The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1907-08-28
The Lexington Dispatch.
Wednesday, August %. 1907.
The Farmers Educational and
Cooperative Union Of
erica

T
organized and operate to the great
y detriment of the farming class.
To enable farmers to meet these
conditions and protect their interest,
we have organized The Farmers Edu-
cational and Cooperative Union of
America, and declare the following
purposes:
"To establish justice.
"To secure equity.
"To apply The Golden Rule
"To discourage the credit and mort
gage system.
ssTo assist our members in buying
and selling.
"To educate the agricultural class
in scientific farming, economy in the
classification of crops, domestic econ
omy, and the process of marketing.
''To systematic methods of pro-
duction and distribution.
ITO eliminate gambling in farm
products by boards of trade, cotton
exchanges and process of marketing.
''To bring farmers up to the stand
ard of other industries and business
enterprises.
'To secure and maintain profitable
and uniform prices for grain, cotton,
live stock and other products of the
farm.
."To strive for harmony and good
will among all mankind and brotherly
love among ourselves.
''To garner the tears of the distress
ed, the blood of the martyrs, the laugh
of innocent childhood, the sweat of
honest labor and the virtue of happy
home as the brightest jewels known"
Because the depressed and debt
ridden condition of the tillers of the
soil and toilers is caused neither by
laziness, improvidence nor failure of
crops, and can only be relieved by
concerted effort.
We ask you to join US because we
are chartered organization, and our
charter is recorded in the State. We
started this organization on Augustus,
1902. The purpose for which it is
formed is to organize and charter sub
ordinate unions at various places in
Texas and the United States, to assist
in marketing and obtaining better
prices for their products, for fraternal
purposes and to cooperate with them
in the protection of their interest; to
initiate members and to collect a fee
therefor.
At that time cotton was worth or
cents pound, and by our plan we
sold all we had above 10 cents 3
pound.
For the last two years our minimum
price for cotton has been eleven cents
a pound, and we hope to maintain
and get better price for this 1907
crop.
Over a million and q half in the
cotton states, and fifteen thousand in
South Carolina ask you to join in with
them and help TO control the cotton
by not selling the cotton too fast.
If you can help organize, get your
local union to endorse you, and if you
have no union in your neighborhood,
get fifteen good farmers to join in
with you.
We will send you instructions how
to organize, and our plan of market
ing.
Any kindness shown our organizer
will be appreciated by us. "But,"
hyou,say "they won't stick together"
All , is there where the trouble is with
yoa? We say we have already "stuck"
andraised cotton to profitable price.
Now can you stick with US? We will
try you. Come in.
Every branch of labor, as well as
capitol, are now successfully Or
ganized for business purposes-all but
the man who needs it most-the
farmer.
Do you know it is cowardly to say,
81 can't" ''they WON'T" ''Its no
use," when you see the need of it,
and even admit it? Don't you know
that the world moves by inches; that
every generation improves upon the
past; that every mans invention is
improved and perfected by some other
man? The organizations which have
passed have done good, have given
away to better ones. Of course you
know all this and we appeal to your
intelligence and to your love of home
and country to assist US in this great
battle for the rights of the great pro-
ducing class of our citizens.