Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-05-11

agricultural Bloc" Mr.. Cloverdalt
seems to know what he is talking
about and there is a strong suspic
ion that his words are not all propa
ganda for the farmer, either.
Organized America looks at organ
izing agriculture and says bit of
fendedly, ooh, so you're doing it too
The two-thirds of America seems tc
resent the adoption by the other third
of the tactics of the ma ority. 1t is
interesting that in this country of Fire
Fighters Leagues, Restaurant EN-
ployee's Alliances, Organized Window
Washers, Wall Street solidarity, Club
Federations, Engineering, Brother
hoods, Political Party devotion, Steel
Corporations, Janitors' Unions, Labor
Strikes, Bankers Associations, Wonl-
ems Rights, Manufacturers Blocs and
Undertakes Agreements, the advent
of organized agriculture into the strug
gle for self-preservation should even
cause ripple on the pond.
But as quiet and conservative and
as sane as the defensive mobilization
| Of farmers has been, surprising
amount of the world is informed-if
not on the reasons, the necessity, and
| justice of it, upon the fact that the
toilers of the soil are uniting. The
greatest agricultural organization, the
| Farm Bureau movement, has million
and a half farmer members working
| for our common good in At states IN
| the Union who invite the questioners
to come in and scrutinize. Perhaps
that is what has caused the interest
this unusual openhouse policy.
Matters of Viewpoint.
Another interesting phenomena IS
the fact that each industry and class
breaches within it's own ranks the
efficiency of organization as a posi-
tive cure for all economic and govern
mental ills, but firmly believes that
organization in other classes is really
responsible for the difficulties that be-
set the country.
Organization has met organization,
clashed, cIinched, and compromised.
When the break came in 1920 after
capital had raised the prices on COM
modities and labor had raised its
wages and capital had let the public
paw for the same and labor had
raised again, it was the unarmored
farmer, really quite an innocent by
stander at that time, who got thrust
in the ribs from both swords. And
both capital and labor are beginning
to pay for the deed.
All industries are paying, or having
to pay in the reactionary financial
wave-due to. the absence of purchas-
ING power with 55 per cent of the pop
ulation for the farmers unprepared-
ness. Prices would have lowered
more normally had the farmer been
braced for the lancirg.
The great American city bootblack
who pays $500 month to belong to
union which dictates whether or not
he shall shine shoes, when, and for
what price, and whose knowledge of
farm life has been gained from popu-
lar songs, slaps a rag across your
calfskin (which brought the cattle
| breeded 13 cents and the shoe dealer
1879 answers your question about or
ganized agriculture with a wisdom
| born of ignorance and says envlously
| "Sure, the farmers are all rich-look
what food is worth" Whereupon If
you happen to be a produce man you
explain righteously that you only
make a cent or two on sale and that
you have to have something for your
services. If a farmer is getting his
shoes shined he sighs YEARLY and
says that it is the produce dealers
associations that are responsible.
Statistics are on the farmers side
they show that the prices on the prod
ucts he sells are only Is per cent
higher than the 1913-before-the-wa1
times, prices, while the food that is
available to the consumer is 80 pei
cent or three times as high.
The Agricultural Bloc.
The dry-goods storekeeper, who be
longs to the retailers union and mer
cantiler's association, ETC., and run:
his business according to rules lait
down by the other city merchants
reads column or two concerning thu
much-heralded Agricultural Bloc AM
wonders virtuously how long the pub
lie is going to stand for what h
terms "class legislation" Let it b
! said to his credit that he does no
know himself that he has been doint
business under the protection of
manufacturers bloc-a bloc which ha
; kept a restrictive tariff on imports
lmorphined the Truth-in-Fabric bill
and fostered sentimentally over on
Infant industries, ever since thos
good old days when the storekeeper'
u grandfather traded 5 cent red Gallo