186 THE THIRD POWER 



even worse than those of the United States do. 

 They have smaller farms and they work dearer land 

 — and land that is more in need of constant renew- 

 ing- and fertilizing. They need to make even a 

 higher interest on their investment than is necessary 

 in this country, in order to be sure of a decent living. 

 When they come in competition with American 

 wheat, grown on large farms and on land that is yet 

 cheap, they are at a serious disadvantage. There is 

 not a farmer in Russia who does not know that it 

 would be easier for him to compete with American 

 wheat at a dollar than with American wheat "at fifty, 

 sixty or seventy cents. And if the Russian buyer 

 were unable to get wheat from abroad at a lower 

 price than that established by the Russian farmers, 

 he would be compelled to take Russian wheat. Nor 

 are the American farmers at all disturbed at the 

 prospect of all farmers getting good prices for their 

 products. They know that there is a demand for 

 all the staple crops that is ever likely to be raised — 

 that the market is big enough for all. The trouble 

 is that the crop of one country is used to depress the 

 price of the crops of other countries, and thus all 

 have suffered. 



It is this well-known fact that makes interna- 

 tional cooperation desirable, and to make the bene- 

 fits of the society world wide. Buyers operate on an 

 international basis. Sellers must, if they would 

 protect themselves against imposition, do the same 

 thing. Thus business, and not politics, is the object 



