The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1911-05-20
WHAT TT HAS DONE
GREAT AND GOOD WORK DONE
BY THE FARMERS UNION.
President Barrett Points Out What
This Grand Organization Has
Done for the Farmer.

Done for the Farmer.
To the Officers and Members of the
Farmers Union:
A new epoch was written in Amer
lean history when the Farmers I'm
ion became a truly national organi-
Hhtion. Other associations of far
mers had preceded it. But they
had fallen by the sword of partisan
politics or had failed to hitch en-
thusiasm to tbe harvest-so they
| fell.
7 speak advisedly when I say that
the Farmers Union is the first Or
eanization in history to successfully
join theory with practice, to begin
the movement of wedding the poll
ticians from the innermost councils
of the farmer, and to impress upon
the latter that the improvement of
HI; lot rests not in the hands of some
tar-off "uplifter" or hy-by-night re-
former, but with himself.
Today the world asks less for rhet-
oric and more for results. This is a
very slight summary of what we have
accomplished together with state
ment of what we yet hope, with the
aid of the Almighty and our own
courage, to accomplish:
We have 1928 warehouses, main
ly for storing cotton. Mississippi
leads the warehouse movement, with
million-dollar corporation.
We own and operate large num-
ber of elevators and terminal agenc-
is for the handling of grain.
We own and operate 245 packing
houses.
We own and operate dozens of
newspapers.
We own and operate coal mines.
We own and operate several banks,
-four mills, creameries, pickle fac
tories, several hundred stores, an i'm
plement factory, phosphate plant,
a phosphate mine.
We own and operate tobacco fac
tories and warehouses, produce eX-
changes, fertilizer factories, peanut
warehouses, peanut recleaner,
many cotton grading schools, COOP
erative life and fire insurance COM
panies.
Any number OF other general busi-
ness agencies are owned or controlled
by members of the Farmers Union.
In this connection, 1t must not be
forgotten that the Union does not Of
fcially own these concerns. We
are not a close corporation. In every
instance, ownership or control rests
in individual members, consorting to-
gether for their own benefit. That
is the true spirit Of cooperation.
Before this order was organized,
statistics showed that 70 per cent. OF
the farmers in the South were
blighted with the curse of the mort
gage. We have cut down the per-
centage by one-half, and our work in
that direction has hardly begun.
The influence of the Farmers Un-
ion is written upon many of the best
laws put in recent years upon state
and national statute books.
In many states we have secured
radical increases in public school
appropriations. In many Of the
states the Farmers Union has been
instrumental in the establishment OF
agricultural colleges.
Other important legislation, state
and national, now pending, is an in
dication of the resistless influence OF
the organization among American
farmers. We have made systematic
canvasses of the various legislatures,
and of several successive sessions OF
congresses. There is new view
point in Washington toward the
American farmer-and the might of
the Farmers Union, demonstrated in
elections, is responsible for it.
These achievements are the out
ward sign H a great new movement
in American agriculture. But they
are not comparahly important to the
spirit of fraternity which we have
wrought up among the farmers OF
this nation. 1t is fraternity, appeal
ing to intelligence, that has wrought
this progress. And the same force
will develop in a thousand unex-
pected directions to solve the prob
lens of the American farmer.
Notable among the triumphs OF
the organization is that one which
has brought a social awakening
among the farmers. In many states
it has brought thousands Of white
women and children out of the cotton
fields into the schools and the homes
where they belom?. Had it done
nothing else, the existence thus far
of the Farmers Union would have
been justified by this transformation
/ that is merely in its beginning.
| l cite these facts as the basis OF
an argument that now is the time
| for every American farmer to aftll-
late with this organization.
! 1t has passed the stage Of expert
ment. 1t is an assured. an achiev,
! ing, permanent institution. Every
farmer. however small, who joins it
increases his own power by the or
ganized might of his three million
! brethren.
If we have saved many millions fol