(Taken from the Prairie Farmer’s Reliable Directory of Farmers and Breeders, McHenry and Boone Counties
published 1917, pages 6-10)

Farmers over the Chicago dairy district are enjoying the happiest Easter season they have ever known. They will
take up spring work with renewed hopes and with real joy in their hearts, for they have won the milk price
fight. Applied to Chicago’s daily milk supply the 22 cents a hundred increase means that the 12,000 dairymen in
the district will each day get over $8,000 more for their milk than at the price offered by the distributors-an
average of 66 cents more per day for each farmer.

When it became clear on the first of April that the farmers meant business, the small companies began to fall into
line one by one. They realized that there was little else to do, for with their supply cut of their trade would soon
go to the large companies, who could hold out a few days longer. Mcbride Brothers & Knobbe, ice cream
manufacturers, operating a plant at Walworth, Wis., was one of the first concerns to pay the association price.
The Congress plant at Woodstock, owned by Senator Olsen, stood out until April 3, when after several
unsuccessful attempts to get milk delivered with the aid of the sheriff, it came over to the farmer's side. Following
this action, Mr. Olson is reported to have said that his sole reason for hesitating as long as he did was to see
whether or not any of the large companies were going to pay the $1.55 also. There were many other companies
in the same boat, but once they got started most of them were quick to climb into the farmer’s bandwagon.

Signs of an early settlement of the strike appeared Thursday, April 6, when the Ira J. Mix and Kee & Chapell
companies, next largest dealers to the Borden and Bowman concerns, announced that they would pay the
farmer’s price. On the same day Health Commissioner John Dill Robertson invited the officials of the Milk
Producers’ Association to meet representatives of the milk companies in a arbitration meeting at his office. The
secretary’s office was busy arranging contracts between association members and buyers who had met the
farmer’s price, so word was sent that the association would not arbitrate in any way, but that it would gladly
send representatives for a conference, provided it could be held the day following.

Commissioner Robertson agreed to this plan and on Friday a conference took place between the Milk Producers’
Association, represented by President R.B. Swift and George Brown, and representatives of the Borden,
Bowman, Kee & Chapell, Wanzer and Ira J. Mix companies.

At the close of the conference, which lasted seven hours, it was announced that the Bowman company had
agreed to pay the association price. The Bowman decision left only the Borden company standing out, and its
representatives tentatively agreed to accept the farmers’ price, announcing that their action would have to be
ratified by the directors of the company in New York before the contracts could be signed. During the conference
an attempt was made to settle the price by long distance telephone office, but as this was unsuccessful the
Borden representatives in conference asked the association for a day or so of time to obtain the necessary
instructions from New York, Saturday was a quiet one at the Borden plants as the farmers had dealt with them
so effectively that many of them were closed, while would-be patrons had given up trying to deliver milk to
others. The Bowman and other plants operated on Saturday as if nothing had happened, and by Tuesday
morning the Borden plants had resumed normal operation.

A very helpful ruling was that of the milk board, which permitted the sale of milk to companies meeting the
association price irrespective of whether their competitors did so or not. In the milk producers’ meeting at
Chicago, March 27, there was considerable sentiment in favor of not signing up milk with one company until all
had agreed to the association demands, but fortunately this plan was not adopted. Lack of sufficient competition
for milk had been one of the chief faults of the Chicago milk market, and the effect of patronizing the buyers
who were early willing to pay $1.55 a hundred was to re-establish the much needed competition. The plan used
served to line up the small buyers early through fear of losing trade to the larger companies, while toward the
end of the fight the large dealers became conscious of a feeling that the little fellows might run away with their
customers while they stubbornly held on.

In order to decide promptly on the many questions arising each hour and to otherwise assist the members, the
milk board was in daily session throughout the price fight. The members of this board are President R.B.Swift,
Secretary W.J. Kittle, C.H. Potter, J.J. Murphy and R.W. Sherburne. Each day a bulletin, giving the gist of the
situation and the most important new of the fight, was printed, and a copy of it sent at night to the chairman of
each local, who had it posted where all the producers at his point might read it.

