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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1922)
JS. .! k h i K In WVWVVVWWWWVWlrVUY SMITH BROS. ANNUAL SOW Smith Bros, will hold their 32nd Poland China Sale of bred Srtws on Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 1922 at the farm three quarters of a mile north of Cadams and 9 miles north-cast of Superior. Nebraska, We will sell 35 head of bred sowstried sows fall gilts and spring gills. All vaccinated. They aro nearly all bred early, have had lots of exorcise and are large and growthy. With the hog market advancing, during the heavy run. it looks like there is a shortage of hogs. This is Our Only Solo Thio Spring so don't vait for another chance to buy. Come over and spend the day with us. Sale under cover at 1:00 p. m. Free lunch noon. Write for catalog. ,, . SMITH BROS., Superior, Neb. B.LI. Ridglcy. W, C. Henderson. Ira Von Foroll, Aucts. C. A. Golden. Clerk J ft VW,VVUVUVWV-AVV.VV-VAV.W'V,UVAV.V.".V.VV.VA"V fttWWtJIMWinHWnTttWCWigMtlCdJlg tSLi KXVKW& J.Wm. Poland China Hog h Skturday, Fek, 4, 1922 At one o'clock p. m. AT BESSE SALE PAVILION Red Cloud. Nebraska - . r ' 33 HEAD 8 Bred Sows; 5 Fqll Boars; 19 Fall Gilts; 1 Herd Boar, Plainview Timm 124603. ENTIRE OFFERING IMMUNE 'Tliij.iiVdispcrjion sale. The owner i$ moving away, and is therefore selling elm herd which he has spared neither time nor expense getting ogethcr. Write or phone -, -- J. H. ELLINGER, Auct. State Bank of Red Cloud, Clerk Annual Sale of Bred Duroc Jersey Sows and Gilts To be held at the farm four miles south, one and a half east of Nelson: nine miles north, one and a half east of Superior: three and a half west and one south of Nora, on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th SO Head Sows and Gilts l ried sows, 12 Fall gilts,and 33 Spring gilts IMMUNE I this offering is sired by such boars as Orion Wonder I Am Pals Giant 2nd. Hil5h Orion Sensation. Archfinder a,nd Improved Pathfinder; and are bred to Giant Col a litter brother to Jr. Champion at the Colorado State Fair and to Orion Wonder I Am and. Archfinder. In selecting this draft of brood sows and gills, we do so knowing that we are putting up to the buving public one of the best offering that ve have as yet offered. These sows and gits have been fed with the same' care as the sows and gilts that we are keeping in the herd. All aro large and well grown, Wc extend an invitaion to our friends and customers; we appreciate your presence whether buyer or visitor. Freo Lunch at Noon; Sale held linden cover Write for Catalogue Terms cash; or time will bo given up to fi months at 9 per A'Vi' ccn interest. 'Auctioneers- B.E. Ridgley arjd W. C. Henderson Clerk--C. A. Golden J.P, EILERS &ffON, Nelson, Neb. .' SALE VTtXTSMZ Jarboe's for catalogue. ' .0: ' --'-----'' i fn r 'i Some Aspects of the Farmers' Problems By BERNARD M. BARUCH (Reprinted from i The wholo rural world Is In n for inont of unrest, unil there Is tin un paralleled volume and intensity of de termined, If not nhgry, protest, and an ominous swarming o'f occupational con ferences, Interest groupings, political movements and propaganda. Such a turmoil cannot but nrrest our ntten tlon. Indeed, It domnnds our careful study and examination. It Is not live ly that six million aloof and ruggedly Independent men have como together and hnnded themselves Into active unions, societies, farm bureaus, and bo forth, for no sulllclent cnusc. Investigation of the subject conclu sively proves Hint, while there Is much overstatement of grievances and mis conception of romedlos, the farmers are right In complaining of wrongs long endured, and right In holding that It In feasible to relieve their Ills with benefit to the rest of tho community. Tills being the ciibo of an Industry that contribute.-!, In the raw material form alone, about one-third of the na tional annual wealth, production and Is the means of livelihood of about -ID per cent of the population, It Is ob vious that the subject Is one of grave coucorn. Not only do the farmers make up one-half of the nutlon, but the well-being of the other half de pends upon them. So long ns wo have nations, n wise polltclal economy will aim at n largo degree of national solf-sulllclcncy and sclf-contalnmcut. Itomo fell when the food supply was too far removed from tho belly. Like her, we shnll destroy our own agriculture and extend" our sources of food distantly and precari ously, If wo do not see to It thnt our farmers are well and fairly paid for their services. The farm gives the tint Ion men as well as food. Cities dorlvo their vitality and are forever renewed from tho country, but an Im poverished countryside- exports Intelli gence and retains uulntclllgencc. Only the lower grades of mentality and character will remnln on, or seek, the farm, unless ngrlculture Is capable of being