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Newspaper Page Text
M'JJJ44gA4EW'W GIVE FARMERS FAIR DEAL AND THEY'LL DOUBLE CROPS, SAYS HEAD OF IEAGUE This article was written especially for The Day Book by the president of the Nonpartisan league, which originated in North Dakota, where farmers revolted against old political party rule, organized, adopted a farmers' platform, named a ticket of farmers, headed by a farmer for gov ernor, and carried the state in the last election. BY A. C. TOWNLEY The farmers of America can dou ble their crops this yearj they can grow ten times as much food next year as they ever grew in any year equal to the cost of production, and a fair profit That would make the cost of living lower during war times than it has been the last few years in peace, and the government could make enough, profit out of it to pay all the war debt! The only persons who would be hurt would be the commission men, food gamblers, monopolists, includ ing millers, packers and railroads. Then we could spare all these board of trade solicitors and gam blers for the army and navy. In the trenches they could help the coun try; in private life they are the para sites who feast on other people's pro duction. before, and they don't need any ad vice to do this: thev need a fair deal. It is up to the United States gov- , Take the meal! packing industry eminent whether the year's crops I from the clutches of the beef barons shall be large or small, and it is up . and farmers all over the country will to- the same government to say if next year's crops shall be enough to feed not only the people of this country, but all the allies. This is what the government must do to get all this foodstuff: Take over the distribution system. Take over the packing plants, can neries, flour mills, warehouses, ele vators and storage plants. Take over the idle land held by speculating land holders and distrib ute it among thehundreds of thou sands of farmers who will make this land productive. Loan the farmers money with which to make this land productive. Loan the farmers money with which to buy seed, equipment and labor. If the government takes over the food distribution system, warehous ing channels, and sets the prices, it will end gambling in foods. It should set a retail price, which the city retailer would have to charge. This price would permit the retailer a fair margin of profit; it would give the farmer an amount start raising meat live stock arid meateaters will pay less than they have in decades. Gambling in foodstuffs has done more to lessen production in America than anything else. If it is stopped you can depend upon rapidly increas ing crops. You won't have to beg or coax the farmers to plant larger" acreages. . They'll do it anyhow. I can't see how the government can make prices as long as it permits gambling, and as long as monopolists control the food manufacturing, transportation and marketing end. Any attempt to fix a minimum price to farmers will result in greatly increased prices to consumers, for the bloodsuckers between producer and consumer will add their toll just the same. Instead of the govenlment and bankers and big business men urging the farmers to sow more and work harder, the government ought to help the farmer produce more. Let the government confiscate, paying present value, all cultivatabla land now held by land hogs, and di- MjMilfiittlifclfctjiiiai aigg