The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-03-20
LETTER FROM UNCLE JOSH.
FIDDLER'S CREEK, March II.
No. IL.
Editor Free Press:

10 Dogln WlUn Sdlu Une Stranger,
81 must tell you, that many years ago
the farmers of the country, especially
those of the Northwest, suffering
under innumerable wrongs, as they
supposed, were easily led into party
known at the time as the ALLIANCES"
this was a political party governed
mostly by demagogues, or as they were
sometimes called 'sore-heads. They
failed of recognition in the ranks OF
the two national parties, known then
| as now, as Republican and Democratic,
and these soreheads, or renegades,
taking advantage of the depression
existing among the farmers, had but
| little trouble in forming new party
called the Alliance.
1t took but a few years for the far
mers to discover that the movement
was sectional in it's character, over
CANT towards all other classes, and
naturally it lost the respect of even
| the farmers themselves.
But it served a most excellent pur-
pose for it gave the farmers an insight
into the power of concentration, of
singleness of purpose, and it also
showed them the folly of legislating
in the interests of single class of
citizens. The lesson, take it all in all,
was most excellent one, for another
and brighter light dawned in upon the
minds of the farmers. They felt that
they were a power when combined,
capable of performing wonders. The
wiser ones among them saw their OPP
portunity, and by skillful manage
ment, kept the consolidation idea well
| to the front, and slowly but surely the
alliance movement went out of poll
tics, and the great consolidation went
into business.
At first it was called the Brother
hood of Farmers, but as the organiza-
tion grew and developed, it at last be-
came what it is now, the Farmers
Federation, the richest organization
on the face of the globe.
The "F. f." began first, to under
take to control it's own product. Each
town appointed it's own supervisor,
and these in turn elected county
supervisor, and the latter chose a GER
tain number of state supervisors, who
met in assembly similar body from
| the two other states, and this body OF
representatives met often and formu-
lated rules and regulations governing
all the towns in all the states in the
federation. Each town supervisor had
charge of the grain deliveries to buyers
in his own town. The prices were
fixed by the representatives of the
states.
\ At first thn-oroa nization- snannnd
doomed to failure. The farmers in
other states experienced brisk de-
mand for their grain, and buyers gave
the Federation a wide berth, and it
looked for long time as though it
would fall to pieces by it's own weight.
But circulars were sent out from head
quarters calling upon all members to
stand firm, that there was not enough
wheat in the country outside of the
Federation to supply the home de-
mand-let alone the demand from
Liverpool, and that members would
surely get their price, and that it were
better to suffer and drink the cup of
poverty to it's lowest dregS, and have
done with it once and for all, than to
submit to the outrage of being forced
for life to compete with the worse
than slave labor of India, where poor
human beings were working on farms
for ten dollars per year. Let us but
stand firm, and if need be, fight for
our rights. We can die, but we will
be slaves no longer. We produce our
goods and we offer them for sale at a
fair profit. The goods are ours, and if
the world wants them, it will buy
them at our prices and not at price
made in Liverpool, to be shipped to
the manufacturing centerS of our own
country" Such circulars as these were
sent to each and every member of the
Federation, and to their everlasting
credit they stood firm. Many news
papers set up great howl, but the
great mass of business men through
out the country approved and said it
twas business" and hoped the farmers
would win, and they did win. All the
wheat was sold at handsome profit,
and the farmers began,to pay off their
mortgages and get out of debt. This
plan was kept up for few years with
great success. The farmers had how
ever to watch their enemies closely,
and as wheat began to come in in
large quantities from Canada, they
voted solid for protection and won, and
foreign wheat was shut out, and our
Canadian friends were advised to send
their wheat to Liverpool. AS soon as
it was demonstrated that the ST. F.'
had come to stay, the lands included
in the Federation increased in value
to marvellous extent. Farms that in
old times went begging at ten dollars
an acre, soon became hard to find at
| three hundred dollars per acre.
The farmers were soon out of debt
and money began to accumulate, and
| then began the wonderful develop
ment known in the history of the
world"
UNCLE JOSH.