10 FARMERS' UNION AND FEDERATION 



losing dollars on their products a case of penny wise and 

 dollar foolish. No farmers' unions were ever organized for 

 the purposes herein outlined, and therefore no failure has 

 been made in it. This is to be a radical change in the 

 methods and objects of unionizing. Farmers are to take 

 over the entire business of fixing the minimum price through- 

 out the nation on their products and enforce it through a 

 temporary concerted national suspension of delivery of their 

 products should gamblers and speculators attempt to force 

 a lower price. That price is to be based on overhead ex- 

 penses and skilled union labor wages to the farmers and the 

 working members of their families while producing and mar- 

 keting the crop. 



"Great Scott! Farmers working for wages! I should say 

 not! They will work for profit, but not for wages on their 

 own farms." 



Now, see here, Reuben, you stop butting in. It makes a 

 break in my explanations. You are a farmer. Were you to 

 get two to four times the price of your product under the 

 name of wages and overhead expenses than under the name 

 of profit, wouldn't you be better satisfied? 



"I guess I would be." 



I know you would be, and so would every other sensible 

 farmer. 



"But it would cost a lot to unionize, maintain offices, pay 

 the officers and executive committees, etc. Who is going to 

 put- up that initial expense money?" 



There you go off half cocked again, and I have to divert 

 to explain. You never harvested a crop before you had to 

 advance labor and expense in financing its seeding. Like- 

 wise, those who are to harvest the wealth from unionizing 

 must advance the yearly cost of that union. That cost is 

 then added as part of the overhead expense of the product 

 to its minimum sale price, and in that way returned to the 

 members of the union. You see when farmers unionize in 



