The Republican journal., 1922-06-01
THE FARMERS AND THE
UNIONS.

The farmer is by necessity an indepen-
dent, self sufficient individualist. He is
ca pitalist, a proprieto manufacturer,
an employer of labor. He represents the
goods which labor makes, and every sue
cessfu effort by labor to increase its wage
re turn is felt by him.
! Avowed and dominant pur poses of labor
unionism are to shorten the working day.
to establish arbitrary and uniform condi-
/ tions of employment and to restrict per
capita production. All these aims are at
war with the interests of the farmer. He
cannot recognize an eight hour OF ten
hour day. because his tasks cannot be de-
ferred and because his operations to a
great extent are controlled by the seasons
and the uncertainties of the weather Nor
can he adopt uniform rules of W ork, be-
cause there is no uniformity in his pro-
blems. And finally, he is always striving
to expand production, not to contract it.
The two classes are conscious of econo-
mic antagonism. Organized labor is the
first to protest when the foodstuffs raised
by the farmer rise in price; and the farmer
is the first to complain when the cost of
goods manufactured by organized labor in
creases because of wage initiation. This
conflict of interest is natural and will con-
tinue.
| A basic difference is that the farmer has
two distinct operating problems. while
labor has but one The farmer must first
grow his crops, and then market them; he
is at once producer and merchandiser
AS we have indicated, in the field of pro-
4 duct int he
those of labor, nor is collective action fea-
sible. In dsposinR of his output, how
ever, he finds benefit in collective action;
but there is no common ground with labor
here, for labor does not market what it
produces.
/ Despite these inherent differences, lead
ers of organized labor strive to make it
appear that the farmers view with grow
ing favor the idea of an alliance between
the two groups. The truth is thai the
farmers sympathies were never alienated
from organized labor to so great an extent
as at the present time
How remote is the chance of SYM
pathetic combination between the farmers
and organized labor was shown at the ma
tional agricultural conference recently
held at the call of the president. Altho
the delegates included representatives of
and other interests, the gathering express
sed with uncompromising vieor the deter
mination of the farming community to
resist with equal force unjust eXactons
by capital and by labor.
The farmer has not relaxed his vigilance
! or his defensive measures against the
power of capital; but he has come to re-
gard organized labor as an additional force
against which he must protect himself.
During the years when the workers were
struggling against odds to esta blish their
rights, the farmer sgave them sympathy
and support, because the two groups had
a common interest in cur bing the oppres-
sive power of capitaistic combinations.
But when he perceived that organized
labor, whenever it acquired dominating
position, developed tendencies as arbitrary
and arrogant as those of capital, he came
to regard the unions as hostile element
Never in the history of the agricultural
industry were the farmers so well equip
ped as now to safeguard their interests
without the assistance of organized labor
1t is admitted that they hold dominating
position IN congress, and will be able to
put thru most of their program of legisla-
ton for the protection and fostering of
agriculture. Today they have no more
need to sue for the legislative influence of
labor than for that of capital. While
agriculture has suffered losses greater
than any other industry, the farmers are
not aware of any movement on the part of
labor TO help them; on the contrary, they
feel that organized labor is using its power
selfishly and to hurt of the community as
a whole,
Under all these circumstances, a
combination between the farmers and or
ganiZed labor seems to US about the remo-
test of possibilities. 1t is far more likely
that if the railroad and miners unions
continue to demand war wages, refusing
to bear their shares of the economic read
justment and keeping up the high costs of
transportations and fuel and OF ler COM
modities, organized labor will get from
the agricultural bloc more drastic dose
of legislation than it would ever have to
fear from congress controlled by capital
Philadelphia North American.