The Green Forest tribune., 1910-12-23
ALL ORGANIZATIONS IN ONE
Society of Equity Proposes Consolida- tion of All Farmers Asso.
 citations in One Body.

Steps toward big merger of far mers organizations were taken the other day by the American Society of Equity in convention at Indianapolis. committee was appointed to confer concerning propositions to consoli- date with the National Grange, or the Patrons of Husbandry and the Farmers Educational and Co-opera- tive Union
 The National Grange was in con vention at Atlantic City, and the con- vention of the American Society of Equity sent telegram to the other convention announcing the appoint ment of standing committee to work for the consolidation of all far mers' organizations The standing committee from the Society of Equity is composed of A. Slaughter of Wis consin; s. T. Carmody of Illinois, and $. 5. Robertson of Kentucky. The National Grange was i-sked to ap- point a similar committee to confer on the matter of consolidation. The National Grange is an old organiZa- tion and has a membership of thous- ands of farmers ill all parts of the United States. Many of it's members are in favor of the proposed merger.
 Joint committees from the Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union and the American Society of Equity met last May and reached plan for consolidating the organizations. Tbe latter society has not yet taken for nal action on this plan, which is now being discussed.
 Greetings to the American Fedora tion of Labor, in session at St. Louis. were telegraphed by the convention. A fraternal delegation was appointed by the American Society of Equity to attend the session of the American Federation of Labor and extend to it assurances of friendly feeling.
 There was a discussion by the dele gates on the general form of business in which the society proposes to en- gage for the benefit of the producers, but no decision was reached The dis cussion was led by Delegate Woods of Ohio. Among those who spoke was w. l.. Whitson of Kentucky.
 According to a financial report made to the convention, there has been a 60 per cent. reduction in the cost of operating the national offices since last May, corresponding with the same period last year, and a reduc- tion of 30 per cent in the cost of op- erating the Equity Farm Journal, of which T. G. Nelson is editor.
 In an address before the society the Rev. MT. Tuohy advocated a CO., operative movement by the farmers in the direct sale of their products to the consumers and in abolishing the profits of the mddlemen. Father Tuohy is the general secretary of the American Cooperative Union and is considered an expert on the subject of cooperative business.
 The cooperative store idea as ad vocated by the speaker and by the American Society of Equity has only to do with the products raised on farms, and does not take into con sideration the manufactured articles handled in stores.
 Father Tuohy said he did not be, lieye in the commission scheme of handling products. In his opinion the commission business should be done away with entirely, and farmers should unite to sell their products di- rectly to the consumers through their own agents. The commission system dissipates profits, he said, and tends to create private wealth among the producers and their patrons Father Tuohy told of the result of some of his investigations of the cooperative system as it is operated in Europe. A committee on plans for handling the farmers business was appointed as follows: William Renike, Bow ling Green, Ky, and J. M. Anderson of Casselton, Wis. The constitution and bylaws committee is as follows: Joseph Butler, Covington, Ky; J. H. Carnahan, Black River Falls, Wis; J. M Christmas, c. V. Pierson, Cassel- | ton, N M, and Bert Cole Campbell, Minn H. G. Tank, of Marathon, Wis. is chairman of the credentials com mittee.