The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Things To Think About 
The object of this department is-to give readers a chance to express themselves On farm 
matters. Not long articles can be used—just short, pointed opinions or suggestions. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER does not always endorse what is printed here. You might 
call this a mental safety valve. 
A Labor Union of Hired Men 
I ouelose three clippings from the 
Courier, of Evansville, Ind.. that tell 
their own story. I think the first is from 
the issue of February 10. tin* second is an 
editorial from the issue of February 18, 
and the third is a news story from the 
front page of the issue of February 21. 
This is a perfectly logical development 
and these Indiana farmers are finding' 
themselves backed into a corner. It has 
seemed to me that the farmer lias been 
pursuing the wrong course in trying to 
hold down the price of labor instead of 
trying to raise the price of his products. 
I think the national farm organizations 
are making a great mistake in going out 
of their way to attack organized labor. 
The laboring men are the farmers' best 
customers. lie should want them to have 
plenty of money to spend. If the farmers 
would show a sympathetic attitude toward 
union labor in the struggles it. is having 
with the great trusts, and at the same 
time say that their own help should be 
correspondingly well paid, there would 
be little objection to an increase of prices 
for farm products to take care of the extra 
labor costs. It may sound very unselfish 
and patriotic for the farmers to pass 
resolutions saying that they believe in 
long hours and increased production, but 
the practical results of such a policy will 
be to drive more laborers from the farms 
to the shorter hours and higher wages of 
the city. If the farmer wants to stay on 
the farm and work from sunup to sun¬ 
down and raise all he can regardless of 
the price he gets for it. everybody else 
will be willing. But he is going to have 
a rather lonesome time. The farmer 
should not forget that lie is. to a consid¬ 
erable extent, a laborer himself, so that 
in boosting the price of farm labor he is 
raising his own wages. c,eo. m. taylor. 
R. N.-Y.—The clippings referred to 
give an account of efforts to organize a 
union of farm hands, somewhat after the 
plan of the city labor unions. Farm own¬ 
ers object strenuously to the plan, stating 
that farming is so different from manu¬ 
facturing that the ordinary rules covering 
union labor could not be followed. The 
Evansville Courier sums it up as follows: 
"Probably the solution for the farmer 
is for him frankly to recognize that he 
must pay more money for his help and 
provide them with better conditions of 
living. They must, of course, recoup 
themselves in higher prices for their pro¬ 
ducts. The farmer deserves a fair re¬ 
turn for his industry and for his capital 
invested. In insisting on this In* should 
also include better payment, of his em¬ 
ployes. With improved labor conditions 
on the farm there would be greater pro¬ 
ductivity and larger profits for the farmer. 
Better wages for the farm help, iustead of 
spelling ruin, will in the end result in in¬ 
creased financial returns." 
A Hoosier Workman Talks 
In matters of economics, outside of 
farm economics, I must say that my ob¬ 
servation from my position in the indus¬ 
trial system lias taught me that the pres¬ 
ent system which you seem to approve 
in a great measure does not operate to the 
advantage of the greatest number. I be¬ 
lieve I am correct in saying that you 
favor organization by the farmers as a 
class for the purpose of protecting their 
mutual interests. Then why do not the 
other workers have the same right? The 
strike is their weapon. You support the 
co-operative movement among farmers, 
and, I believe, look with favor upon co¬ 
operatives for the distribution of com¬ 
modities to the city’workers, to the end 
that the farmers receive a fair price for 
their products and the consumer is not 
robbed Then why not support the 
movement for the ownership of the rail¬ 
roads and mines and all other industrial 
concerns that are virtually private mo¬ 
nopolies by the public, to the end that 
the people generally are properly served 
rather than a few individuals receive 
large dividends? 
I note on page 14 an account of the 
convention rtf the National Grange and 
also on pages 1ST and 1SS a statement 
of National Master Sherman .7. Lowell 
of the National Grange, and consider 
from I he evidence that the remarks on 
page 228 by M. Y.. Pennsylvania, are 
well made. From the position taken by 
the Grange and by Master Lowell. I con¬ 
sider that organization will be of little 
or no value in helpiug to reduce the cost 
of living. According to their statements 
on the question of economic polity, it ap¬ 
pears to me that the Grange feels its in¬ 
terest identical with that of the bankers, 
:::: 
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20 -3 
chambers of commerce and others who 
live aud grow rich by levying tribute both 
ways on the exchauge of commodities be¬ 
tween the city worker aud the farmer. 
