The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-05-16
HOPEFULPPRROGPPAAGGAA
DA TOLD FARMERS

We note that the farmers of the
country are now being dosed with
"~hopeful' propaganda; told that they
are doing well, or that they are lucky
to be alive, or something of that sort.
The idea seems to. be to "kid them
along" Of course, everybody ought
to be hopeful. Still, to tell a farmer
that he ought to thank God his condi-
ton isn't worse, and that his trou-
bles T iflusory, doesn't solve his
problems.
The trouble with the farmer is fun
daInental and long standing. The
farmer always has been and still
is subjected to the most extreme
competition IN the sale of his pro-
ducts That puts the prices he re-
ceives down to the minimum level.
Twenty-Five years ago you could go
into most any kind of a store or shop
and bargain over the prices of the
goods; nothing of that kind is now
possible. The sellers of every kind
of commodities except farm products
fix their own prices.
In the evolutionary farm period in
America the farmers accepted the
conditions of an industry the prices of
whose products were fixed by the
buyers. The result has been that at
all times and in all periods farmers
have made less real money from their
business than others have made from
theirs. Doubtless there we're COM
pensations, or the farmers would have
quit the industry. Other industries
have organized to fix the prices of
their products.
The farmers ale now told that a pc
nevoient exception has been made for
their benefit in the application of the
anti-monopoly laws. This is funny.
The farmers, historically unable to
combine, have been told they would
not be legally punished if they did it;
and the oil, steel and other big in
dustries, forbidden by law to COM
bine, finding themselves able to do
so anyway, pay no attention to the
law. Now the farmers are advised
to quit zObbing and behave.
We read that the farmers, given
sympathy, have quit hustling. If
that is so, how do they keep out of
the poorhOuse? Sympathy won't
keep them out.
As we said, the farmer got used to
a business that produced little money
yet held attractions for him. How
ever, wnen war and postwar condi-
tions, namely, high costs and high
freights to him and low prices for. his
stuff made his job untenable, he had
to ask for help. 1t is undoubte
true that farmers cling to their call
ing long after any other business nler
would quit.
But sympathy, loans, longtime cred.
1T, and advice, while helping some
times to some extent, do not afford
a foundation for any successful indus.
try. To be successful. the farmer
like the shoe dealer or grocer, must
take in o than he puts cut. II
other words, he must make a living
profit. The farmers living profit, a:
shown by statistics of average farm
earnings in the United States, j:
lower than the living profit of any
other business or industry. But
slight as it has been, he must have
it. He can't live cn the hot air tn,
hopeful propagandists peddle to him
The propaganda put out a. presen.
is apparently prompted by the ide:
that, while the farmer is to be let
IN the same old tactical position, witt
no power over the prices of his pro
ducts, the people in the intermediac,
industries dependent upon farmins
must make him believe that happie
times are coming if he goes on il
the same blind way.
As a matter of fact, there are wv,
means of escape from the farmer;
dilemma. One lies in nationwid,
pools and associations to sell hi
grain and other products, so as t.
control prices, as do the steel, oil an,
packing industries. The other is no
one that waits on voluntary action
1t IS the way that will open whel
the operation Of economic laws force
such a curtailment in the farming in
dusty that scarcer farm product
will command higher prices. The lat
ter process, already operating, a
shown by the withdrawal of 2 600, 90
people from the farms of the countr,
last year-if the farmers continu
unable to organize-eventually Wi
afford a remedy. In the meantime
farmers who are able to stick to tn
farms should study marketing organ
izations.