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SMITH BROS. ANNUAL
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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
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Poland China Hog
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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.
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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
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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)
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