The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-10-27
RAILWAY STRIKES
EFFECTS FARMER
They Are Burdensome On
:. Agriculture
HIGH RATES SCORED
Secretary Wallace Discussed
Subject Before Kansas City
Knife and Fork Club
Especial to The Free Press.1

Especial to The Free Press1
Kansas City, October 24.-In an
ADDRESS before the Knife anu FORK
club last night, Secretary of Agri-
culture Wallace referred at some
length to the burdensome effect on
agriculture OF the present high
most vigorous terms interference
with transportation caused BY
strikes and lockouts. On this sub
Jet he said:
There are two things about our
TRANSPORTATION system which the
farmers want fixed.
"First-Freight rates on agricu.-
tural products should be decreased.
They are too high with relation to
the prices the farmers get Trans
portation is a part Of production. so
far as agriculture Is concerned. The
farmer pays the freight. He does
not want the railroads to reduce
freight rates so low that they can
Ice is important TO the farmer. But
freight rates are now too high. The
farmers want the railroad people to
cut down their operating costs, to
insist upon a fair days work for a
fair wage, to move their freight
cheaper. and thus be able to cut
down rates.
"Second-Some way must be
found to break monopones OF both
capital and labor and keep them at
work. These quarrels between the
railroads and the workmen which
hang up freight movement, must De
stopped in some way or other.
borers. There Is more money in
vested in agriculture than in any
other Industry. y There are mora
working people on the farms than
in any other sort Of work. But farm
ers get lower returns on their ill.,
vested capital than the railroads
get. They work longer hours and
for. much less pay than railroad
workmen. Being both capitalists and
laborers, the farmers car under
stand and sympathize with the Just
and lawful aspirations Of both CAPT
tai and labor. More than this, the
they can buy their crops At fair
prices. Farmers recognize the hight
Of capital 10 organize because only
In that way can large business en-
terprises be carried on. Farmers
Also recognize the right Of labor to
organize and be able to bargain eff
fectively with organized capital. But
farmers do not recognize the right
of labor organizations to conspire
and tie up railroad traffic. Farmers
have no sympathy with the sort OF
lawlessness which we had during
the railroad strike. There are no
murder of men, intimidation Of wo-
men and children and wanton de-
struction of property. The right to
work is lust as sacred as the right
to quit work, and must be upheld by
all the force Of organized society.
Interference with transportation
Is a direct attack upon the farmer
and his family. Many growers OF
perishable stuff have gone bankrupt
because they could not move their
crops. Grain growers and live stock
producers have lost millions upon
millons Of dollars during the past
and railroad workmen could not
agree. The farmer is sick and tired
, OF this Sort Of business. He can not
stand it any longer.
Settle Disputes orderly
There can be no dispute between
men which can not be settled in an
orderly way, with full justice to both,
railroad owners and railroad work.
without interference with traffic
and without inperiling the business
and lives of innocent people. The
rejection OF lawful means Of settle
ment and the appeal to lawiessness,
stop. If Il does not stop. then In
self. defense = the farmer will be
driven to adopt similar methods. II
that should happen people in the
cities would starve and we would
have anarchy instead OF govern.
nent. The farmer can take care or
himself. and he will IL he must He
can live on his own farm. But II
class Is to be arrayed against class,
IL every group is to organize and
fight every other group, our great
republic will break dow n and with it
win go the most advanced civiliza-
ton the world has ever-seen. We
can not permit that to happen.
"We need less selfishness and
more cooperation between the var
ious groups which make up our ma
tional life No group can afford to
exercise its power to the injury OF
other groups. There must be better
understanding and much greater
degree of cooperation between the
farmer, the laboring man, the mer-
chant, the manufacturer, the BANK
er. and business men in general.
without losing our individual initia-
tive and the efficiency which grows
out of II, we must gradually worA
ourselves over from nation of ex.
treme individualists to a nation of
cooperators. Agriculture, industry,
commerce and finance are partners
IN the geat national enterprise. They
must work in harmony and good I'M
derstanding, realizing that they Will
spirit which was so manifest during
the war will be urgently needed In
the years to come IL we are to build
up and maintain well rounded ma
honal life