"We’ll confer but not arbitrate," was the platform on which the milk board worked. On the first of April, John
W. Knobbe of McBride Brothers & Knobbe spent several hours at the association headquarters in an attempt to
get the association to sanction his purchase of milk from its members at $1.55 with a provision; that provision
being that the other companies also pay the price. The association would not agree, and that evening Knobbe
informed Secretary Kittle that he would pay the $1.55 with no "ifs" or "ands" about the matter. The western
manager of the Borden company also tried to get special privileges by offering to meet the April price demanded
by the association and leave the price for the other five months to arbitration. This too, met with a flat refusal,
after which the Borden company met the farmers demands in full. The dealer gets the milk is the only provision
that the association allowed.

"If the milk board of which I am a member had sanctioned any price one iota less than that set by the
association," says Mr. Potter, "I would never go back to Elgin. I would feel a great deal safer in the trenches of
Europe than in the Fox River Valley."

Though very effective measures had been used to persuade the producers not to sign up before the first of April,
the farmers were even more successful in keeping away from the plants milk signed at less than the association
price. Perhaps a third of Chicago’s normal supply had been contracted before the strike actually began, yet
practically the entire supply was tied up within a few days. Only a comparatively small amount of milk found
its way into Chicago during the first week of April, most of this being milk that had been held by the dealers in
anticipation of the strike, or milk that was shipped in from outlying points. Some of this milk came from Iowa,
New York, and from points in Wisconsin outside of the Chicago dairy district.

In addition to shutting off the home supply, the farmers were successful also in stopping much of the milk
shipped in from outside the district, and in preventing the transfer of whole milk from condensing bottling
plants. An example of this occurred at Belvidere, where the Borden company operates a condensery. Several
attempts were made to ship whole milk from this plant to the bottling plant at Marengo, with the result that
three carloads of this milk was seized by the farmers. A few days later on April 6, about 300 McHenry and
Boone county farmers gathered at the Belvidere plant and prevented the delivery of a single pound of milk. After
this experience the Belvidere plant closed until the strike ended.

Every milk shipping or buying point in the district had its share of excitement during the strike, although cases of
actual violence were very few. Picketers were out at nearly every plant sometime during the strike. Sometimes
they were obliged to use force in order to keep obdurate farmers from delivering milk, though moral persuasion
was generally sufficient. The earnestness of the striking farmers had really to be seen to be appreciated, but a few
instances of what took place at a few points will perhaps serve to impress those outside of the district with the
tenseness of the situation. At Dundee about 20 loads of milk were dumped one morning and a general scrap
between and farmers and deputies took place. Some of the deputies were reported to have drawn revolvers but
were forced into automobiles and driven away by the farmers. At Palatine another deputy had his revolver
taken away by a picket.

Fifty auto loads of pickets guarded the Borden plant at West Chicago, April 7, keeping all milk away from it
except three cans, which were delivered before the farmers began their day’s picketing. Usually one day’s
picketing was enough to convince the managers of a plant that they had better cease operations until after the
strike, but if milk was afterwards reported to be coming in, the farmers were out in force again. On the fifth of
April several hundred farmers were on hand at the Elgin plants of the Borden company and put a stop to the
delivery of milk at that place.

In McHenry county, Ill., Myron J. Wright, who is keeping open the office of the county soil and crop
improvement association during the absence of a regular advisor, too, much the same part in the price war as
did Mr. Craig. No county had more milk to hold back or held it back more effectively than McHenry, and a good
part of this was due to Mr. Wright’s generalship in keeping the plants well supplied with pickets. Tuesday
morning picketing began at the Borden plant in Woodstock and prevented the delivery of milk throughout the
day. At night, however, a small amount of milk was received there; the plant being so anxious for it that the
superintendent had several producers’ milk collected at a farmhouse near town and delivered to the plant by a
drayman, who was protected by three deputy sheriffs. Picketing continued the next day, when not a pound was
allowed to get to the plant. On this day, April 5, the Borden plant at Ringwood was also closed. At Chemung a
minor fight occurred between picketers and deputies.

