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PAGE SIX Tarniers’ Union Department THE FARMERS UNION AND IMMI GRATION. (Columbia Sentinel.) From the Sentinel's standpoint it is gratifying to see the stand taken by the Farmers’ Union in a recent resolution against immigration, so much talked of through the press and generally backed up by the daily pa pers of the state. If there was a guarantee that all the immigrants would be of the right kind, then it might be well to agitate and push the movement, but this, accord ing to our way of thinking, is one of the very serious unknown quanti ties. To have a nationality of people brought into this state and put in association with our people that in a few years may give us a great deal of trouble is not one of the desirable things, as we see it; and, then, if they come here as skilled workmen, having been accustomed to lower wages than that obtained here, it will bring on discontent and friction. If it is to take place of the negro and do the work he is doing on the farm and elsewhere, where is the assurance that they will do, for any length of time, that class of work any more sat isfactorily than the negro is doing it? Take the generality of farmers ami they will tell you that the negro as a farm laborer, properly controlled, is the best class of labor that can be obtained, that is, best suited to our habits and customs. To come to the point, plainly and frankly, the immigration of a foreign element into this state, as we see it, is not only not needed, but unde sirable. Too frequently have the re ports of anarchy, disruption and blood shed come to us from other states and sections, growing out of such an element. The better plan, in our judgment, is to endeavor to improve our methods with the labor we already have until better and more satisfactory results are obtained. Again, we say the Farmers’ Union did the right thing in declaring against the immigration business. (Seattle Patriarch.) The four most most prominent fig ures before the American people to day are: President Roosevelt, Tom Watson, W. J. Bryan, W. R. Hearst, The first of these (the president) whatever he proclaims is from prin ciple, not from policy; whatever Tom Watson declares, it is from principle, not policy; whatever W. J. Bryan says is from policy, not from principle, he is bringing up in the rear, and he is echoing the principles of the other two, from policy. W. J. B. is not a fearless leader of the vanguard. It is amusing to hear the Democratic party slave, with his parroting keg meg (which is a choice morsel to him) de clare that “Bryan is not greater than his party.’’ Never was a plainer truth spoken. Bryan cannot rise above those who have manipulated him for years; directly or indirectly he must wear their collar. W. .1. Bryan is not a “beacon light.” President Roosevelt is "greater than his party.” Tom Wat son is “greater than his party.” These two great men are “greater than their party,” as a husband and father is greater than his family, or as the captain of a ship is greater than the crew, or as a general is greater than the whole rank and file of the army. Every one of the greatest presidents has been greater than his party, as much so as Moses, the great law giver, ' & L ! i j|||i / a drearu look J i Hill \And robs life j ♦of ilc cheer %l iL ||||| To close lhe id He red lesson book find leave our leader -* uu I But best of friends A I must sone time part i /L | find so I'll say I I That such a sadness /SB wwlflr /ills my heart iWWvk i/fe® ffl / don't knoiu uihai I 0 ' iwfffllL’ wv t > iodo. JF| wWWj fi THE LAST DAY. From Fort Worth Telegram. was greater than the people of Israel, whom he “took out of bondage,” and so it ever has been, and ever will be with “great leaders.” Now let the de generate “levelers” shout “hero wor ship.” Os the three aforementioned we can write intelligently and main tain our premises, but of W. R. Hearst; we are not so sure. He creates in our mind admiration, speculation and doubt, but we must give him the bene fit of the doubt, for the last four years of his public life he has shown a worthy ambition, associated with un common valor. OUT IN WASHINGTON. (Farmers’ Advocate.) “Organization and co-operation” was the slogan at. the court house this af ternoon when nearly 100 farmers met to join the Farmers’ Co-operative and Educational Union of America. Seldom has the old court house held such an interested audience of repre sentative grain growers and producers as listened to strong and pointed ad dresses by leading farmers of the com munity on the necessity of united ef fort to meet the changed conditions of the twentieth century. State Organizer Wayman again ex plained his object in coming here and after a lucid and brief talk he gave the floor to President Scott of (he local union and other well known men of the country who have already joined. It will be the aim of every mem ber present to interest his neighbors who have not joined the union in an effort to make Walla Walla the fore most center of the organization in the state and every member who spoke ex pressed the firmest convictions that this object will be attained as soon as the advantages