pursued with contentment rind adequate compensation. Hence, to em bitter and Impoverish the farmer VA to dry up and contaminate the vital sources of the nation. The war showed convincingly ijpw dependent tho nutlon Is on'tli'e 'full productivity of the forms. . Desnlto herculean efforts, agricultural produc tion kept only it few weeks or months ahead of consumption, and thnt only by increasing tho acreage of certain stuplu crops at the cost of reducing tliHt of others. We ought not to for get that lesson when wo ponder on the farmer's problems. They are truly common problems, and there should be no attempt to deal with them ns If they were purely selfish demands of n clear-cut group, antagonistic to tho rest of the community. Itntbcr should we consider agriculture In the light -of broad national policy, Just as we consider oil, coal, steel, dye stuffs, and so furl h. as slnotvs of na tional fitiength. our growing popula tion and a hlghoi standard of living demand Increasing f 1 supplies, nnd more wool, cotton, bltics, and tho rest. With tho disappearance of freo or cheap fertile land, additional ncreagc and Increased yields r-itn como only from costly effort. This we need not expect from an Impoverished or un happy rural population. It will not do to take a narrow view of the rural discontent, or to npprnlso It from tho standpoint of yesterday. This Is "peculiarly an age of t'u- nnd change and new deals. Rccauso n thing always has been so no longer tii'Mius that It Is righteous, or nlways shall bo so. More, perhaps, than ever before, there Is a widespread feeling that all human relations can be Im proved by taking thought, and that It Is not becoming for tho reasoning ani mal to leave his destiny largely to chance and natural Incidence. I'rudent nnd orderly adjustment of production and distribution In accord unco with consumption Is recognized as wise management In every business but that of farming. Yet, I venture to say, tbero Is m other Industry In which It Is so Important to tho pub licto tho city-dweller that produc tion should be sure, steady, and In ireaslng, and that distribution should be in proportion to tho need. Tho un organized fanners naturally net blind ly and Impulsively and, In couso quonce, surfolt and dearth, accompa nied by disconcerting price-variations, harass tho consumer. One yoar pota toes rot In the fields because of excess production, and there Is a scarcity of thu things that have been displaced to mako way for the expansion of the potato acreage; next year tho punish ed farmers mass their fields on some other crop, nnd potatoes enter the class of Juxurles; and so on. Agriculture Is tho greatest and fun damentally the most Important of our American Industries. Tho cities aro but the branches of tho treo of na tional life, tho roots of which go deep ly Into the land. Wo all flourish or doellno with tho farmer, So, when ivo of thu cities read of tho present uni versal distress of tho farmers, of a slump of six billion dollnrs in tho farm .value of. their crops in a elnglo yqnTi ' " -,- f, " : ' i 'j'".!'! ' ,M'C Atlantic Monthly) of their Inability to meet mortgage am to pay current bills, and how, seeking relief from their Ills, they are plan nlng to form pools, Inaugurate farm era' strikes, and demand legislation abolishing grain exchanges, private cattle markets, and the like, wo ought not hastily to brand them as ccon'mnU heretics and highwaymen, and hurl at them the chnrgc of, being seekers of speclul privilege; Itather, we should ask If their trouble Is not ours, and seo what can be done to Improve the situntlon. Purely from self-interest, If for no higher motive, we should help them. All of us want to get back permanently to "normalcy;" but Is It reasonable to hope for that condition unless our greatest and most basic In dustry can be put on n sound and solid permanent foundation? The farmers aro noc entitled to special privileges; but aro they not right In demanding that they bo placed on an equal foot ing with the buyers of their products and with other Industries? II Let U3, then, consider somo of the farmer's grievances, and see how far they aro real. In doing so, we should remember that, while there have been, and still are, Instances of purposeful abuse, the subject should not bo ap proached with any general Imputation to existing distributive agencies of de liberately Intentional oppression, but rather with the conception that the marketing of fnrm products has not been modernized. An ancient evil, nnd a persistent one, Is the undergrndlng of farm prod ucts, with tho result that what tho farmers sell ns of one quality Is re sold as of n higher. That this sort of chicanery should persist on any Im portant scale In these days of busi ness Integrity would scorn almost In credible, but there Is much evidence thnt It docs so persist. Even as I write, the newspapers