n8 THE THIRD POWER 



the farmer. With reasonable rates, and with his 

 crops stored in elevators or warehouses owned by 

 the American Society of Equity, or local unions of 

 the same, so much larger will be the profits of the 

 farmer. So the plan is to increase his income both 

 by raising prices and by lowering the cost of moving, 

 handling and marketing the crops. This latter, how- 

 ever, is more in the interest of the consumer. What 

 matters it to the farmer whether the middlemen or 

 railroad charge 50 sents a bushel or $1 a cwt. for 

 carrying his produce to market ? In his fundamental 

 position he puts his price on the absolutely necessary 

 articles of food and clothing before any other person 

 or corporation can touch them. Therefore, he takes 

 his profit — all that he wants or in equity should have 

 — first. You can not fail to realize the strength of 

 position of the farmer, when organized, by this 

 illustration. Therefore, it is mainly to protect the 

 consumer and secure the maximum market that he, 

 through his society, will interest himself in the ele- 

 vator charges, railroad rates, taxes, insurance and a 

 thousand other things. None of these things can 

 hurt the farmer when organized, but through his 

 strength he can prevent them from working injury 

 to others. 



It has been shown already what an influence the 

 farmer could have on the railroads by simply putting 

 himself in a position where he could refuse to ship 

 unless the prices and freights were satisfactory to 

 him. The railroads can not exist unless they have 



