88 FARMERS' JJNION AND FEDERA TION 



(3) The most concerned class the wheat growers were 

 not represented in the conference that fixed the wheat price. 

 Nothing could be more unfair than to call in representatives 

 of those classes interested most in the low prices of flour 

 and bread to fix the price on wheat. 



(4) It is doubtless true that a large majority of the farm- 

 ers of the United States believe the wheat price high enough, 

 since they raise no wheat and must buy its products. But 

 wheat growers alone should have been consulted. . Is it cus- 

 tomary for labor unions to call in employers to dictate their 

 wages? When did the administration call in only the con- 

 sumers of any other product to fix the price on it? 



(5) I wish to inform the President that the size of the 

 crop and amount of financial aid wheat raisers can give the 

 government depends absolutely on the price of wheat. How 

 can they finance a crop in advance and contribute to war 

 work and buy Liberty Bonds unless they receive their pre- 

 vious year's wages and overhead expenses in the price of 

 their wheat? In many localities wheat growers have been 

 criticised unmercifully for not aiding more. They were 

 called pro-Germans, slackers, tight-wads, ingrates, and ev- 

 erything mean and hateful, because they could not do their 

 duty owing to being singled out for unfair discrimination. 



(6) Flattery is very nice to receive, but it will njot buy 

 Liberty Bonds nor grub-stake the wheat raiser. So he is 

 under the sordid necessity of unionizing to enforce fair wages 

 and overhead expenses for his services. I do not doubt for 

 a moment that our good and wise President will deny it to 

 us when we are unionized and our officials make known to 

 him our needs. 



(7) It is very gratifying indeed to know that the needs of 

 our Allies for wheat supplies have been relieved. It is now 

 in order to relieve the needs of wheat growers for the scores 

 of things they have been doing without by increasing their 

 wages so they can buy them. 