The nearest approach to violence in McHenry county was at Hartland, where a Bowman plant operates. At this
point the farmers began to picket on the first of April and kept most of the milk away until the plant was closed
on the fourth. This plant was literally closed by the farmers, for about noon Tuesday they took possession of the
plant, turning the workmen out, and forced the superintendent to give up the key. Sheriff Wandrack of
Woodstock and several deputies were rushed to the factory and order was restored late in the afternoon.
Following this disturbance Bowman officials appeared before Judge Donnelly at Woodstock asking for an
injunction against the farmers. Judge Donnelly granted a writ forbidding violence and interfering with Bowman
property, but informed the company that he could not stop peaceful picketing by the farmers.

Many producers over the district adopted various means of disposing of their supply before the milk trade was
restored to normal. Shipping cream was one of the most popular alternatives, and the railroad station platforms
were piled with cream cans throughout the fight. At Harvard several separators were installed in a barn and
used to separate milk that could not be handled at home. Subscriptions were also started for a farmers’
co-operative creamery there. On the evening before the milk strike began a representative of the Chicago Milk
Driver’s Union addressed an enthusiastic meeting of farmers and townspeople in a Harvard church, urging the
farmers to stand out for a fair price for their milk. The farmers about Hebron were also loyal through the thick
and thin of the fight and little milk was delivered at that point. The Borden company at Hebron returned
contracts to a few farmers who had signed for less than the association price, after which the farmers stopped
picketing and no milk was delivered. Separators for handling the farmer’s milk were installed in a mill near
Hebron and action was also taken toward building a new creamery.

After the companies began to sign up at the association price the members then began to insist on all who signed
becoming also members of the association. At several places threats to dump the milk were made unless the
membership was forthcoming. As a result a number of the companies required their patrons to become members
of the Milk Producers’ Association before signing the contract. It is probable that nearly every producer in the
Chicago district will become a member of the association before the last echoes of the price fight have passed.

Before the recent price campaign started some of the representatives of the large milk buying companies were
reported as saying that the milk producers were as wandering Jews-that they were not even agreed between
themselves and that they could not stick together. Perhaps, after the unprecedented example of sticking together
that these producers have just shown, the milk buyers will be glad to accord them as much consideration as they
do a hundred milk wagon drivers when they ask for an advance in wages.

The victory of the milk producers is without a parallel in agricultural history. Tangible results have already come
in the form of an increased price for milk. But what of the future? It is fair to expect that the milk companies will
at least give the producers more consideration in their dealings together than they have heretofore. The milk
producers will have more courage to stand together. Probably the heroic methods used in the recent fight will be
unnecessary in the future. We hope so. But if the farmers are again called to action for same cause they will rise
as a victorious army only recently disbanded. A nations army is never stronger than just following a victorious
war. The milk producers are now ready for a greater fight. It would be a wise policy for the large milk
companies not to tempt them too far. In their association the farmers’ ammunition is safe and the men know
how to use it. They have found their leaders, too, men like Swift and Kittle and the others who helped to bear
the brunt of the fight.

Outside of the milk producing district the victory will also have a very encouraging effect. Agriculture has never
had such an example of farmers sticking together for a cause, or winning so great a victory so quickly. Its lesson
will not be lost. In many places farmers lack sufficient confidence in co-operation and organization. The success
of the milk producers will give farmers everywhere more confidence in organized effort. This one victory is
worth more than all the barrels of ink and hours of talk used to advance organization that were ever aimed at
farmers’ heads.-F.M.C.