offered are made known to everybody. So rapidly has the union taken hold around Waitsburg and Prescott that nearly 200 farmers have joined the or der, about 75 going in at each place today. WATSON'S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. One of the strongest arguments used in favor of the association was that illustrated by Local Organizer Cox, who recalled Congressman Ellis’ speech to the commercial club. Ellis said while he was trying to get a bill passed opening the Columbia river a delegation arrived from New York, and after getting the floor for a few min utes succeeded in having a bill simi lar to EHis’ passed almost unanimous ly. When his bill came up immediate ly afterwards it received two votes, his own and the other Oregon senator. The first bill was passed because of organi zation, the second was lost for lack of it. —Walla Walla Statesman. INCOME TAX. (Birmingham Age-Herald.) The French people have incopor ated an income tax in their fiscal scheme, and they expect to collect $24,000,000 a year from 10,000,000 tax able families. The exemption of in comes does not extend beyond SI,OOO, and in France wealth is more evenly distributed than it is in this country of Dingley duties, trusts and fran chises. Os civilized countries there are now only five that do not derive revenue from an income tak, the most easily borne and justest tax in the world, Those five countries are the United States, Russia, Belgium, Hungary and Portugal. It is high time the United States drew out of the Russian-Portu gal class, and when the people gain control of this country it will be taken out. The wonder is that the French peo ple did not long ago adopt an income tax. They are thrifty and they have a great deal of business sense. They sometimes invest in Panama canal bonds, which did not pan out, but as a rule their investments are sound and satisfactory. They will certainly re tain their new income tax after they see how easily it is borne. THE LAW OF PRICE. (By T. J. Brooks, state secretary Farm ers’ Union, Atwood, Tenn.) One of three things or a com bination of them controls the price of absolutely everything bought and sold. 1. The law of supply and demand. 2. A trust. 3. Speculation. When not interfered with by arti ficial means the law of supply and de mand regulates price (not forgetting that the supply and demand of money acts conjointly with the supply and de mand of that which money buys). But very few articles of modern commerce are not interfered with by artificial means. Articles perishable in quality and limited in use —truck gardening products, strawberries, tomatoes, etc. —are subject to the fluctuations of spasmodic supplies and sporadic de mands. But articles non-perishable in quality and in general use, such as cotton, grain, meats, machinery, coal, etc., are not subject to violent fluctu ations in the market if the price is con trolled by the law of supply and de mand or regulated by a trust. Only speculation operates to suddenly change price on that for which is a constant demand and a general sup ply. So that when commodities of this kind vary in price so as to bring about “bucket shop” quotations on “futures” you may know that specula tion is setting the price. The law of supply does not operate that way. Nor does a trust allow its output to vary in value by the “clicker's” points manipulated by “riggers” on ’change. You do not buy futures on coal oil, beef, steel, or any of the great com modities handled by trusts. The supply is regulated to demand at a fixed scale of prices and furnished to consumers only as they pay the price. A trust does not allow itself to be bankrupt by overproduction. It matters not how many new oil wells are developed it does not tumble the price of oil below the cost of production—the trust sees after the supply and the price. Go through the list of trust-handled ar ticles of commerce and the underly ing business principle is the same — regulate supply to demand according to the law of controlled markets. It is not a question with the con sumer whether or not he wants to pat ronize the trusts —he has it to do. Nor is it a matter of choice whether any of us or all of us want to patron ize the farmer —we simply have it to de or change worlds. The condition calls for a system of self-defense on the part of the farmer, and the Farmers Educational and Co operative Union of America is supply ing this system. If the farmer ever ex pects to avoid the calamities of spec ulation, which does not add one cent to the wealth of any country—he must go into the regulating business. It does not remedy things to complain of the other fellow. That has been tried and laughed at as being childish. He goes right on just the same. We as producers can either match the day in which we live, through co-operation, or take the consequence, whichever we prefer. It is a matter of choice to be determined by the degree of business intelligence possessed by the produc ers. The city wage earner, in all the trades, the miner, the corporation em ploye, all organize and place a value upon their time. They do not own the articles they make, so they can only price time. The employer prices the