560 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



pose. When he understands the purpose he joins. He sees 

 where it benefits him. This comprehension by the farmer of just 

 what the organization means to do is the precise reason why 

 the political opponents of the league can have no influence upon 

 the farmer after he has joined. The farmer knows what he 

 has done, and he knows why he has done it. He is fortified 

 against the fallacious arguments of partisan politicians. 



PUBLIC OWNERSHIP THE CORNERSTONE 



The basis of the league idea is public ownership. Public 

 ownership of public necessities will mean fair marketing facil- 

 ities for the producer. It will mean fair purchasing facilities 

 for the consumer. The purpose of a man handling farm prod- 

 ucts on their way from the field to the table is to make money. 

 The products are handled by various men and each man makes 

 his profit. Some of these men are entirely unnecessary to proper 

 distribution. 



The league's plan is for the public the State to build, own 

 and control the facilities for carrying products of the farm to 

 the city, at the cost of carrying it. The purpose of these State- 

 owned facilities will be to store and transform raw food into 

 eatable food, at the cost of transformation. Thus the great 

 spread between the price the producer gets and the price the 

 consumer pays w r ill be reduced. Undoubtedly the producer of 

 the raw food will get more for his product. He should get 

 more. He must get more. He must get enough to make farming 

 profitable, or he must quit farming. 



Transforming raw food into eatable food at cost, eliminating 

 all useless handling and useless profits, certainly means that 

 the eatable food reaches the consumer at a lower price than it 

 now reaches him. The same process, .when applied to the 

 products of the city worker, means that the farmer will buy 

 his supplies at lower prices than he now pays. Neither the 

 city worker nor the farm worker will have to pay the profit 

 upon profit that he now pays for so many useless handlings. 

 The thing is perfectly simple. It is so simple that the political 

 opponents of the league do not attack it. 



