Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1908-06-17
GROWTH OF FARMERS UNION.
Its Origin and Its ScOpe-What Its Future
Depends Upon.

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1.-THE Farmers Union in setting
, cut to conserve what it considers
: it's best interests, has proceeded
along eminently safe and sane
lines. It has developed some
rather startling financial projects
which will be mentioned hereafter,
but it has so far done good to
many and harm to none. 1t is
engaged in fight for commercial
gain, and inevitably it has created
enemies, but it has made them
openly and fairly. It has not
alienated public sympathy in any
manner by trampling on the rights
of other men, or by seeking to IN
flict physical or pecunia1y damage
upon anybody. 1t is out for dol
lars, and these dollars cannot lie
owned by two mon or by two sets
of mon at the same time. The
members of the union desire to
possess them, and thus far have
adopted none but legal and legiti-
mate means to obtain them.
| "Their platform, which is broad
and comprehensive, is also al
truistic in the highest degree, 1t
is Justice, Equity and the Golden
,Rule.'
The union, which actually aims
at controlling the cotton output
| of the United States, and is using
all due diligence to reach that
goal, has, so far, lived up to the
tremendous possibilities of it's
platform fairly well. In all the
speeches-and they were many
and long-delivered at the Mem
phis convention not single word
advocating physical violence was
heard. There were no talks of op-
preston, and the speakers as
whole were,temperate and forbear-
ing. One delegate afflicted with
violent socialistic theories at
tempted to air them, but was ill.,
formed that more air could be
found outside the building, and
he was invited to take them and
himself thither.
1.-The union was born in the
brain of a farmer living near a
small town in Texas. It grew
with such rapidity that the mail
received by the organizer fairly
swamped the local post-ofice,
Partly for his own convenience
and partly for the over-worked
postmaster, the protector of the
organization was compelled to re-
move to larger town in order to
deal with the rapidly growing
membership. 1t now has about
one million members, although
some enthusiasts assert that twice
that number of names is on the
rolls.
"The general plan of the union
is the erection of warehouses for
the storing and selling, when the
prices are right of the crops of
the members. The outlay of these
/ establishments has not been so
heavy as might be imagined, for
the reason that many towns, anx-
% to secure the business that
presence of the warehouse
r rings to the community, have
erected a warehouses, and either
presented them to the union or
allow their use free of charge.
The operation of these warehouses
has, in many instances, been in
trusted to men more prominent
because of thegood work they have
done in the union than for their
familiarity with the intricacies of
the cotton trade.
From these warehouses the
stored cotton is sold by sample, at
a fee to the grower of fifty cents
per bale. The selling is carried
on through the Farmers Union
Cotton Company, a corporation
within the union. When no sales
are made no fee is charged the
owner.
"Under the system at present
in use on the Memphis market,
and which will serve as an illus
tration, bale of cotton sold and
delivered in thirty days cost the
grower for union expenses ninety
five cents: sold and delivered in
sixty days, $1.25; in ninety days,
1880. For each subsequent
month the cost is ten cents for in
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