The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-12-15


and best business men in the coun-
try, and again have seen you choose
some Of the biggest hypocrites and
grandest rascals.
Many Of the men you have elected
to office in the past have thanked you
heartily for the honor, then gone on
home and forgot absolutely about
your business.
Many times [ have seen you elect
officers amid scenes of the widest
enthusiasm, the singing of songs, the
shaking Of hands, and the pledge of
your everlasting support-then you
would hardly hitch the horse UP at
home before you would begin to put
the same officers out Of commission
Either by neglecting them, or ig-.
noring their orders or believing COS
sip you heard about them, you have
put out of business the majority of
men elected to office in this organiza-
ton. The main reason [ am hopeful
is that you are gradually stopping the
practice, and now [ am sitting up
with you to put the brakes on still
more.
Just let some fellow, for his own
reasons, intimate that there is some
thing dead up the branch, and i'm
mediately you can see a thousand
dead animals come floating down.
You couldn't be induced to go up
and see if Their really was anything
dead. You knew it was so anyhow,
because you Joined looking for some
thing Of the kind and we're not salts
fled until it happened or until you
thought it happened
The thing to do is to elect a man
to office upon his record and his
ability, instead of his knack of Jolly
ing you and asking after Nancy and
the kids and wading through bitches
to shake your hand. Once you get
good man in, give him a fair and
square showing before you begin
complaining. | don't mean by fair
and square showing to stop watch
ing him, but not to nail him the first
little mistake he makes and join the
yelping crew at his back if his record
is otherwise good. The trouble is,
too often in the past, you threw
stumbling blocks in the way of your
officers at the first opportunity, and
some OF you have not been slow to
make the opportunity.
1t is more difficult to fill an office
in the Farmers Union than in anv
other organization, Farmers have
been ridden SO often by pretended
friends until they have their doubts
about almost anybody and everybody.
1T is also impossible for an official in
farmers organization not to make
mistakes, for most of them assume
office believing they know everything
about the farmer get off their guard
and have thunder smashed out of
them.
Many officials have become failures
because they honestly believed the
farmer would do everything he said
he would. Continued sad awaken
lngs have wrecked the health of MANY
an otherwise good leader.
DO not bounce a man out of Office
the minute he makes some small mis-
take that is not Of serious import to
the organization. Give him another
trial. / have known any number of
good leaders to be lost to the assoc
citation because they found they had
underestimate the man they thought
they knew, got discouraged, cult try
ing and got out of office
| wish you would make an earnest
effort to try and distinguish between
the false and the true in the men
aspiring to leadership. I realize this
is going to be hard, for the habit is
still strong to prefer some old hypo-