Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-17
FARMERS UNION.
Reasons Why the Farmers Should
Organize for Protection.

O1RaHlZe IOI 6IOtCCtlOus
EDITORS HERALD-Being for many
years past subscriber of your valuable
paper, and from its constant perusal,
knowing it's ever true and constant de-
votion to the agricultural and farming
interests of our county, 1 take the
liberty for the first time of asking a
short place within your columns to say
q word to the Farmers and producers"
of Los Angeles county.
During the past few weeks circulars
have been mailed throughout the
county in the form of a ''call for
county convention OF the farmers and
producers for the purpose OF considering
mainly the matter of forming a county
organization of the farmers and pro-
ducers and auxiliary organizations in
each township with view to our better
protection and the promotion OF our in
terests by securing fair and just re-
Enumeration for our labor and industry"
A general and cordial invitation has
been accorded to the ''husbandry" to
assemble at Turner hall at 10 a. m.
Aug. Is, 1890 to consider this move
ment.
l.
what are they going to do about it?
There is no doubt that of all classes OF
men that need cooperative protection, the
farmers of our county stand in the fore
most rank, and, sad to say, in past
years they have been the most Deficient
in this respect. OF late years especially
we hear the wall that there is nothing
in farming-especially in cereals. When
ever the 'honest farmer" has a rich
yield, it seems inevitable that his ex-
penses in the way of harvesting and
handling his crop have increased in like
proportion, and what is worse still the
prices ,chich he is compelled to accept have
decreased correspondingly. No wonder,
if such are facts, that farming does not
pay. But, since "there is reason for
everything" let us reflect for moment
upon this great and all-important ques-
tion-all important because the life and
vigor of our country depends upon its
farmers and producers. A good
healthful state of "husbandry" infuses
renewed vigor and activity into all the
channels OF trade and commerce, i'll
fact it is the backbone OF commerce.
If then the question with which l am
endeavoring to deal is all important to
healthful state of our industrial situa-
ton surely then it is one not to be
passed by in disdain.
AS l said above, the farmers and pro-
ducers have been the most needy and
yet the most neglected class in the way
OF cooperative protection, and | main
farming has not been made the sue
cess which it is worthy of attaining;
this is why the farmer-misnomered
'independent'-is made to grovel at the
feet of our uni0n merchants and
ani0n tradesmen of every rank and
station. The lumberman by the aid
of cooperative protection can charge
the non-union farmer or producer
whatever the lumber trusts in union"
may demand. Thus, in the commits
siont of storage houses ETC., he is at the
mercy of unions. Again, IN his i'm
plements of cultivation he pays alleg-
lance to the iron and steel unions.
Again the farmer, no matter how poor
or insufficient his crop of cereals may be,
must bow down before the jatte trust and
pay their prices for his sacks etc. Thus
through the cooperative protection
afforded to all these and to a thousand
other industries with which the farmer
has to deal-the honest farmer becomes
the slave of union tradesmen and
union merchants, and is compelled to
admi. that farming does not pay" AT
last we are beginning to realize the fact
that in order to live we too must have
''union." The call for convention
which has gone forth should meet with
a responce from every producer OF our
county. Similar organizations are being
established with great success through
out the various states, and if the farmers
of the state will heartily and loyalty
rally round the standard, we will be able
in few years to free ourselves from the
thraldom in which we must now admit
that we are chained.
Instead, then, of the merchant die
tating to the producer what he must,
and ''in fine" will be compelled to, &C
cept as ''pitiful allowance" for his pro-
duce,-the honest farmer, through coop
eratiye protection, will be able to COM
mand prices that will remunerate him
sufficiently for his toll, care and expense
of producing. In years like the present
he will be able to set a price upon his
grain that will counter-balance the
shortage in the yield, and when
Heavens benefcence sees fit to have the
earth bring forth abundantly, the
honest farmer will not be cheated out
of Heavens kindness by unions and
trusts, but, being in the "ring' him
self, ne can with complacency request
these afore antagonists to ''toe the
scratch or else get outside the ropes"
Let the citizens of every township
send representative men Farmers and
producers" to the convention on August
18th, at Turn Verein Hall, and hus-
bandry will soon become the COM
manding financial industry of the age.
have done FARMER