264 THE THIRD POWER 



can act as the clearing house for all the crops. In this way 

 fewer officers will be needed. The expenses will be much less ; 

 a better knowledge of crops and markets may be had, and, 

 more than all, a mixed producer need not belong to a half 

 dozen societies to secure representation. 



46. Q. How many members had the Alliance and Grange? 

 A. About three or four millions each. 



47. Q. Do you think they could have succeeded if they had 

 operated on the plan of the A. S. of E. ? 



A. I do. I am sure if they had made their first object to 

 secure profitable prices for their own goods instead of attempt- 

 ing to put prices on the other party's goods, farmers would 

 be successfully cooperating to-day, and rural America would 

 be a paradise. 



48. Q. Are agricultural colleges, experiment stations, farm- 

 ers' institutes and farm papers doing good for the farmers? 



A. Yes. It is well for all classes to be educated and en- 

 lightened ; but also, no, for they are teaching how to increase 

 production, while we all know the larger the crop the lower 

 the price. Now don't think that I am opposed to educating 

 the farmers, but until they are also educated as to how to get 

 a good price for increased crops the' effort toward education 

 is largely lost. Think about this. Farmers should demand of 

 their institutes cooperation to bring about better conditions in 

 marketing. 



49. Q. What will be the result if this effort to organize the 

 farmers fails? 



A. There will be a land trust formed. The owners of the 

 land will go into a trust, or capitalists will buy up the land. 

 They can easily then control production and prices. This 

 will be the worst thing that can happen to the country, but it 

 is inevitable. In short, as we have shown that capital is de- 

 pendent upon the farms, the capitalists may conclude that they 

 must control the land to insure the integrity and permanency 

 of their capital and investments. 



50. Q. Suppose when the farmers organize, buyers would 

 refuse to pay the price they demand? 



A. How can they? Can consumers (human and domestic 

 animals) do without food and clothing? If they would not 

 pay the reasonable prices, farmers could strike for higher 

 wages, and the strike would have the proper effect in a very 

 few days. A farmers' strike would mean much more than a 

 strike by union laborers. All others are dependent on the 

 farmers. The farmers are dependent on no other class. 



51. Q. How does the food trust operate? 



A. It has warehouses in many parts of the country. It buys 

 the farmer's fruit, vegetables, potatoes, butter, eggs, poultry, 

 etc., in the summer, when prices are low, puts them in cold 



