Charlevoix county herald., 1907-10-19
ORGANIZATION of
the Farmers
Only Key to Future Sue
ceSSfuI AdVanCeme


Society of Equity, which met recently
at that place, was one of the best ever
given before a farmers organization.
Dealing as it does with matters Of
vital Importance both to the farmer
and tOwnsman, we believe it to be Of
sufficient Importance -sSd value to
publish in full.
Mayor Friedrich said:
"Why is 1T so, that the farmers who
own the earth, control the food and
clothing supply, (wool and cotton) are
the creators of nearly all real wealth,
the foundation of all our institutions,
who are a most numerous, and as
class, the most wealthy, have become
reduced to the condition of hewers of
wood and carriers Of water?
The fact that capitalists and lab
Orers are so effectively organized,
makes it espe cially important that
farmers should organize. 1t Is be-
coming clearer and clearer every day
that whatever advantage the capital
istic or labOring classes win, is won
not so much at the expense of the
other as at the expense of the great
body of unorganized people who can
not defend themselves.
Nv hen wages are forced up by a
strike, the farmer pays large part of
the raise by an increase of price on
what he buys. When trusts lift
prices simply because they have the
power to do so, this Increase is also
largelyypade out of the farmers, who
are theEreatest consumers. 1t must
be SO; the strife between organizations
is bound to hurt the unorganized.
When Mr. Mitchell and Mr.. Baer
agree on an increased scale of wages,
Mr.. Baer at once shOveS up the price
of coal, and the closer the unions and
the trusts get together, the more GER
tain it is that the unorganized mob of
consumers, OF which the farmers con-
stutute by far the largest element,
will have to pay whatever gain either
wins, because they are not in a posi-
tion to pass it along.
GAS has been we'll stated in the
editorial Of Up-to-Date Farming:
"'In fact, tlle only thing that pre-
vents these trusts, under existing
laws from absorbing the entire
wealth of the country, is the new
wealth annually created by the farm
ers, which c0mpels the return flow of
millions of dollars for the plain nee
essaries of life. This is potent fact
which ought to make every class and
calling OF our people interested in the
farmers. And, since in this aye of
organization and combination, no un-
organized class can hold its own with
those that are organized, all classes
outside the specially org anized exploit
ers, ought to not only encourage and
help the farmers to organize, but they
ought to organize with them, so as to
make them a still more powerful
check upon this fearful absorDtiOn Of
the nations wealth; for if it were not
for the money the farmers draw back
in spite of the trusts, and thence goes
as new current into the channels of
trade, all other business would soon
be swallowed up in the trust vortex.
Why Should Farmers Organize?
Simply because The wrong exists;
because there is an inequality in the
conditions upon which success de-
pends; because the rest of the world
has it la its power to absorb the
wealth created by agriculture. AL
other productive industries control
their output; farmers do not. All
other industries fix the prices al
which their products shall sell; farm
ers do not. All others market their
goods only to meet the demand at the
prices made by themselves; many
farmers still dump their all at once
without inQuiring whether they are
needed or not, and at whatever prices
glutted markets may offer. So Ions
as such prices prevail there can be nC
equality of labor rewards, no equa
benefits from society, no equity in
business and no proportionatc or per.
manent prosperity.
But why undertake to correct
these evils when farmers are comfort
ably prosperous and Seem to have M
reason to complain? Because there IL
a wrong TO be righted, change to b.
affected, and quality to be restored
There is never better time to repal
a leaky roof than when the weather !!
fair; never better time to lay ia fue
thap, when the days are long anC
warm never better time to trim anC