24 THE THIRD POWER 



of course, as they keep within the law and the re- 

 quirements of sound morals. Nor is there any rea- 

 son why the farmer should not be the "commander," 

 and "supreme." The farming class outnumbers any 

 other class in the country. There are more than 

 10,000.000 men engaged in agriculture, and upon 

 them we all depend for our very life. Probably one- 

 half the people in gainful occupations are either 

 farmers or people connected closely with cultivation 

 of the soil. Their products constitute the great bulk 

 of our exports, and their crops are the most valu- 

 able asset that the country has. We might survive 

 the loss of our steel mills, but if our farms were to 

 quit producing the country would go to ruin. Why 

 should not the farmers be supreme? And if they 

 strive for something less than supremacy — namely, 

 mere parity with the rest of our people — ought they 

 not to be encouraged ? What is urged here is that 

 the farmer should realize that he is, what Harper's 

 Weekly says he is, "a business man," and govern 

 himself accordingly. He should play the part which 

 we all agree is his, use business methods, look out 

 for himself and his own interests, and use his vast 

 power for his own good. Surely there is nothing 

 radical in all this. No line of action is marked out 

 for the farmer which other business men do not 

 follow to their own advantage. It is no more dem- 

 agogical to say that the farmer ought to make his 

 own prices and regulate his marketing than it is for 

 a Wall Street promoter to suggest to the steel men 



