Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1922-01-26


oenelt OF producer and consumer. /
nave no apprehensions on this point
III the first place, a loose organiza-
1ioh' such as any union of farmers
llust be at best, cannot be so arbi-
trarliy and promptly controlled as a
| great corporation The one is lum-
/ Dering democracvand the other an agile
j autocracy. In the second place, with
an possible power of org nization, the
FARMERS cannot succeed to any great
extent. or for any considerable length
OF TIME. in fixing prices. The great
Id" OF supply and demand works in
various and surprising ways to the
uhdolng of the best laid plans that
attempt to foil it. In the third place,
! ehelr power will avail the farmers
notSns if it be abused In our time
ana country power is of value to its
poSsessor only so long as it is not
abused. 1t is fair to say that | have
seen no signs in responsible quarters
! OF disposition to dictate prices
mere seems. on the contrary, to be a
commonly beneficial purpose to realize
a stability that will Civ an orderly
| ana abundant flow Of farm products
10 the consumer and ensure reasonable
and dependable returns to the pro-
Queer.
in view of the supreme Importance
to the national well-being of a pros
porous and contented agricultural pop
ulation. we should be prepared to go
long way in assisting the farmers to
get an equitable share Of the wealth
they produce, through the Inaugural
ton Of reforms that will procure a
continuous and increasing stream of
farm products. They are far from get
ting fair share now Considering
his capital and the long hours Of labor
put in by the average farmer and his
family, he is remunerated less than
any other occupational class, with the
possible exception Of teachers, reli-
gious and lay. Though we know that
the present general distress of the
farmers is exceptional and is linked
with the inevitable economic readjust-
ment following the war, it must be
remembered that, although represent
ing one-third Of the industrial product
and half the total population of the
nation, the rural communities ordi-
narily enjoy but fifth to quarter Of
the net annual national gain. NotWith-
standing the taste of prosperity that
the farmers had during the war, there
is today lower standard of living
among the cotton farmers Of the South
than in any other pursuit in The country.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the
farmers are chiefly striving for a gen
orally beneficial Indignation of their
business, of the same kind and charac-
ter that other business enjoys. If it
should be found on examination that
the attainment of this end requires
methods different from those which
other activities have followed for the
same purpose should we not sympa-
theticall! consider the plea for the
right to cooperate, if only from our
own enlightened self interest, in OBJ
tanning an abundant and steady flow Of
farm products?
In examining the agricultural stua-
ton with a view to its Improvement,
we shall be most helpful if we main
tain detached and judicial viewpoint,
remembering that existing wrongs may
be chiefly an accident Of unsymmetri-
cal economic growth instead Of a crea-
ton of malevolent design and cOnspra-
CIV. We Americans are prone, as Pro
fessor David Friday well says in his
admirable book, Profits Wages and
Prices" to seek criminal intent be-
hind every difficult and undesirable eco
nomic situation" | can positively as
sert from my contact with men OF
large affairs, including bankers, that,
as a whole, they are endeavoring to
fulfill as they see them the obligations
that 90 with their power. Preoccupied
with the grave problems and heavy
tasks of their own immediate affairs,
thew have not turned their thoughtful
personal attention or their construc-
tive abilities to the deficiencies of agri-
cultural business organization. Agri-
culture it may be said, suffers from
their preoccupation and neglect rather
than from any purposeful exploitation
by them They ought now to begin to
respond to the farmers difficulties,
which they must realize are their own.
On the other hand, my contacts with
the farmers have filed me with respect
for tnem-for their sanity, their pa
thence. their balance Within the last
year. and particularly at meeting
called by the Kansas State Board OF
Agriculture and at another called by
the Committee Of Seventeen, l have
met many of the leaders of the new
farm movement, and I testify in all
sincerity that they are endeavoring to
deal with their problems, not as pro
moters Of a narrow class interest, not
as exploiters of the hapless consumer,
not as mercilesss monopolists, but as
honest ment bent on the Improvement
Of the common veal.
We can and must meet such men
and such a cause half way. Their
business is our business-the nations
huSinnSs