announce tho suspension of several firms from the New York Produce Exchange for ex porting to Gennnny as No. 2 wheat a whole shipload of-grossly Inferior wheat mixed with oats, chaff and the like. Another evil Is thnt of Inaccurute weighing of fnrm products, which, It Is 'charged, Is sometimes a matter of dishonest Intention and sometimes of protective policy on the part of the local buyer, who fears that he may "weigh out" more than he "weighs In." A grentcr grievance Is that nt pres ent the Held farmer has little or no control over tho time and conditions of mnrketlng his prpducts, with the result that die Isb'ftcn undcrpnld for his products aft(l usilally overcharged for marketing service. Tho differ ence between what the farmer re ceives and what tho consumer pays often exceeds nil possibility of Justi fication. To cite a single Illustration Last year, according to figures attest ed by the railways and tho growers, Georgia watermelon-raisers received on the average 7.0 cents for a melon, tho railroads got 12.7 cents for carry ing It to Rultlmorc and the consumor paid one dollar, leaving 79.8 cents foi tho service of marketing and Its risks, as against 20.2 cents for growing nnd transporting The hard nnnals of farm-life are replete with such com mentaries on tho crudeness of pres ent practices. Nature proscribes that the farmer's "goods" must bo finished within two or three months of the year, while llnnnclal and storage limitations gen erally compel him to sell them nt the same time. As a rule, other Industries nro In n continuous process 'of finish ing goods 'for the mn'rkets; they dis tribute as they produce, and they can curtail production without too grent Injury to themselves or tho commu nity; but If the farmer restricts his output, it Is with disastrous conse quences, both to himself and to the community. Tho avorago farmer Is busy with production for tho major part of the year, and has nothing to sell. The bulk of his output comes on tho mnr ket at once, Rccnitsc of lack of stor age facilities and of financial support, tho farmer cannot carry his goods through tho year and dlspnso of them ns they aro Currently needed. In the groat majority of cases, farmers have to entrust storage In warehouses and elevators and the financial carrying of their products to others. Kami products are genorally mar keted at it time when there is n con fiostlon of both transportation and j flnaneo -when cars and money nro I seal :c. The outcome, In mupy In- ctiilifOC lu flint lliu fnrmnra mil i-.nl v ' - -- I sell under pressure, and therefore nt i a (iisauvaniiigo, nut arc compelled to j take further reductions In net returns, I In ordor to jneet the' charges for the servlco of storing, transporting, (inane- In,, ir-1 tilt. i ...if ;..''.;:.,; -which charges they claim, are often usees Rive, hear heavllv on both consume! and producer, and are under the com trol of thoso performing the services It' Is truo llit (ley are relieved of I tho risks of a flninglng market . selling at once; but they arequlto wlU; It ,r. iTyj! f' ' m in to take J the- unfavorable chnncey If the favorable "Ofiejalso Is theirs and they can retnln for themselves n part of tho hci'.vIcg charges that nro uni form, In good' years and hud, with high prices and low. White, In the main, tho farmer must sell, regardless of market conditions, ut the time of the maturity of crops, he cannot suspend production In toto, He must go on producing If he Id to go on living, and If the world Is to exist, j The most he can do Is to curtail pro duction n little or alter Its form, nnd that because he Is In the dark as to tho probable demand for his goods tuny bo only to Jump from the frying pan Into the tire, taking tho consumer with him. Kvcn tho dairy farmers, whose out put Is not seasonal, complain thnt they (bid themselves at a disadvantage In the marketing of their production.'), especially raw milk, because of the high costs of distribution, which they must ultimately bear. in Now that the farmers arc stirring, thinking, and uniting as never before to eradicate these Inequalities, they are subjected to stern economic lec tures, and are met with the accusation that they arc demanding, and are the recipients of, special privileges. Let us see what privileges the government has conferred on the farmers. Much has been made of Section 0 of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act,- which pur ported to pcrmjt them to -combine with Immunity, under certain conditions Admitting that, nominally, this ex eniptl'n was In the nature of a special privilege, though I think It was so In appearance rather than In fart. we Had that the courts have nullified It by Judicial Interpretation. Why should not the farmers be permitted to ac complish by co-operative methods what other businesses are already doing by co-operation In the form of