Arizona republican., 1910-01-27
Arraying the Farmer Against the
 Town.

A movement IS on foot to organize the ranchers of the Salt River valley into a farmers union" One or two meetings have been held, and pre- liminary steps taken.
 At the only meeting whose proceed ings have been reported the principal, if not the only, speakers appear to have been gentlemen from Phoenix. The remarks of at least one of these speakers are worth attention. We read,
 The president called upon our jovial Dr. John w. Foss to address the meeting. The doctor brought forcibly before the minds of the audi ence the importance of a general farmers organization, illustrating by relation of facts and figures, that the unorganized farmer was at all times the helpless prey of the middlemen."
 Dr. Foss, of course, had in mind concrete examples, and perhaps he stated them in detail, although the report of his address does not show lHe ldCt- we are tiieieioiS itAt iii unfortunate ignorance of the details, of remarkable situation-conditions which we had not suspected.
 The products which the ranchers ot the valley sell to "middlemen" in town are: Alfalfa; wheat: barley; milk; butter; eggs; strawberries. and other fruits.
 Does the town buyer of alfalfa rob the rancher?
 Does the town buyer of wheat rob the rancher?
 Does the town buyer of barley rob the rancher?
 Do the creameries and other buy CTS of milk rob the rancher?
 Do our grocers and other buyers of butter, and eggs rob the rancher?
 Do the buyers of small fruits rob the rancheF?
 Is fl true that the 'rancher is the helpless prey or any other form of prey of the 'middleman"?
 If there are business men in Phce- nix engaged in robbing the rahcher let us have the names of these men. General charges against the whole business community of Phoenix ought not to be made. If there are specific cases they should be brought to light.
 It has been our understanding that the ranchers are the most prosperous people in the valley, and that t-eir percentage of profit on the average is greater than the profit of the busi- ness man in Phoenix.
 No greater harm can be done to a community than the needless array ing of one class against another.
 We have no doubt that Dr. Foss nied him from Phoenix were acting | in good faith. But Dr. Foss and his l associates. and the ranchers especial | ly. should remember that there are professional reformers who are al- ways ready to farm the farmer" | The ranchers will do well to avoid | politicians and all others whose rec ords justify the suspicion that they | may have personal axes to grind. If | farmers union" is organized the I ranchers should see to it that it is i officered by farmers and not by pro- fessional reformers A farmers organization for the gen. eral good of the valley, and operated | by the farmers themselves, suggests possibilities of good. But the long l record of farmers organizations in various sections of the country is so | full of instances in which the or ganizations were captured by glad handlers" with selfish purposes to serve that the ranchers of this valley should see to it that they do their own thinking, and that any organiza ton which they go into is managed by them for their own interest.