The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-11-22

AhO Aai hoIS uOW COuu1duu buc oituo'
tion SO far as the establishment of q
sugar factory in this county is con-
cerned. A large number of the more
intelligent farmers. but only small per
cent of even that class as yet, are wide
awake enough to realize the necessity
of acting promptly. A large number
have proved that they have manly
strength OF character enough and
courage enough to assume whatever
little risk there is of getting the help
when the wedding time comes. A large
number are willing enough and anxious
enough to have hand in bringing one
of the greatest blessings into this county
which the farmers ever had come in to
be willing to place their names on the
contracts which must be had to show
the capitalists who are to put in the
half million dollars or they will not put
it in at all. But there are so many
hers.
There are still 50 many farmers who
do not seem to realize what the delay
in signing contracts means to them and
to the entire county at large. There
are so many who seem to be 50 timid
that they could scarcely feel worse if
they were signing a mortgage for their
farm which they could never in all
eternity hope to pay off. There are still
so many who act as though they
wouldn't go across the road to improve
their own condition, much less to help
their neighbor improve his condition.
To some of these the signing of their
name to paper agreeing to do the best
they can to raise five or ten acres of
sugar beets, the seed for which will be
furnished them at stated price by the
company Itself, calls for display of
courage and independence which seems
to even approach the foolhardy. To
them the farmer who will agree to do
his best to raise twenty acres of as good
sugar beets as he can raise seems a
wilder speculator than the man who
puts half million Of dollars isto fac.
tory which will depend on them for its
supply OF raw material. There are still
so many who under one faint pretext
or another still hesitate to sign one of
the contracts totally unmindful of the
loss which they are threatening them
selves, their brother farmers and every
taxpayer and citizen in this whole
county. And the spirit is 80 totally
un-American, so lacking in that spirit
of enterprise which has made all Ameri.
ca famous. and the American farmer
the most honered and best known of
all the world.
There are opportunities which, after
they have come once, never come again.
The opportunity to get beet sugar
factory for this country is now here.
If contracts for three thousand acres
arc not signed before the end of next
week there is no assurance that the
county will ever again have the oppor.
tunity now before it That is why The
TIMES appeals 80 strongly to every
farmer in the county at this time That
too is why 1t 80 emphatically says all
honor 10 the men who have already
contracted for the acreage which they
have undertaken, and to those who
will yet put their shoulder to the wheel
and contract for the acreage needed.
To every one of these men the entire
community will owe debt which will
not seem trivial after the magnitude of
the industry becomes apparent. But
the help OF such men 10 needed still
further. Unless their neighbors can also
be made to see the danger that the
great benefits of the industry may
yet be lost, all that they have done will
surely come to nothing. The TIMES
has faith in the farmers of this county
but it realizes that this matter must
now be brought before their minds and
that they must give it q prompt and
serious consideration in way in which
they seldom take up any matter. This
is no discredit to them for there has
seldom II ever been question of such
moment before them and one which
required such prompt action.
After one mas seen just what any set
OF men will do at one time 1t does not
take any great faith In them to form
some opinion as TO what they will do ON
another occasion like IL. Similarly.
after seeing what the farmers Of other
counties have done in tho matter of
raising sugar bssts and In the matter Of