Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-12-17
FARMERS FIGHT lust BEGUN.
Struggle to Bring About Conditions
More Equal to AgrieuIturist Now
Getting q Good Start.

The main question with the men,
bers of the Farmers union being the
method Of quickly and successfully
bringing about Q condition that will
give them a proper price for their sta
pie crops; especially in Texas and the
south cotton, all Incidental questions
that have tendency to bring strength
to the main issue are of interest to
them and demand their close invest-
cation and scrutiny.
Of course the main question along
this line is the total abolition Of deal
ing in speculation cor gambling in fu-
lures" as 1t is called, and therefore
attacks we're made upon the bucket
shop proposition and a signal victory
was won. The next proposition before
the union, Of course, was to kill the
daddy of the bucket shop, the cotton
and grain exchanges.
The arrangements have been made
and the skirmishing has commenced,
to be followed at the regular session
Of congress in December by the join
ing of the antagonists in the general
battle over the terrible varmint that
has so long fattened on the vitals of
the producer and the products Of his
land. In the meantime the union has
investigated other methods Of indu-
cling a rise in the price Of their great
commodity, cotton. Among these was
the manufacturing of all kinds of cot
ton stuffs, such as bagging to cover
their bales of the staple, bags to hold
their seed, and grain, rope to drive
their mules and pillow animals with
and various articles such as Irvine,
etc.
The government, the express COM
panies and the commercial interests
who handle stuff in sacks have been
solicited to make common cause with
the producer of the south'S greatest
money crop and use nothing, so far as
they can, but cotton sacks, etc.
The state, through the legislature
and governor, has been induced by
the union to appropriate several thou
sand dollars for the erection Of cot
ton factory, where the services Of
women and men convicts can be used
successfully in manufacturing such
things as sacks, Irvine, rope and pos
sibly cotton bagging. The purpose of
this is to take of the market all the
lower grades of cotton and thus, by in
creasing the amount of the product to
be sold on the market, aid in advanc-
ing the price of the remainder. All
these things will have tendency to
aid in bringing better prices. The
union also has taken an interest in
the tariff debate that has the floor in
congress, or, rather, the upper end OF
1t.
Mr.. Hatton Summers has been in
Washington until recently, looking out
for the interests Of the Farmers
union, relative to the tariff on jute and
jute bagging, which a majority wish
should be taken of and the product
that supplies the covering for their
cotton be admitted free of duty.
: Whether the producer has shown
sufficient strength in Washington up
to this time to have any real effect on
those lordly barons who shape the
laws in the interests of their clients
and not the people, is a question, but
} should the west and south get to
gether, as it looks they will, and send
to Washington a sufficient delegation
of farmers-real farmers-then the eff
!. feet on the political nerve centers Of
those overlords will produce marvel
) GUS change. The ordinary congress
man and senator have always a high
: appreciation of his political fences
2 and whenever he finds some other pc
litical hog roofing round his fence he
is very apt to change front and rap
idly repair the holes in his fences. Il
appears to The Co-0perator that the
fight has just begun, and what is II
follow on the firing line in the neal
: future will outclass what has passed
S as a cannon does a toy pistol.-Co-Op
: orator.