Arizona republican., 1910-01-29
Farmers Easily Earned.

farmers permit themselves to be
 Harmed" by designing politicians
 could not have been more aptly dem-
 at a meeting at the Murphy school
 house in which The Republican was
 condemned for publishing an editorial Thursday under the title: "Arrayng
 the Farmer Against the Town" The
 farmers who adopted the resolution of
 course took the advice of Phoenix
 enemies of this paper-the advice of
 men who do not like it because their
 scheme to drive the ranchers into a
 corral was noticed by The Repub-
 lican.
 As matter of fact, the editorial referred to did not either in word or
 spirit. oppose the formation of an organization by the ranchers. The object of the editorial-and we think it was fairly clear English-was to warn the ranchers against the dan ger of permitting their organization to fall under the control of one or two men-let us say two-whose rec ords do not warrant any suspicion that they ever act from any unselfish motive: and to warn the ranchers against the damage which will surely ensue if the notion is spread abroad D that the ranchers of the Salt River valley are robbed by the business men of Phoenix and are a class of down -trodden serfs
 The ranchers of the valley are gen orally prosperous. They will be on the high road to affluence as soon as water for irrigation is furnished by the Roosevelt reservoir-which will be this year.
 Ranch lands are in ready demand at good figures.
 But there is no surer way to stop abruptly and absolutely the sale of ranch lands than to permit a bunch of agitators to get in control of a ranchers' organization and preach the doctrine that the ranchers here are somebody vaguely described as "the middleman."
 About twenty years ago. when the country was at the flood tide of pros- perity under Harrison, there existed in Kansas and in other states farm | CTS organization. started with the most commendable purposes. Self promoting agitators got in control, | and began to preach to the farmers that they were the most unfortunate | and down. trodden people on earth. There happened 8 partial failure of crops, and this gave the calamity | bowlers full swing They gained ab- solute control of the organization, and had themselves elected to sundry of- fees Others succeeded in gaining circulation temporarily for demagogue newspapers
 But what of the farmer himself? He found that the apostles of the calamity howl had created the belief abroad that Kansas was next door to the poorhouse. Kansas farms could not be sold at any price; and it is an actual fact that in some sections it was difficult to give them away. Today Kansas is the most prosperous state in the Union. The calamity howler is forgotten.
 As we suggested the other day. a farmers organization, or a farmers union. may be of great benefit to the ranchers if it is officered by ranchers who are not the tools of designing men, and if it is operated on sane lines
 The Salt River Valley Water Users association is splendid object lesson as to the value of a farmers organ ization when conducted by farmers and for their mutual welfare The melon growers associations and the orange growers associations are still further illustrative of the value of 
 such organizations. and the proposed organization of dairymen is promising of good results This is the era of organized effort Farmers would be behind the times if they failed to rec ognize the economic value of co-op- { eration. The one thing that should ' be kept in view is the necessity of , tying can" to selfish agitators and . demagogues-a duty the farmer so I often fails to perform.
 It is a notorious fact that the farm CT. the world over. is one of the most . suspicious men on earth. and at the . same time the most easily worked" . He is. as a rule. suspicious of any I man or publication that ventures to $ suggest that he act with caution and f he takes to his arms the bunco T steerer who pats him on the back and ( yours tale of affection into his C ears. f