The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1922-01-20
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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 im
provement Of his distributing and mar
keting relations may be summarized al
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 certifcation
thereof. to be done by impartial and
disinterested public inspectors (this IL
already accomplished to some extent
by the federal licensing Of weighers
and gradeTs), to eliminate u~nderpay.
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
lish n distribute to the farmers. full
information from all the markets OF
the world. 80 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, c~o-ordinat-
Ing and cooperating In such way rs to
put the farmer OF 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 1t. 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, If he wishes.
the farmer may go further and engage
In hour-milling and other manufactures
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.
In justice, should they be forbidden to
the farmer and permitted to othersf
The corporate form Of association can
not now be wholly adapted to his oh.
|ects and conditions. The lOoser CO.
operative form seems more generally
Therefore. he wishes to be
rec, II he finds II desirable and feas-
BILE, to resort to cooperation with his
elbows and n%eighbOrs, without run
ling afoul of the law. To urge that
he farmers should have the same lib
rty to consolidate and coordinate
heir peculiar economic functions,
other industries In their fields
njoy, Is not. however, to concede that
ny business indignation should have
legislative sanction to exercise monop
power. The American people
&c Us I'LL OpPOSOU W IuOuSITIdl HIS
, political autocracy, whether at
empted by rural or by urban industry. {
For lack Of united effort the farmers {
a whole are still marketing their |
.eps by Anticipated methods, or by no I
ethods at all, but they are surrounded t
a business world that has been !
odernized to the last minute and Is e
striving for efficiency. This l
flciency is due IL large measure to t
& business, to united business, to In. q
grated business. The farmers now t
elk the benefits Of such largeness. un- v
o and Indignation. r
The American farmer is a modern Of !,
Q moderns In the use of labor saving
achinery, and he has made vast
rides in recent years In scientific
lage and efficient farm management. "
t as a business In contact with other t.
agriculture Is a zone horse el
ay" In competition with high power ST
The American farmer il &C
, greatest and most intractable of N
lividualists. While industrial pro- al
ction and all phases Of the huge COM ia
mechanism and Its myriad &C. Is
have ~articulated and co-ordi- er
ted themselves all the way from nat 1t!
II raw materials to retail sales, the sh
Of agriculture has gone on In IA
Ich the one man fashion Of the back ga
DDS of the first part Of the nine sh
nth century. when the farmer was ! tn