The Clay City times. [volume] (Clay City, Ky.) 1901-current, 1922-02-02

gested in his behalf. the principal pro
posalS that bear directly on the i'm
provemcut Of his distributing and mar
keting relations may be summarized as
follows -
First: storage warehouses for cot
ton. wo'' and tobacco. and elevators
for gra 90 sufficient capacity To meet
the ms mum 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 mlst erect and own the eleva-
tors and warehouses.
Second: weighing and grading OF
agricultural products, and certification
thereof, to he done by impartial and
DISTINGUISHED public Inspectors Uhis Is
already accomplished to some extent
by the federal lic9,'ing Of weighers
and graderS). 10 eliminate underpay-
ing, ovcrchargng, and unfair grading.
and 10 facilitate the utilization Of the
stored products as the basis Of credit.
Third certainty Of credit sufficient
10 enable the marketing of products
in an orderly manner.
Fourth: the Department of Agricul.
ture should collect. tabulate. spmma-
rize. and regularly and frequently pub
liSh anC 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 lntegrate the bust
ness Of agriculture by means Of con
suldated selling agencies. cO-ordinat-
inc and co-operatin~ in such way as to
nut the farmer on an equal footing
with the large buyers OF his products.
and with commercial relations in other
industries.
When business requires specialized
talent. 1t has To buy It, So will the
farmers: and perhaps the best way for
them To get il would be 10 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 -four milling and other manufactures
If food products. In my opinion.
however. he would be wise TO stop
short Of that. Public interest may be
opposed 10 all great lntegrations; but
in Justice. should they be forbidden To
the farmer and permitted TO others?
The corporate form # association can
not now be wholly adapted to his oh.
iects and conditions The looser co
operative form seems more generally
suitable. Therefore. he wishes to be
free. IL he finds it 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
their peculiar economic functions,
which other indust lies in their fields
enjoy. is not. however, 10 cOncede that
any business indignation should have
legislative sanction To exercise monop-
olistic mower. The American people
are as firmly opposed TO industrial as
10 political autocracy, whether at
tempted by rural or by urban industry
For lack Of united effort the farmers
as whole are still marketing their
crops by antiquated methods, or by no
methods at all, but they are surrounded
ny a business world that has been
modernized TO the last minute aud l.
tirelessly striving FOR efficiency. This
efficiency is due in large measure Ia
big business. to united business, to In
tegrated business. The farmers now
seek the benefits Of such largeneSs, un
ion and Indignation.
The American farmer Is a modern OF
The moderns I'm the use Of labor saving
machinery, and he has made vast
strides In recent years In scientific
tlllage and efficient farm management
hut as n business in contact with other
businesses agriculture is Il zone horse
shay" in competition with high power
automobiles. The American farmer Is
the greatest and most int1ctable of
indlviduallsts. While industrial pro
ductlon and all phases Of the huge com
merclal mechanism and Its myriad ac'
cessories have articuated and cO-Ordi.
mated themselves all the way from nat
ural raw materials TO retail sales, the
business Of agriculture has gone on In
much the one man fashion OF the back
woods Of the first part OF the nine
teenth century. when the farmer was
self sufficient and aid not depend upoh'
or care very much. what the great
world was doing. The result IL tilat
the agricultural group Is almost as
much at a disadvantage In dealing Win
other economic groups as the jay iarli.
er Of the funny pages in the hands Of