No. 4.] RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER. 93 



service they maj render. In attempting these transforma- 

 tions there has resulted a perfectly natural state of affairs, 

 — the close banding together of all factors for the purchase, 

 change and disposal of products. The generic principle at 

 the root of these combinations cannot be called in question. 

 It is when they reach out and assume to oppress or dictate 

 trade conditions, arbitrarily check competition, and close 

 avenues for the disposal of products by individuals that they 

 become a menace and must be controlled by law. As the 

 producer stands as an individual unit he naturally receives 

 the full force of this combined influence and suffers thereby. 

 Between the man who produces and he who consumes there 

 is a broad chasm into which falls 65 cents out of every $1 

 paid by the consumer. This acts and reacts to the loss of 

 the man who produces, in that the consumer naturally 

 charges extortion and high prices back to the farmer. The 

 injustice of this perfectly natural charge is apparent to 

 those who are at all familiar with the situation, but not as 

 easily discerned by the artisan who is so vitally concerned 

 with the problem of the high cost of living. Intentionally 

 or otherwise this class receives the impression that the 

 farmer is fattening out of its earnings, and that responsibil- 

 ity for the high price of any commodity is to be charged 

 entirely to the man who produces. It should be obligatory 

 upon every man interested in the future development of 

 agriculture to keep constantly before the mind of the con- 

 sumer the fact that to-day there is an increasing number 

 of corporations and individuals standing Mnth open palms, 

 of liberal dimensions, on the middle ground, demanding full 

 share of the toil. It is folly to charge responsibility to any 

 one factor. It may be true, as a western railway official de- 

 clared, that " the rate upon any farm product is what the 

 industry will stand," but we must bear in mind that very 

 often truckage per package I'o mile exceeds transportation 

 200 miles, and that other representatives claim 25 to 100 

 per cent as their share. For this reason there should always 

 be careful investigation before any discrimination can justly 

 be made, — surely heiore one can assume to cry extortion on 



