Farmers' Union and Federation 

 Guide-Book. 



"Grafter!" 



Oh, no, Reuben. I am a central Kansas wheat producer. 

 Have been on the job over forty years. Came to Barton 

 County in 76. Uncle Sam gave me 320 acres. Couldn't 

 live on buffalo grass, and had to go East to get work. One 

 claim, 160 acres, jumped by a home-seeker. No, couldn't 

 make a living and improve the farm off 160 acres. None of 

 my neighbors could, either. That was all the consolation I 

 had. It was very poor, I admit. Prices of crops too low. 

 Had no money to buy teams, machinery or improve with. 

 Most of those who went in debt for them lost .everything. 

 Farms were mortgaged and lost. Prices of products would 

 not allow a decent living. In a few years most of them 

 starved out, after mortgaging their farms and using up the 

 money. They couldn't succeed on the finest producing 

 prairie land where every alternate section was free govern- 

 ment land and the other railroad land at $2.50 to 3.50 an 

 acre on eleven years' time. 



"What the Sam Hill was the matter with them?" 



Well, Reuben, the principal matter was too low a price 

 for everything they produced, especially wheat, their main 

 crop, and too high a price for everything they had to buy. 



"What brought about such discriminating conditions 

 against the farmers?" 



Well, it was like this, Reube. The manufacturers in the 

 East have been running this government for a long time, and 

 they would naturally run it in their own financial interest. 

 They organized into unions, and had men of their own class- 

 interest elected to Congress. They would enact a law to 



