The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-05-05

the problems that affect the feeders
and clothers of the people-save only
that in our deliberations we shall
avoid those topics that refer TO the
hysteria- or the passion of partisan
politics. AS the ultimate analysis,
let us not forget that the partisan or
personnel element in politics or
craftsmanship is transient and pass
ing. That which abdes always is
principle. And it is lasting principles
that we shall debate, free of the en-
barrassment of that acrimony invar-
ably attending the complication of
short lived political platforms or their
authors"
Mr. Barrett said: "The American
farmer of tradition, has been the far
mer of the more or less humorous
cartoon or caricature, variously rep
resented as fair prey to the green
goods man or the gold brick artist.
And" he continued, "the farmer
has been slow in awakening. His
environment, in the first place, was
against his awakening The hardness
of facilities for communication, the
infrequency with which newspapers
penetrated 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 govern
ment in the premises.
THE era of sleep Is at an end!
The era of wakefulness to self-duty, to
the obligation of self help, to the OBJ
legation of duty to country is already
dawning! | do not say that the far
mer as class, is reused to his ma
tional Importance and to his national
obligations. But l do assert with all
the emphasis at my command and
supported by all the experience of a
life time, that the leaven of read
justment, of revolutionary change, is
stirring throughout the mass of the
American Farmer"
After stating that vandalism and
graft are being eliminated from our
political life, the speaker said: I'VE
are standing more resolutely each
day for literal Interpretation of the
doctrine of 'square-deal.' We are de-
termined that the people and not poll
ticians shall rule
He said The Farmers Union is
responsible both for the awakened
farmer and the awakened nation, as
regards the farmer.
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 a men,
bership today rising 100000.
Throughout the Southern states we
are we'll organized. In the middle
west we are formally organized and
our numbers are rapidly growing.
This year We have perfected organi-
cations in several of the western and
Pacific slope states, and we shall soon
invade New England.
In the South we have succeeded in
obtaining for the farmer a 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 obligations to us, for cotton is
the financial barometer of the south
ern states In the middle west, we
are recording Roadway in handling,
in scientific and equitable manner,
wheat and corn. In the far west, we
are accomplishing results in the sys-
tematizing of the fruit industry, and
Of general agricultural products.
The financial success of our pro
gram is important, but it is exceeded
by our moral and intellectual progress
and evolution. Through our national
state and local organizations, we
have been persistently preaching
agriculture, diversified agri-
culture, conservation of soil resources,
rotation of crops.
Our warehouse system in the
south, our warehouse and co-opera-
live business enterprises throughout
the middle and far west, are revolu-
tionizng the viewpoint of the far
mer."
Pleading for sincere, constructive
among the farmers, Presi-
dent Barrett said in the degree that
this prevails. now and in the days to
come, I'VE shall solve the agricul-
-ural problems perplexing the best
and most consecrated thought of this
He said that selfish leadership is in
evitably incendiary and destructive.
For its almost criminally-selffish