132 FARMERS' UNION AND FEDERATION 



ing them from lowering union wages in cities by an over- 

 supply of laborers and of lowering all farm products through 

 overproduction of them. 



Why do not the representatives of the farmers advise the 

 government to build and equip railroads, packing plants, 

 clothing factories, farm implement factories, mining plants, 

 saw mills, etc., and man them with released soldiers to pro- 

 duce those things the farmers need? It is because the farm- 

 ers have no representatives in office to do the advising and 

 see that it is obeyed. They never will have until they un- 

 ionize by products and elect members of their unions to all 

 offices they can. 



With the idea of interesting the officials of such farmers' 

 organizations as we have in this matter, I had the following 

 letter published in our local daily and mailed copies to mem- 

 bers of the National Board of Farm Organizations : 



SUGGESTS A DISPOSITION OF DEMOBILIZED SOLDIERS. 



11 To Mr. Chas. A. Layman, Secretary National Board of Farm Organ- 

 izations: 



"DEAR SIR: I write to call your attention, and through you that 

 of the executive committee of your board, to the government policy 

 developing to colonize soldiers on land, and to suggest that they use 

 their influence against it, for the following reasons : 



"First. To reclaim land by clearing, grubbing and fencing cutover 

 forests, irrigation of the dry, and drainage of swampy lands and mak- 

 ing improved farms of them at government expense for free distribu- 

 tion to soldiers, as proposed, would be a great injustice to the farmers 

 who have devoted a lifetime to that work for theirs, or have paid for 

 them in the savings of a lifetime of hard work. 



"Second. Products raised on these free farms would be dumped 

 onto the market in competition with that of farmers who must pay 

 for theirs, and so reduce prices as would make it impossible to do so. 



" Third. Farm products would be reduced in prices to those of 1875 

 to 1900, resulting in a chronic state of panic for the farmers and inter- 

 mittent panic for almost everyone else, from the same cause free land 

 and an overproduction of farm products. 



