The twice=a=week herald. (Amarillo, Tex.) 1887-1906, 1906-10-23
Delegates From South and
Middle West in Attendance
AZ rirnf cnoninn
1IO Library
LlStia
UNITE THE FARMERS,
Object Of Gathering $40 Gel Cotton Plant
eTS and Grain and Fruit Growers To.
geIher on Prices,

Topeka, kan, Oct, 22.--From
away down south in the land of cot
ton, as we'll as from the corn belt
Of the middlewost and the wheat
fields Of the great north, delegates
are congregated here today to paru-
cipate in the first session of the
Farmers Cooperative Business CON
gross. The present meeting had It's
origin in a call issued by James But
Ter OF this city and received the in
dorsement Of the Farm lrs' unions
Of the south and numttous other
agricultural cooperative societies.
Among the states represented at the
congress are Kansas, Missouri, Ok
lahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Loulsia-
ma, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa,
Minnesota and the Dakotas
The object Of the congress, accord
ing to the statement of Secretary
Butler, is to unite the cotton plautolg
OF the south and the grain and fruit
growers Of the NORTH Tor the purpose
of controlling the price OF all farm
products and to secure legislation IA
vorable to the agricultural interests
of the territory represented TO ac-
complish this end the new organiza-
ton will demand Of the various state
Legislatures a just and equitable law
covering the subject Of farmers CO.
operative societies. When this has
been accomplished it will be the aim
of the society to organize co-opera-
tive farmers exchanges, clearing
houses, banks, elevators, cotton gins,
and warehouses, telephone lines,
packing houses and insurance COM
panies.
One Of the important movements
inaugurated today was an attempt
to form a combination of the CO.
operative elevator companies in or
der to raise the price of wheat. Many
of the delegates favor the project and
It is expected that some definite ac-
ton will be taken before the congress
adiourns. There are now about 500
elevators operated by wheat growers
I'm the Mississippi valley and IL Is be-
lieved that through concerted action
they could easily raise the price Of
wheat at least : cents a bushel The
promoters of this plan point to the
success of tho farmers unions of the
south in maintaining the price Of
cotton and declare that similar action
on the part Of the wheat growers
would be equally as successful.
Representatives Of numerous CO.
operative societies producing apples,
potatoes, flour, grain and other COM
modities are hero and the numerous
commercial transactions bid fair to
be an important feature of The con
gress. 1t is expected that many car
loads Of Missouri and northern APP
pies, Minnesota and Oklahoma pota-
toes and Kansas flour will be sold
TO southern cooperative unions as
a result Of the present meeting. This
will be doubly beneficial, since the
growers will get better prices for
their products and the buyers and
consumers will profit by reduced
prices.
Another matter which will come
up before the congress is the estab-
llshment Of union markets in an Of
the great labor centers, thus afford
ing the union worllmon Of the city
an opportunity to buy the products
Of union farmers without paying u
profit to mlddlemen. It Is believed
that the carrying out of such a plan
of mutual cooperation would do
much toward establishing relations
of social solidarity between the work
ers of The shop and mine and the
workers on the farm
Many prominent officials of the
Farmers Cooperative and Educa-
tional union, which now has nearly
100000 members in the southern