There is much criticism by many farmers 
of the action of the union working men 
in demanding shorter hours. 1 feel that 
if these people should, on the other hand, 
spend more thought aud energy trying to 
devise some means of reducing their own 
hours of labor they would gain much 
more. Let the knocks on the city worker 
by the farmer aud vice versa cease, and 
all workers unite and make unnecessary 
a great number of the middlemen. This 
will eliminate the 35-cent dollar. I hope 
you may see fit to use your paper to bat¬ 
ter down the. prejudice existing between 
fanner and city worker, and urge a vig¬ 
orous attack on the common enemv in our 
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CHESTER SPADE. 
Indiana. 
The Tenant Who Spoiled the Business 
In the ease of 8. F., Pennsylvania, page 
• >0\ I think liits mistake was in not look¬ 
ing his mail up thoroughly as t<> his hon¬ 
esty. It looks as though lie had a grudge 
against S. F. to treat the cows as lie ap¬ 
peared to do. On the other hand, some 
landlords are too exacting and do not 
trust the tenant enough, which is sure to 
make had feeling. Let both landlord and 
tenant practice the Golden Rule a little 
more, and there would he much better re¬ 
lations between them, and then when any 
dispute arises lot them call on The R. n!- 
Y. and I am sure the editors will do all 
in their power to set them right. g. s. 
Connecticut. 
The Condition of the Railroads 
I cannot understand the position that 
oni - Columbia Co.. X. Y.. friend, on page 
242, takes as to railroads and Government 
ownership. But lie admits that he lives 
near a one-horse road where conditions 
may be different; perhaps some of these 
small roads have not yet learnt the ropes 
of putting one over on the Government. 
I live along one of the main lines miter¬ 
ing New York, and find instead of paint¬ 
ing up and fixing up. the directly opposite 
conditions exist. While we farmers can 
get no repair work done to our fences, 
crossings or gates, the big storage yards 
are piled much higher with lumber and 
other maintenance material than was ever 
thought of under private ownership. En¬ 
gines and freight cars still usable are 
side-tracked to rust or decay. So great 
lias become this accumulation of lumber 
and other maintenance material that it 
March 20 , 1020 
became necessary to raise their insurance 
on same. It would seem that instead of 
the roads fixing up to show the Govern 
incut where they are at, they were -rot¬ 
ting. instead all they could out of the 
Government in stock on hand, and then 
to finally command a large financial bonus 
for the repairs that they have never 
done and for other rolling stock that they 
trying to save for a very prosperous 
We people have got to pay in the 
so let the people speak. 
. SYLVAN US VAN AREN, 
lster Co., N. ^ . 
are 
day. 
end, 
V 
High Wages and Waste 
I have read with interest "How To 
Obtain Equipment." by 8. F. W.. page 
304. I have thought about it. mid from 
my observation I believe there are very 
few young mini with $17-per-day habits 
and family who M ill ever make good on a 
17-cents-pej-hour job. The proof that lie 
has the $1 T-per-dny family and habits lies 
in the statement that lie only has $1,000 
to $1200 to start on. The proof that the 
farm job is around a 17-cent-i»er-hour 
proposition calf he found on the editorial 
page of same issue in the advertisement of 
John D. Pearmaiu. A working man who 
does not know how-to save money when it 
is coming in at the rate of $17 per day. or 
who will not or who cannot, has not a 
ghost of a chance of a competence and 
happiness on a farm. j. 1 .. deacon. 
In regard to buying a farm on contract, 
I offer a suggestion that I think would 
work hotter for both buyer and seller than 
E- T. Giffin’s on page 1718 of the Nov. 
22. 1910. issue. Suppose a man owns 150 
acres, at. $00 per acre, or $9,000, also 
stock and tools, at $5,000. total $14,000. 
Now, suppose this farm and stock have 
heeu producing tin- landlord $3,080 gross 
per year, and if sold ,.n a 50-50 basis he 
would be turning in $1,840. The interest 
at 0 per cent would he $N40, and .84,000 
on the principal. This way -his interest 
would he less, year after year, and this 
would he the same as renting, but he 
would l>e paying for the farm instead of 
paying rent, and if In- made improvements 
and wanted to sell the farm for more he 
would be making a profit, and also be get¬ 
ting tlie money back that be had paid iuto 
the farm the same as rent, and would not 
he losing but gaining. All minor poiuts 
can lie written in the contract. I have 
known several farms that have been sold 
on contract in this locality that made 
good, and some farms that can he bought 
that way. p. j. roniiofe. 
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^Yrite To-day for Catalog No, 19F—Note Money-Savings 
aiional 
DEPARTMENT D 
