The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1907-11-06
WHO IS PRESIDENT
OF the American Society
of Equity?
EVERETT ISSUES AN ADDRESS
} In Which He Says That Enc
mics Captured the
Convention.
The Greensboro Messenger says:


Who is President of the National
body of the American Society of Eq-
uity?
The press dispatches of last week
announced that c. M. Barnett, of
Hartford, KY, had been elected to sue
coed j. A. Eyeritt Now Mr.. Everitt
is sending out IAN Address" from
Indianapolis to the effect that w. II.
Mitchell, of Kansas, Is president and
that he, (Everitt) is vice president
The address is in part as follows:
Without regard to anybody's per-
soDal interests, personal feelings, or
personal preferences, we are COM
PEELED to declare that the late con-
vention which assembled in Indian
apolis, October %. and pretended to
be an annual meeting of the Ameri-
can Society of Equity of North Ameri-
ca, was revolutionary in its purpose,
unconstitutional in its makeup, and
dominated by influence entirely for
eign to the principles of the said
American Society of Equity of North
America.
For months, almost year, before
the assembling of the convention, the
secretary and a horde of assistants
that he had around him in the pay
of the society, and who were in no
sense identified with farming or its
interests, had been circulating false
and slanderous literature to create a
sentiment against Up-To-Date Farm
. ing, the official paper, and those who
stood as unyielding supporters of Ed
uity in it's original purpose to help
the farmers to secure equitable prices
for their crops.
Among other things, those who
sought to divert the society from its
original purpose began to promote
what they called equity exchanges,
ostensibly to handle farm products,
but on plans the same as those of
the regular trade, at prices made by
the spectators and not by the socie-
ty, and by methods more objectiona-
BILE than those of the old commission
houses, and on a basis not nearly
so secure. These so-called exchanges
soon proved inadequate to the aims
and purposes of their promoters, If
not absolute failures, and an alleged
million dollar stock cgnpany was in
corporated in New Jersey, here all
the most dangerous combines includ-
ing the Standard Oil Company, had
their origin.
For the promotion of this million
dollar corporation, the name of the
society was used, and the time of its
employees, including the secretary
himself, and the society's money,
were diverted to that purpose,
against the protest of the president
and the official paper, much of the
presidents authority having been, by
the board Of directors, unconstitu-
tionally transferred to the secretary's
office.
To make, sure their purpose, which
was the overthrow of all who OPP
posed or even refused to endorse
their million dollar corporation, they
worked up a strong representation OF
their adherents from the nearby
States of Illinois and Indiana, both of
which are weak in membership COM
pared with that of many outlying
States. 1t will be seen that sixty
four members. in Illinois and forty
= one in Indiana had the power of
voting strength in the convention
that 600 did in Kansas, COL in Ken
lucky, 300 in Michigan, Ais in Min
nesota 427 in North Dakota, 5S1 in
Virginia, and so on, even to 766 in
Ohio.
Ii was apparent very early in the
convention that these States, thus
dominated by the exchange corpora
ton influence, proposed to take adj
vantage of their great preponderance
of representation. Throwing aside
the courtesies usually shown in such
conventions to members from dis
lance, they established themselves
next to and Immediately in front of
the chair, crowding the distant States
to the rear, and thenceforth abso-
lutely dominated the convention, ma
terially changed the constitution, en-
dorsed the so-called exchange idea
with its million dollar corporation.
forfeited, so far as they are con-