Ineorpora tlon? If It be proper for men to form, by fusion of existing corporations or otherwise, it corporation thnt controls the entire production of a commodity, or a large part of It, why Is It not proper for a group of farmers to unite for the mnrketlng of their common products, either In o'ne or In several selling agencies? Why should It be right for a hundred thousand corporate shareholders to direct 23 or 110 or 40 per cent of nn Industry, and wrong for n hundred thousnnd co-operntlve farmers to control n no Inrger propor tion of tho wheat crop, or cotton, or any other product? The Department of Agriculture Is often spoken of ns a special concession to the farmers, but In Its commercial results, It Is of, ns much benefit to tho buyers nnd consumers of ngrlcultural products ns to the producers, or even more. I do not suppose that anyone opposes the benefits that the farmers derive from the educntlonnl and re search work of the department, or the help thnt It gives them In working out Improved cultural methods and prac tices, In developing better yielding vn rletles through breeding and selection In Introducing new varieties from tc mote parts of the world and adapting them to our cllmnte nnd economic con dltlon, nnd In devising practical meas ures for the elimination or control of dangerous nnd destructive animal nnd plnnt diseases, Insect pests, nnd the like. All these things manifestly tend to stimulate and enlarge production, and their general beneficial effects are obvious. It Is complained that, whereas the law restricts Federal Reserve banks to three months' time for commercial paper, the farmer Is allowed six months on his notes. Tils Is not a special privilege, but merely sucb a recognition of business conditions ns makes It possible for country hanks to do business with country people The crop farmer has only one turn over n year, while the merchant nnd manufacturer have ninny. Incidental ly, I note that the Federal Reserve Ronrd has Just authorized the Fed eral Reserve banks to discount export paper for a period of stx months, to conform to the nature of the busi ness. The Fnrm Loan hanks nro pointed to ns an Instance, of special govern ment favor fop farmers. Are they not rather the outcomes of laudable efforts to equalize rural ami urban condi tions? And about all the government does there Is to help set up un ad ministrative organization and lend n little credit at the start. Hventually the farmers will provide all the capi tal and carry all the liabilities them selves. It Is true that Farm Loan bonds are tax exempt; but so are bonds of municipal light and traction plnnts, and new housing Is to be ex empt from taxation, In New York, for ten years. On the other hand, the farmer reads of plans for municipal hcuulng proj ects that run Into the billions, of bun dreds of millions annually spent on the merchant marine; ho reads that the rallwayrt are being favored with IncreiiHed rates and virtual guaranties of earnings by the go eminent, with the result to him of nn 'ncroased toll on all that ho sell3 and all that he buys. Uo hears of ninny manifesto tlons of governmental concern for par tlcular Industries and Interests. Res cuing tho railways from Insolvency Is undoubtedly for the benefit of the country ns a whole, but what can be of more general benefit than encour ug&uent of. nmplo production of the principal necessaries of life and their even flow from contented nronucors t satisfied coinumera? While It may bo conceded that special governmental aid may bo nee essnry In tho general Interest, wu miisf ull agree that It Is difficult to sec wh agriculture and the production nnd din trlbutlon of farm products aro nut ae corded the same opportunities that are provided for other buslnessos ; espe daily as the enjoyment by tho farmei of mic.Ii opportunities w.-uld appear to bo even more contributory to tho gen- I f. wr "-V j - - A - ernl good thnrt In' tlie,cnse' of other Industries. Tho spirit of Amcrfcnn. democracy Is" unalterably opposed, alike to enacted special privilege- nnd to the special privilege of unequal op portunity thnt arises automatically from the failure to correct fjlarlng economic Inequalities. I am opposed to tho Injection of government Into business, but I do believe that it Is an essential function of democratic gov ernment to equalize opportunity so far ns It Is within Its power to do so, whether by the repeal of archaic statutes or the enn'ctmcut of modern ones. If tho nntl-trust Inws keep the farmers from endeavoring scientifically to Integrate their Indus.try while other industries find n way to meet modern conditions without violating such stat utes, then it would seem rcnsonnble to find n way for the farmers to meet them under the same conditions. The law should operate equally In fact. Re pairing the economic structure on one side Is no Injustice to the