The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-04-12
FARMERS UNIONS

FARMERS UNIONS
All sorts of trades unite in unions
why should not the farmers form
unions?
The movment just now among farmers
to form societies of american Equity"
makes the above query q pertinent one.
Certainly almost every reason which
makes unionism desirable among any
and all classes of workers applies to the
farmer.
Possibly in the minds of som.e, there
might be even better reasons for the
farmers to unite than the special prin-
ciple on which the Equity" society ap-
pears to be founded, which seems to be
to hold crops until the price advances
to the point which is satisfactory to the
producer.
But, this is not what we intended to
discuss at this time. We want to just
suggest some of the special difficulties
in forming farmers societies and why
the many such organizations which have
been in existence in the past and some
of which still survive, but without pres
ent growth or progress have never been
the success that the promoters have so
fondly hoped and argued.
Farmers 10y the nature of their
occupations are a solitary people as
distinguished from the trades and fac
tory workers, who in their employment
and leisure hours are gregarious. The
farmer works ;all day alone ON his farm,
and at night he goes early to bed be-
cause it is too far to go to the neighbors,
and he is too tired and his teams too tired
to 60 visiting. The same trouble comes
when he is called upon to go to society
meetings. This isolation tends to make
the farmer marrow and iimited in
thought and ideas to his own .immed-
late surroundings and interest. Per-
haps, this isolated sort of life is more
than anything the greatest reason why
the science and arts of agriculture have
made so little progress in all the years
since the first farmer was turned out of
Eden to farm for himself by the sweat
of his brow.
In the actual tilling of the soil as well
as connected things, the knowledge and
experience. gained by the average farm.
er dies with him or at best lis but trans.
mitted tottheson.
On the contrary the workmen of the
shops and, other trades are constantly in
association with each other and with
their employers, customers and the pub.
lie generally while at work, and in the
evenings they gather at common re.
sorts for one, two or more hours with nc
Inconvenience, for pleasure and pastime
OF, society meetings where socialbility is
a great incentive. In their work each is
constantly learning from the Others,
and in the social economy of their un-
ions they are brought into SO close con-
tact with their employers and the con.
dition of trade that all of them are quail
ifed to make a fairly correct judgment
of the conditions.
This, however, refers more particu-
larly to knowledge>of the particular oc-
cupatians AS "a matter of fact the
average farmer of North Dakota lis bet
ter educated and has more general
knowledge of the world than the trades
man or mechanic of the cities. But the
farmer lacks the knowledge gained by
everyday association with his fellows
and the knowledge derived from every
day personal dealings with the purchas-
ers of his products.
Uni0nism in the cities and factory
towns is fostered>by almost every, posi-
BILE motive of the social life or business
relation, while farmers union must be
kept up almost purely ideal principles
with good deal of sacrifice of time and
trouble.
In brief the natural tendency of the
farmers occupation is to make him indie
pendent, not only Of the world generally
but also of his fellow farmers, while the
almost everything in the tradesman's life
tends to unionism.
If the farmers should succeed in
forming unions we believe that such
unions weuld be built on broader prin-
ciples and with better ideas of the
rights of other classes than the unions
of the large cities. But farmers unions
can only be made successful by a. sacri-
fee of time and convenience which they
have heretofore refused or neglected 10
give.
The Best Ever.
The Morning Call, Fargo has inaug-
II