The Topeka state journal., 1900-04-18
''Knights of the Soil" Name of
Organization.
Designed to Take Place of Ex-
tinct Farmers Alliance.
is A BUSINESS UNION.
Farmers to Be Assisted in Hold
ing Crops.
Kansas Branch Organized Last
Night at Abilene.

"A new farmers trust has been start
ed The initial movement in its organi-
zation was made last night out at
Abilene. and Dickinson county is to be
thoroughly organized at once
This new trust is on the lodge plan.
and is called the Knights of the Soil.
Its officials are not starting it off with
a blare of trumpets, but rather are
making what would be called in poll
tics "a still hunt The organization
resembles in many ways the old Farm
ers' Alliance. except that instead of
dealing with politics it is organized for
the purpose mainly of assisting the
farmers to hold their grain and other
products until the price is high enough
to suit hem.
The man who is starting this trust in
Kansas is 3. H. Barnes, formerly a
travelling man of Des Moines, Iowa, but
he has recently given up his other busi-
ness and is giving his whole time to the
organization of this farmers trust. The
idea was first started in Polk county,
Iowa, about a month ago, and there are
now pending about 200 applications for
membership in the organization and the
idea is now beginning to spread into
Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas.
Mr. Barnes was in Topeka yesterday
on his way to Abilene, and while here
he told a little of his new trust
THE idea was suggested" he said,
| 'by the almost endless combinations of
other interests. Nearly everybody has
! wondered why the farmers do not or
| ganize as others do. A month or so ago
I was up in Minnesota and got to talk
| ing with a friend of mine on this sub
ject- He made a few suggestions as to
how such a combination could be start
| ed, and I made a few, and I made up
my mind that when got back home
f1-xr On f.a 70 -Y71a ~1.t,r.
when I got the thing started it
| took so with the farmers that 1 gave
up my other business and started in for
| this Up in Iowa, we send postal cards
| out to a. number of farmers IN a COM
9nunity. asking them to. meet us on
important business. When they come
7 together we lay our literature before
them and explain the idea, and they
have never failed to become members
1.-The chief idea of the organization is
to give the farmers a chance to hold
their crops without paying interest.
| When a member needs a little money
to tide him over for time he makes
his application to his local lodge, and if
| it is a growing crop that he has as
security, a committee of three members
examine it and make a report to the
lodge. The lodge lets him have the
money or as much of it as is safe on
the crop, and he pays no interest How
ever, when he sells the stuff he pays
into the treasury of his lodge five per
cent. of what he made by holding it. 1t
costs him nothing to hold his grain.
and if a concerted movement Of this
kind is made there will be no great
rush Of grain to market, causing prices
to drop. If wheat is worth go cents
when he gets his loan and it advances
to so cents while he is holding it, he
pays to the lodge five per cent. of the
profits he has made by holding it. This
fund is then used to loan to others in
| like circumstances.
"One good thing about this organiza-
tion is that whenever we get one mem
Der he always works hard to get in all
his farmer neighbors, because the more
complete the organization among the
farmers the better they will be able to
control prices"
Mr.. RarneS will spend ten days organ
: izing the farmers of Dickinson county.
and will then go to Decatur county to
: start the Knights of the Soil in the
= Sixth congressional district. It is pos
sible that this organization may take"
as did the Farmers Alliance Its sec
ondary objects are much like those Of
the Alliance in that it aims to improve
| the farmers social condition. and fur
| nish him information relative to the
| worlds visible supply of grain, the con-
> dition of crops in various sections, and
other information of like character,
similar to that furnished by the United
c States department of agriculture.