The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1922-03-10

Editor and Business Manager.
THE FARMER AND HIS PRODUCT
The newspapers are full of dis.
cussions regarding farm loans, both
federal and state, and from the tone
OF these discussions it seems that all
the farmer has to do, if the oppor.
tunity presents itself, is to borrow
money to keep business going, accor.
ding to the general run Of argu-
ments. There is nothing said as to
how the farmers shall get money ia
pay off these loans when they be-
come. due. e
There is something wrong witt,
the people who are engaged in farm
ing or else the farmers are not get
ting a square deal in disposing Of
what he produces on the farm. For
it should not be more necessary for
farmer to borrow money to keep
things going than for the manufac-
turer, the coal miner, or the specula-
tor In all these branches of in
dustry money is required to keep
things going. That being the case,
why should farmers look for cheap
er money than any one else.
We were raised on the farm until
we were nearly twenty years old.
That is long ago. Forty-fve years
ago the same problem confronted
the farmers then as it does today.
With this difference however. At
that time there were no big corpora
tions like we have now, and every
body placed the fruit of his labors- on
the market on par with the rest Of
the people. Of late years the big in
dustries have grown bigger and the
farmers are practically where they
were at that time. The farmer is
playing a lottery game. He does
not only take chance of what the
season will bring forth, but when he
threshes his crop in the fall the gam
bier plays with the fruits Of his La
bors, and the spectators generally
get the long end of it.
+ Take it in any other business
things are reversed. You buy bin
der or wagon and the prices for the
same were established twelve months
ahead. The laboring classes form
unions and they agree with the en-
ployers what they will work for
sometimes two or more years in ad-
vance. We believe that until the
farmer is assured a minimum price
that he is to get for his crop there
will be no change for the better. You
can lend him all the money his Sc
curity will warrant, at the lowest
rate Of interest, if the cost Of pro-
ducing exceeds the price he gets for
what he has to sell he will be worse
off each succeeding year. !
The Pioneer Express believes in
fair play. And the only fair thing
to the farmer is to place an assured
price on what he raises and prosper
ity is as sure to follow him as is the
work Of the manufacturer, the min
ing companies and the spectators.
Quit talking cheap farm loans to
keep the farmer going. What better
off will he be after he has mortgaged
his farm if he has to sell his pro-
duct at less than it costs him to pro-
duce it. We believe the day is COM
ing when q farmer is going to know
just what he is going to get for his
wheat, oats or barley before he rails
es it. But the politician who travels
around spending his good time tell
ing you what great things he is go
ing to do for the farmer is not the
person to look to for relief. They
have an axe to grind.
The spectacular condition in this
state at the present. time should open
the eyes Of every farmer and unless
he breaks away from party afhlia-
tion and votes for the Sman who is
not only q resident Of the state but
one who Is true and tried, there will
be no change for the better. The
successful Businessman knows fully
well that II the farmer gets : good
price for what he has to place on
the market he will get what IS COM
ing to him from the farmer, but If
the farmer is running behind he can
not meet his obligations. The far
mer asks nothing more than what is
conceded IN other kinds Of business.
Let Us have a fxed price for our
wheat, oats, barley, fax, etc. and
i