Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-02
POWER OF FARMERS
Theme of Address by Head OF
National Union.
AWAKENING WAS SLOW

ST. LOUIS, May 2.-Presdent Charles
S. Barrett Of Union City. Ga, delivered
the annual address at the rally OF the Ma
tional Farmers Union held here today.
President Barrett began his address by
saying:
LAS the representative OF 100000 mill
tant American farmers. whose organized
army rests one flank upon the Atlantic
and the other upon the Pacific ocean, l
give to you cordial greeting which shall
know no boundaries Of state or section,
no narrowness or political craftsmanship
or bigotry, but q tolerance as broad as
underlies our common heritage OF Amert-
can citizenship.
For first We are Americans. After
that we are farmers! And 1t Is as
Americans that We greet you in good
the dawning of that day when the most
distinguished men of our nation pay
homage to the might and the problems
Of the long-neglected farmers.
Some Of the Problems.
Without let or hindrance. suppression
or censorship, we shall discuss the prob
lens that affect the feeders and clothers
Of the people-save only that in our de-
liberations we shall avoid those topics
sion of partisan politics. AS the ul-
innate analysis, let us not forget that
the partisan or personal element In poll
tics or craftsmanship is transient and
principle. And 1t is lasting principles
that we shall debate, free Of the en-
barrasment of that acrimony invariably
attending the complication Of short-lived
political platforms or their authors.
The farmer has been slow In awaken
ing. His environment, in the first place,
was against his awakening. The hardness
OF facilities for communication, the in
frequency with which newspapers pene-
trated to the far rural districts and the
natural suspicion which is a part Of his
temperament all initiated to keep him in
shackles as to his own power, and his
duty OF self-gOvernment I'm the premises.
The era of sleep Is at an end! The era
Of wakefulness to self-duty. to the obi
cation of self-help. to the obligation Of
duty to country. Is already dawning.
do not say that the farmer, as a class. is
reused to his national importance and
to his national obligations. But do as
sert. with all the emphasis at my COM
mand, and supported by all the expert
ence Of a lifetime. that the leaven or re-
adjustment of revolutionary change Is
American farmer"
Favor the Square Deal"
After stating that vandalism and
graft were being eliminated from our
political life. the speaker said: I'VE
are standing more resolutely each day
for literal Interpretation Of the doc
trine of the square deal. We are de-
termtned that the people and not the
politicians, shall rule.
Our principles and our way Of ap-
plying them must be sound, for we
have increased from less than $4,000
membership six years ago to q member
ship today Of 1900, 900. Throughout the
southern states we are Well organized.
In the middle west We are formally
organized and our numbers are rapidly
growing. This year we have perfected
organizations in several Of the west
shall soon invade New England.
I'm the south we have succeeded In OBJ
tanning for the farmer q reasonable price
for his backbone staple. cotton. That
means we have ministered to every
phase of southern commerce, that we
have laid every sOutherner under obliga-
tons to US. for cotton Is the financial
barometer Of the southern states. In the
middle west we are recording Roadway
in handling. In q scientific and equitable
manner. wheat and corn. In the far
0ystematixing Of the fruit industry and
OF general agricultural products.
"A distinct part OF the rural problem
II the cultivation Of q better and q more
cooperative spirit between the city man
and the countryman. After all. they
have almost everything in common. We
are both interested in the curbing and
purE1ng. not the destruction. Of great
agencies of civilization. We are both in
terested In building up q more stanch
American citizenship. free Of pollution