other sldo. which Is lu good repair. We have traveled a long wny from tho old conception of government ns merely a defensive and policing ngency ; and regulntlve, corrective, or equalis ing legislation, which apparently 13 of n special nature,' Is often of tho most gcnc'rnl beneficial consequences. Even tho First Congress passed n tariff act that was avowedly for the protection of manufacturers; but a protective tarllT always has been defended as a means of promoting tho general good through a particular approach; and the statute books aro filled with nets for the- benefit of shipping, commerce, and labor. IV Now; what is the farmer asking? Without trying to 'atalnguo thu re medial measures that have been sug gested In his behalf, tho principal pro posals thnt boar directly on the Im provement of his distributing nnd mar keting relations may be summarized ns fellows : First : storage warehouses for cot ton, wool, and tobacco, and elevators for grain, or sulllclent capacity to meet the maximum demand on them nt the peak or the marketing period. The famer thinks that either private capi tal must furnish there facilities, or the state must erect and own the eleva tors nnd warehouses. Second: weighing and grading of ngrlcultural products, and certification thereof, to.be done by Impartial and disinterested public Inspectors (this Is already accomplished to some extent by the federal licensing of weighers and graders), to eliminate underpay ing, overcharging, nnd unfair grading, and to facilitate the utilization of the stored products as the basis of 'credit. Third : a certainty of credit sufficient to enable the mnrketlng of products In nn orderly manner. Fourth: the Department of Agricul ture should collect, tabulate, summa rize, and regulurly and frequently pub lish and distribute to the farmers, full Information from nil the markets of the world, so that they shall be as well Informed of their selling position 'as buyers now ure of their buying posi tion. Fifth : freedom to Integrate tho busi ness of agriculture by means of con solidated selling agencies, co-ordinating nnd co-operating In such way ns to put the farmer on an equal footing with the large buyers of his products, and with commercial relations In other Industries. When a business requires specialized talent, It has to buy It. So will the farmers ; nnd perhaps the best way for them to get It would be to utilize some of tho present machinery of the larg est established ngcncles dealing in farm products. Of course, If ho wishes, the farmer may go further and engage In flour-milling nnd other mnnufnetures of food products. In my opinion, however, he would be wise to stop short of thnt. Public Interest may be opposed to all great Integrations; but, In Justice, should they be forbidden to the farmer nnd permitted to others? Tho corporate form of association enn not now be wholly ndapted to his ob jects and conditions. The looser co operative form seems more generally suitable. Therefore, ho wishes to bo free, If he finds It desirable and feas ible, to resort to co-operation with his fellows nnd neighbors, without run ning afoul of tho law. To urge that tho farmers should hnve the same lib erty to consolidate and co-ordinate their peculiar economic functions, which uther Industries In their fields enjoy, Is not, however, to concede thut any business Integration should have legislative sanction to exerclso monop olistic power. The American people are as firmly opposed to Industrial ns to political autocracy, whether at tempted by rural or by urban Industry. For Inck of united effort the farmers ns n whole aro still marketing their crops by antiquated methods, or by no methods at all, but they aro surrounded by a business world that has been modernized to the last minute and Is tirelessly striving for efficiency. This efllcleney Is due In large measure to big business, to united business,-to In tegrated business. The farmers now seek the benefits of such largeness, un ion nnd Integration. The American farmer Is n modern of tho modems In the use of labor saving machinery, and ho has uindo vust strides In recent years In scientific tillage and efficient farm puuingement, but as a business In contact with other businesses aglrculturo Is n "one horse slmy" In competition with high power automobiles. The American fanner Is tho grentnst and most Intractable of Individualists. While Industrial pro. duclluii and all phacb of thu huge com mercial mechanism and Its myriad ac cessorles hnve articulated and co-ordl. nated themselves all tho wny from nut ural raw materials to retail sales, utj business of agriculture liis gone on lu much tho lino man fashion of the hack woods of tho first pa.rt of tho nino. '-"mtln..'ontury, when tho farmer wna (Ooij'lriucd next' week) m '"'.. v " Xt J: i- s. v-; "V .? 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