The Elbert County tribune., 1900-05-03
NEW FARMERS LODGE
KANSAS PLAN OF MUTUAL HELP

businrss Organization without roiitir
Being Formed to Raise Price Of
Wheat and Other Farm Products Co.
Operation n Success
A dispatch from Abilene. Kansas. to
the Chicago Record says:
hansas farmers seem likely TO enter
on another farmers alliance movement
under another name. They have for
years since the disruption of the old
organization been without any method
OF getting together. and the starting
OF Il new lodge is taking with great
favor. In this county has begun the
organization OF the Knights of the
Soil. mutual organization to which
only farmers are eligible and which
proposes TO act as gigantic trust for
the management OF the affairs In
Wnich the farmers are vitality inter
ested. The first lodge in the state
VIII be In operation in few days and
there are hundreds OF farmers In ad-
Joining counties ready to follow 1t with
further lodges.
The Institution is very new. Not
more than two months ago II was
started In Iowa, but there are now
l,oo0 members and organizers are
working in this state, Iowa, Nebraska
and the Dakotas. The objects are DIFF
ferent from any other Institution
among farmers that has been organ
ized in the West, and IL II attalns the
requisite membership 1t will have a
Wide effect on the business interests.
II is particularly intended to extend
the organization through the grain
growing states and 20 make the union
OF the farmers so strong that II can
command the prices of grain and COM
pei the holding of grain for sixty or
ninety days over the whole middle
West. To do this there will be needed
large reserve fund, and II is pro-
posed to supply this from the lodge dues
and assessments.
The chief organizer. who Is here
making arrangements for the opening
OF the first lodge in the state. seid OF
the objects and purposes Of the insti-
tuition: The knights of the Soil is
strictly lodge II Is n secret organl.
zation and Its purpose Is to enable the
farmer 10 combat the industrial trusts
that are pitted against him. For this
reason II Is sometimes denomlnatcd
farmers trust, though thai is mis-
nomer. 1t Is merely friendly union
by which there shall he concerted nc-
ton ON the principal business inter
ests of the day.
How may this be done? Why, in
this way, for example: Some poor
farmer finds that he must, for one
cause or another. sell his crop on a
low market. lie realizes that II he
could hold II for n little while he
could make fair profit. while II he
Is compelled 20 sell II oiT-hand he must
make nothing or at most n small
profit. Now there Is where the farm
crs' organization comes Ia with It's
beneficient assistance. Through IL the
poor farmer will he able to borrow
from his richer ncighbor n sum suf-
ficient TO tide him over the time of
need and the lodge Will see that the
lender is amply protected. Likewise.
by this mutual agreement to hold for
higher market the farmers win he
able to regulate TO degree the
market rather than have the prices
that they are to receive for their grain
regulated by the market manipulators
In Chicago and Liverpool. II will
give them more of the necessities of
life and win protect them from the
violent ups and downs of the markets
which take from them "A large portion
of their earnings when they need II
most
IAN organization of this sort is abso-
lutely essential and | believe that II
fills a long-felt want The eagcrness
with which the farmers are taking
hold of 1t indicates that they think so
as well. II Is not the purpose Of the
organization to dabble In politics. That
was what killed the Grange and the
Farmers Alliance, which purposed In
their beginnings much the same things
that are the objects of this orgnnlza-
tlon. II is the rock on which the
combinations OF the farmers Of the
West have split and II IL our intention
to avoid 1t us far as possible.
THE lodges will be formed In the
county seats first and then extended
into the country districts. The coun-
ties will have central meetings and
picnics and other gatherings Will be
held through the summer for the en-
tertalnment of the members and their
families. Next winter the lodge rooms
will be the gathering places Of the
farmers TO discuss matters OF interest
and profit to themselves and the or
ganization will become a power in the
land"