The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-06-08

is the better course. Id.
THE GRAIN GROWERS ASSOCIATION.
The following able letter appears in
last weeks Fergus Globe:
Fertile, Mimi, May 30, 1899.
Editor Fergus Globe:
Dear Sir-I see in your valuable paper of
May q, an article from the pen of Mr.. Eric
olson. who quotes part OF an article from
me, which was published in the Represen-
tative. Now Eric is pretty good fellow
all round, but, really, he is on the wrong
track with his plan for State Grain Grow
ers' association If he wants an association
OF grain growers he must give every man
who grows grain an equal chance You
must not bar him from representation at
your meetings. And it is not every farmer
that wants to go into local elevators, yet
would like to aid in this movement.
l believe in local elevators and helped
build the one at Fertile, and Eric is right
when he says it's good thing but is it
necessary to have representatives at our
meetings from members of local elevators?
Although being one of the builders of the
Farmers elevator at Fertile and selling
through it every bushel of grain l raise,
yet Eric'S plan would bar me from any
voice in the annual meetings, for l now own
no stock. having disposed Of it. l have
vote at the elevator meetings of the Fertile
elevator now. We have probably a thous-
and farmers hauling grain to Fertile, but
probably there are but 100 of these holding
stock in the elevator. Must the other 900
farmers stand back and let the 100 have the
say as to who shall be sent to the annual
meetings to elect the board of officers to
manage the business Of this great organi-
cation? No: you never will amount to any
thing a farmers organization without
you give different plan than that. Give
every farmer chance without compelling
him to be a member of builder of local
elevators. Yet, don't put me down
as against local elevators. They
are all right, but you will never
have but a small portion of the farm
ers owners Of stock, and Of course will be
luke warm this subject. We have no
alliance now in Polk county, that l know of.
We got swallowed up by the Peoples party
and now our members are of all parties.
What we need in this state is non-p arti-
san organization of farmers. l care not by
what name, if we only get all the
farmers interested. Do not try to fool
them; you can't do it. And with due re-
spect to Mr.. Olson and all others who are
members of this State Grain Growers asso-
citation, to them l say, give every farmer or
grain grower voice at your councils, or
Call your organization some other name.
]. S. NICHOLS.
The Globe tries to reply to this sound
argument. 1t says:
The first articles OF association were drawn
on the plant suggested by Mr.. Nichols. But
after due discussion and deliberatiOn it
feared that the farmers-the individ-
ual owners of stock-might do with it just
what Mr. Nichols says he did with his Fer
tile elevator stock-sell t-and that in that
way the whole business would fall into
the hands of few. or, perhaps, fall into
the hands of one person. and the object
of the whole undertaking would be defeat
ed. Therefore the plan was changed to the
present plan. under which the association
is now operating.
And SO, for fear the association would
fall into few hands, they placed it in
few hands!
There lies horse on yonder plain,
To save his life the brute was slain,
Sing, brothers, sing"
A general and universal society of
grain growers was knocked on the head,
and little side show" constituted of
grain handlers and warehousemen set
up in it's place. We were to get clear
of Peavey & Co., and we put ourselves
in the hands of Eric Olson & Co. The
commissions on wheat sales, amounting
to millions, but Olson & Co. stepped up
and said they would take them.
The Globe further says:
The Grain Growers Cooperative associa-
ton is modelled on the American plan Of
government, which is representation by
delegates. Mr. Nichols is an American
and as such he probably knows that the
only direct voice he has in the manage
ment of national affairs is when he votes
for representative in congress. And yet
we dare say that Mr.. Nichols will admit
that theoretically, at least, he has a share
in the government of this nation.
And this long handled representation;
this blowing with plow handles thous-
and miles long, is what we are all COM
planning of; and for which we demand
the referendum as a remedy. Repre-
sentative government, especially con-
gressiOnal, is dead failure, and has
brought this country to the verge of ruin
and revolution.
If we are to have a Grain Growers
Association let it be made up of grain
growers; open the doors to all of them,
and give every man a VOTE
Turn out, boys, to the July meeting,
and organize it to suit yourselves. But
no more warehouse combinations call
cd grain growers associations
I. D.