The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-09-24


in Texas in 1902. It gave. the reason
for its existence as follows:
Spectators and those engaged in
the distribution Of farm products
have organized and operate to the
great detriment of the farming class.
To enable farmers to meet these
conditions and protect their interest,
we have organized the Farmers Edu-
cational and COOPERATIVE Union of
America, and declare the following
purposes:
To establish justice.
To secure equity,
To apply the Golden Rule.
To discourage the credit and mort
gage system.
To assist our members in buying
and selling.
To educate the agricultural class
in scientific farming.
To teach farmers the classification
of crops. domestic economy and the
process of marketing.
To systematic methods of produc-
ton and distribution.
To eliminate gambling in farm
products by boards of trade, grain
S@ASAAe1A6CS anu OL1SI Sp0CuldtOI
To bring farmers up to the stand
ard of other industries and business
enterprises.
To secure and maintain profitable
and uniform prices for grain, live
stock and other products of the farm.
The order is nonpartisan, semi
secret one and has maintained it's
position as a business organization.
The power is in the membership,
the order being governed by the in
itiative, referendum and recall.
| The organization as such owns
nothing, but is purely fraternal, the
institutions known as Farmers Unions
concerns being owned by those men,
bers who desire to invest in them.
The principle that capital and pa
tronase are equal factors in cusi-
ness and should therefore share in
| the profits is adhered to, hence the
| union man who has the money. to
| invest is benefited by these institu-
tons by realizing on his patronage.
The order Is organized in twenty
| nine states of the union and has a
| membership of 100000.
While persons over the age of six
| teen years, of good moral character,
and either farmers, farm laborers,
| country mechanics, teachers or min
| ers, and those not engaged in bust
ness injurious to agricultural inter-
ests and not connected with any trust
! Or combine, are eligible to member
| ship. Women pay no fee or dues.
Organizations may be formed with
five male members, but fifteen mem
I "a ~
ganization.
County organizations may be
formed where there are five or mere
locals in the county. =. $3.50
| State organizations may be- char
tered when the state has 5000 menu
bers.. .~ 81.
The. following resume of the ac-
complishments in the several states
is conservative and authentic: :
Alabama has materially reduced
the cost to the members on fertiliz-
ers, flour. shoes, dry goods, grocer
les, stoves, wagons; ETC., BY purchas-
ing. in large quantities direct from
manufacturers. $780,: ..-..
1t has already successfully handled
produce when offered in a market
able shape. ALL of this being done
through the Farmers Union: Produce
Exchanges. at Birmingham and Mo-
bile with the active corporation of
the farmers warehouses.
Arkansas has ninety-eight cotton
warehouses, about the same number
of gins and cotton-seed houses, and
many stores, some of them which are
large enough to command the great
est commercial respect; the most i'm.
portant one is at Jonesboro, with
an actual capital Of 100000, carry.
ing every class of goods, (which are
sold to members at an actual profit
of 10 per cent above all COST
1t has q large timber interest, sell:
ing extensively to western states,
few flour mills, the chief one located
at Waldron, having connectd with i
a grist mill, a. seed house and cottor
gins. 49," " =.
Quite number of fruit enterprise
are conducted. The sales through tn
central office, Of three counties alon
have gone as high as 100000 in
season.
The cotton warehouses have mad
many sales of cotton from the ware
houses, in lots of fifty to sixteen hun
dred bales.
Arkansas also has union banks an
the majority of the other banks o
the state are favorable to loans o:
! union cotton. This state was one O
! the founders of: the successfully con
Quoted cotton company at Memphis
Tenn.
California has numerous union en-
terprises.': The California Farmer.
Union, incorporated, of Fresno, wit
a capital of $250,00O, the stock he'll
only by members Of the Farmer:
Union, acts as the buying and seIlin
head for fourteen local. corporation
in the Santa Clara and San Joaquin
Valleys, and is rapidly extending II
, business. and will eventually do tn
business Of the entire membership
|sCalifornia ~
The local interpretations own tn
warehouses and fruit packing plant
while the central body does the sci
ing and buying for all.
: The members Of the Farmers Ur
ion contract their fruit and raisir
to the company, they are packed i