8 THE THIRD POWER 



their places at wages the farmers can pay. While 

 the nation and states cry against female and child 

 labor in factories, not a word of protest is raised 

 against the toil of the farmer's wife and children. 



Why is it so that the farmers, who own the earth, 

 control the food and clothing supplies (wool and 

 cotton), are the creators of nearly all real wealth, 

 the foundation of all our institutions, who are the 

 most numerous and as a class the most wealthy, 

 have become reduced to this condition of slavery? 



It is a stupendous problem which, if solved, will 

 mean more for humanity than anything since the 

 Christian era. The dawn of equity to the farmers 

 and through them to the balance of humanity, 

 means the beginning of a social and industrial mil- 

 lennium. 



Let us see what, then, can be done to elevate the 

 agricultural business of this country and of the 

 world and place it on an equality with the best of 

 other professions and industries. 



The fact that capitalists and laborers are so effect- 

 ively organized makes it especially important that 

 the farmers should organize. It is becoming clearer 

 and clearer every day that whatever advantage 

 either the capitalistic or laboring class wins, is won 

 not so much at the expense of the other as at the 

 expense of the great bodies of unorganized people 

 who can not defend themselves. When wages are 

 forced up by a strike the farmer pays a large part of 

 the raise by an increase of price on what he buys. 



