Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-08-18 | Page 6 | Farmers Combine

FARMERS COMBINE. In these days of war upon combinations combi-nations in restraint of trade, when even "Gary dinners" are under the ban and government agents are snooping around in the endeavor to make trouble for some unlucky wight who tries to acquire more money than some other people think he ought to possess, it jars our faith in the eternal fitness of things to read that tho Society of Equity, an organization or-ganization of farmers in several northwestern north-western states, has sent an appeal to its members to hold their wheat this season until $1.60 a bushel is offered at terminals termi-nals for No. 3 northern. The excuse offered by the Society of Equity leaders is that in former years manipulators have forced down the price of wheat.' As the wheat crop promises to be some hundreds of millions of bushels short of last year's yield, it may be that the cereal will be worth $1.60 per bushel without the aid of the proposed combination of farmers in the northwest, north-west, who think they see a chance to get even with alleged manipulators by extorting from "the consumers, for in the last analysis it is the householders and not the grain merchants and speculators who will be compelled to foot the bill. Only a few days ago the convention of master bakers in this city discussed the 10-cent loaf proposition, and forthwith a cry went up for an investigation. After taking note of the situation at Chicago, the government officials decided de-cided that an inquiry was not warranted by existing conditions, the price of bread not having been advanced. But wheat has taken a decided spurt since the adjournment of the convention of the master bakers, and the December Decem-ber option is now selling around $1.45 per bushel, flour advancing in proportion. propor-tion. If the members of the- Society of Equity follow the advice of their leaders lead-ers and hold their wheat until $1.60 is offered at terminals, the consumers of the United States will be paying 10 cents for o-cent loaves before snow flies and the fanners will be immune from prosecution. Under our wise laws it would be a crime for the bakers of the country to combine and raise the price of bread; it would also be, a crime for jthe speculators to manipulate the grain market and cause an advance in the prices of both wheat and flour to a point where tho bakers would be compelled com-pelled to charge more for their loaves or go out of business. But it is not a crime for the members of the Society of Equity to bring about the same condition condi-tion of affairs by agreeing to withhold ' their grain from market until a big price is paid for it at the terminals. In other words, the gentle and unsophisticated unsophis-ticated granger can safely turn a trick that vould nit other people in the pen- j itentiary, or at least subject them to criminal-prosecution by the federal government. gov-ernment. This is the result of class legislation, based upon the theory that it is right ami proper for the farmers and laboring classes to combine to better bet-ter their financial condition, but wrong for business men to do precisely the same thing. It is the votes that count in this matter.