FARMERS TO THE FRONT 7 



fare against all the others. Each is striving to 

 produce the greatest yields possible — in face of the 

 indisputable fact that the larger the yields the lower 

 the prices — and then sells the products without the 

 least regard to other producers. In this way the 

 markets are oftentimes glutted and perfect condi- 

 tions produced for organized speculators and gam- 

 blers to perform their perfect work in depressing 

 prices. Notwithstanding that the farmer of to- 

 day, with the wonderful machines at his command, 

 can produce five times as much product as the 

 farmer of a few generations ago, his net earning 

 capacity has not increased, but rather decreased. 

 Also his land which then was virgin soil has become 

 in large part exhausted; which item of itself repre- 

 sents probably half the value of his farm, and will 

 require good management, the outlay of much labor 

 and a large cash sum to replace. 



The American farmer of to-day is not living from 

 his investments in farm land, but as a mere laborer, 

 and receives less than half as much pay as the union 

 laborer, yet works harder and longer hours. In 

 short, the farmers of the United States can only 

 continue in business on the present basis by using 

 the cheapest labor on earth, i. e., wife labor, child 

 labor, and labor of their babes. The prices set by 

 speculators and gamblers for the fine grain, vege- 

 tables and fruit — the products of God's earth — com- 

 pel the agriculturist to resort to such unbearable 

 extremities. No hired men can be secured to take 



