The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-09


 The Farmers of the national organiza-
 tion listened to the annual address of
 President c. s. Barrett yesterday morn-
 ing, voted a pension of 5000 annually to
 the widow and family of Newt Gresham,
 the founder of the Farmers union; saw
 the Birmingham district on trolley ride
 and enjoyed a barbecue and social gather
 ing at East Lake park.
 President Barretts address was an ap-
 peal to every farmer to get out of debt,
 to conduct everything on business princi-
 ples. and a review of the wonderful ac-
 complishments of the organization.
 The gift to Mrs. Gresham came as 8
 sudden surprise. It was passed unani-
 mously as a memorial of the work of the
 former Alabamian of Lauderdale county,
 who began the movement now represented
 by the largest membership of any organ
 ization in the country.
 President Barrett's Address.
 The address of President Barrett is
 given in full:
 Tt is progress or retrogression,' said
 President Barrett This law applies to the Farmers union, and it is a matter of extreme qualification to me to report that we have not remained stationary for the year just gone
 we were strong in September of 1908. In September of this year we are strong err farther advanced toward our great
 aims and I think with better under standing of those aims.
 But I would not hold as the greatest
 blessing, the most fortunate thing, a
 mere increase in physical bulk The most
 important feature of our growth for the
 past year, the most significant develop
 ment in the history of the Farmers union,
 is the plain fact that we are doing not
 so much talking, but indulging in more
 action. We have ceased saying what we
 are going to do; we are doing. We are
 discovering every day more wildly that
 success does not lie in passing resolutions,
 in fruitless denunciation or in fiery
 speech making, but that 1t does lie in pa- tient plodding labor, in vigilance that
 refuses ever to sleep. In judgment and calm questioning that does not believe the
 honeyed promises of politicians and
 schemers. but that passes them all alike
 under the microscope, that places them
 all in an acid bath to test their sim cerity and genuineness. We are not all of us as yet become methodical. careful bus
 mess men, incapable of being fooled or
 swept off our feet by the enthusiasm of the moment, but we are going in that direction at good speed. and we ara oh nnd
 limit too.
 "In other words, brethren, we ara
 hitching common sense and self-preser- walton of the blow.
 And what I want to stress upon you today-what feel 1t my duty to impress upon you as the result of my service as your president-is that we need more of this practical, loyal. cooperation spirit in the Farmers union.
 "A vast change has come over this or sanization since first became identified with it's fortunes In the beginning, we were largely swayed by emotion, by fa- voritism, by personal liking or dislike for this or that man.
 Every one of you know I am telling the truth when I say that in the old days the man who could put feeling on us' was the man in whom We placed our confidence. If it were politician. he could lead many of us captive by brag- ging on us, calling us the backbone of the country telling how abused we were and promising that he would change 1t all between sun up and sun down if we elected him to office.
 And now, honest, didn't a great many of our people believe that sort of thing? As a matter of fact, don't great many of our people still believe that sort of thing? You know they do. 'But their number Is growing less; they are getting to be from Missouri when | ever a politician comes around with su- l gar on his tongue and tears in his voice. | They are coming to demand action in- 1 stead of words And the day cannot come l too soon, for our own good. when every l single one of us will abide by this stand l ard.
 A Fair Price for Staples. Speaking of business methods leads me on to the necessity of the policies with which we are endeavoring to secure a ! fair price for our commodities. You will remember that few months ago I called meeting of wheat and grain growers | at Springfield. Mo, to consider means of introducing method and profit in the marketing of these great crops At that time wheat had been made the subject of speculation by one of the greatest | gamblers of the present century. He had driven the price up, and up. and up, l until it was enough to make the average wheat grower 90 wild with joy, except | when he found out that these tremendous Drlces didn't do him personally bit q