The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-11
FARMERS UNION
Meet IA Convention at St. Louis to Dis
euss General Matters
". ]. BRYAN WILL SPEAK

The Assembly Represents Millions OF
American Producers.-Preside
Barrett Sounds High Note for the
PlanterS.-Farmers Should Com
mand and No. Beg.
The joint convention Of the Far
mers' Educational and Cooperative
Union Of America. the American So
cietv OF Equity and 400 subsidiary
organizations opened in st. Louis on
Monday morning.
Ninety addresses are on the pro-
gram. which concludes Saturday
night. with an address by ". J.
sryan. Samuel Gompers. president
Of the American Federation Of La
Dor. spoke Monday afternoon and
outlined his plans for bringing about
new political party through an af-
tliat;on OF the farmers with the la
boring men.
President Barrett in opening the
| meeting made an excellent speeck
He began his speech BY saying tha;
as the Representative OF 100000
militant American farmers. whose
organized army rests one flank upon
the Atlantic and the other upon the
Pacific ocean. j give 10 you cor
dial greeting. which shall know no
boundaries OF State or section. no
narrowness or political partisanship
or bigotry. but tolerance as broad
as justice and as wide as that sim
cerity that underlies our common
heritace OF American citizenship"
Among other things he said: the
| American farmer OF tradition has
ueen the farmer Of the more Of less
humorous cartoon or car!cature. var
iously represented IS fair prey to
.he green goods man or the gold
brick artist. And the farmer has
heen slow in awakening. His en-
vironment. IN the frst place. was
AGAINST his awakening. The tardi-
ness OF facilities for communication.
the infrequeacy with which news
papers penetrated 20 the far rural
districts. and the natural suspicion.
which is part Of his Temperament;
al! initiated to keep him in shackles
as 10 his own power. and his duty
Of self-government 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
obligation OF duty to country Is al
ready dawning, ! do not say that
the farmer as class is reused to his
national importance and TO his no,
,ional obligations. But do assert
with all the emphasis at my com
mand. and supported by all the e1.
oerience Of lifetime. that the learer
or readjustment OF revolutionary
change is stirring throughout the
mass Of the American farmer"
| After stating that vandalism and
graft are being eliminated from oui
political life. the speaker said: I'VE
are standing more resoluteIy each
day for literal Interpretation o!
the doctrine Of the square deal.' We
are determined that the people and
not the politicians shall rule. The
Farmers union is responsible both
for the awakened farmer and the
awakened nation, as regards The far
mer
Pleading for sincere. constructive
leadership among the farmers. Presi-
dent Barrett said in the degree tina:
this pervails. now aud in the days
to come. I'VE shall solve the agricul-
,ural problems perplexing the best
and most consecrated thought OF this
country" He said the selfish leader
ship IS inevitable incendiary and de-
structive. For it is almost crimi-
rally selfish aims it Is willing TO turn
the farmer against his nctghbo!
against his merchant. against the
banker. against the resident OF the
city. 1t is ledership for revenue on
;y. without one redeeming aspiration.
"A distinct part OF the rural prob
lem is the cultivation OF better and
a more cooperative spirit between the
city man and the country man. AZ
t"- all. they kave almost everything
| in common. We are both interested
in the curoing and purging. not the
destruction. Of great agencies OF CIV
ilization. We are Goth interested In
building up more staunch AneFi-
! can citizenship. free OF pollution from
.:ama,ing alien strains. bred and
brought up to fclhll the ideal Of pure
and militant Americanism. And un-
less we realize this close mutual re-
!ations We shall both suffer
| Speaking Of the campaign OF the
: Farmers union for the enactment Of
| certain national legislation. Mr.. Bar
| rett said: Politicians in general
have paid and are paying more at
tention 10 the farmer. and that is be-
cause the farmer is paving more at
tention 10 the politician. Once let
the public officer conceive the idea
that ne is being watched continually
bv his constituent. and that the lat
ter is carefully comparing promise
with performance. and We shall e'e-
vate the standard Of public service
in this country.
Il have urged upon Farmers un-
ion members 20 refuse to let their
attitude toward their congressman
be colored by any trivial gifts on the
par, OF ;-he congressman. the bribery
OF petty Office for relative. or
cordial hanshake from the great man