The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-03-22
F. A. s |. u. Dept.
THE NECESSITY FOR ORGANIZATION
An Address BY SD. Leahy, of Rice County
MINI.
(EDIrED BY. c. HAluEy.)

An Address by ST.. Leahy, of Rice County
delivered Jan. 4. 1885, before the Grain
Growers Association.)
another fiscal year has rolled around and
we Of the Farmers Alliance have met In
convention to discuss in fraternal way
the interests of farming which are common
to all Of US.
among the many interests in which the
farmers OF this great commonwealth, the
state OF Minnesota, interested. the
marketing Of wheat and other cereals Is
second to none
When the long siege of winter is over,
we begin the seeding of wheat and other
grains. With a heart full OF hope we
watch the crop through it's early period of
growth-usually promising at first, but lat
er, as the season progresses. the fact be-
comes more and more apparent that first
expectations are not to be realized Rust,
chinch-bug and blight make their appear
ance, and so blight the hope of the farmer.
AT length what is left of our once promis-
ing crop is secure in the granary. Thus
far we have encountered many difficulties,
but some are still ahead, and usually the
most aggravating.
We find that our products cannot reach
the consumer except through some aven-
ue detrimental to our interests on account
of the large profit demanded and the con-
seQuent reduction in price to the farmer,
to such an extent that when all expense
is paid there is seldom much left for the
producer. And thus it is that many Of
our industrious farmers have labored as
siduously for quarter Of century, yea,
fnr irtU -Bxrn I'D h4%%>
off than when they began farming, in the
springtime of life, full of hope and energy.
1t is true that most communities can point
to their rich farmer but he is the excep-
ton, not the rule. He is few and far be-
tween. and he usually makes his surplus
through some personal advantage which
his fellow farmers find beyond their reach;
or he is that manner of man who has de-
MED himself every comfort Of life, yea,
and many of the necessities. and his men,
DRY Will go down to oblivion unwept by
posterity. for it is impossible to respect
or cherish the memory Of the man whose
every incentive during life was greed for
accumulation, at the expense of necessi-
ties and reasOna BILE comforts Of life; or,
to put it more tersey, the man who is first
last and all the time animated by the
fumes of the flesh potts. must perish by
them. We know of some such men, and
we are not proud of their acquaintance.
Far be it from me to discourage frugal
and industrious habits, nor do | say that
this is a life-lke picture of all well-to-
do farmers-in fact, 1 know well-to-do
farmers who have lived a model life; but
all such cases have a history not peculiar
to the ordinary farmer. Thus, the moral
to be drawn from the foregoing Is that the
n
great extent without radical change in
the marts of commerce. We cannot pros
per while we are obliged to market our
crops on shares with the line elevators,
the local mill and the railroad companies,
especially when their share far exceeds
the surplus earnings of the producer.
What is the trouble, and where lies the
remedy? We are all agreed that we live
in the very garden bed of the nation, or
of the world for that matter, that we have
the most productive soil and the most
abundant crops for the labor expended
and that devastating storms are less fire.
quent than in most parts of the world:
and yet we cannot boast of unprecedented
prosperity, nor because of poverty of the
soil, nor because of frequent disturbance
of the aerial elements, nor from any other
natural cause.
1t follows that our grievances spring not
from natural causes, but from craft of
commerce. aided by organization among
the craftsmen. Therein do we suffer- not
from organization. but from a lack Of or
ganization. Organization carried to it's
logical conclusion means cooperation. The
farming community is confronted on every
hand by organization. The merchant has
his organization, or board of trade the
foo boc hi
mechanic has his organization; the day
laborer has his organization, and men of
all other occupations or professions have
certain well-defined lines of organization
The farmer alone Is without political or
ganizaton. and for this condition we suffer
the loss of untold millions in the aggre-
gate. We can scarcely take up daily
paper that does not give an account Of
the organization of several new trusts, or
the annual meeting Of some of those al
ready organized. We view with alarm the
attempt now being made to organize a gil
gantic association of all the milling inter-
ests of the country so far reaching that
local farmers elevator will be Of no use
so far as the handling Of wheat is con-
cerned. But it is useless to enumerate;
trusts and combinations and conspiracies
are the order of the day, and we seem to
be only in the beginning Of this condition.
What of the farming community
to do? Are to be exterminated without
so much as an organized protest? Will it
pay us to continue in the old groove, with
out raising hand to help ourselves when
we are confronted by these changed con-
ditOns? Can we by any individual effort
obviate or overcome the consolidation Of
ell other interests against the interest of
the farmer? Do we realize the situation
as it really is? Would it not be we'll to
pause long enough to take our bearings
and see where We are at?
Facts are stubborn things, and the soon
er we recognize them as they exist, the
sooner we will get relief. Now, there is not
in the farming population of the state or
the nation a man so devoid Of reason as
to believe that he by individual effort
mitigate in the least the evil conditions
that surround us. We must then simmer
down to the logical conclusion that the
salvation Of the farmer must be worked
out by organization. Organization must be
met by organization ere we perish. 1t is
true that we have local organization, and
it is very good so far as it goes; the only
trouble is that it does not go far enough.