is a modern Of II
lie moderns In the use of labor saving
and he has made vast
rides In recent years In scientific
llage and efficient farm management, v.
ut as a business in contact with other Il
lsinesses agriculture is zone horse e,
lay" In competition with high power ST
ltomobiles. The American farmer IL az
e greatest and most intractable of N
dividualists. While Industrial pro al
iction and all phases Of the huge COM ia
ercial mechanism and It's myriad ac- In
ssories have articulated and co-ordi- er
tied themselves all the way from nat IL
al raw materials to retail sales, the ST
lsiness Of agriculture has gone on In ia
UGH the one man fashion Of the back a.
oods of the hrst part Of the nine II
enth century. when the farmer was IL