Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-02-10
Tells HOW FARMERS CAN
MAKE AMERICA GREATER
President Barrett Draws Com
parison With Conditions
On Irish Farms

ONION CIIIs 0d.s reO os-ACSSOAAS
learned from the work OF Sir Horac'
Plunkett. the great English farmer, IL
Ireland, and what the American farmer
can do, are detailed In an interesting
statement issued by President Charles
Barrett, of the National Farmers union
The statement follows:
To the Officers and Members Of thu
Farmers Union:
During my recent stay in washington
In connection with legislation demanded
by the Farmers union, 1t was my priv
ilege to meet Sir Horace Plunkett, whC
Is one OF the most remarkable PERSONAL
ties in the old world.
He has done and is doing in IRELAND
the work that the Farmers union Is at
tempting to do in America. save tina
his efforts have had several years star
Of those of our organization.
In Ireland conditions as regards ten
ancy are, Of course, infinitely more dis
couraging than In this country. Th'
poverty of the Irish peasant and the des
perate struggle he has had to keep hi
head even fairly above water, combine
to form one of the epics of history.
The harshness of conditions in the
Emerald Isle do not need to be elabo
rated when we consider that 1t has oper
ated to drive so large a proportion o.
the native population into other coun
tries, notably into our own. In IrelanC
only one person in 70 is land owner
and even that showing is considerably
amended for the worse as one grow.
familiar with the restriction Of lan(
owning in that country.
Sir George Plunkett began his tasl
in most forboding Of environments. H,
had to DO IN the first place with {
people that had lost some OF, the mos
vital elements of its population to Other
countries. 1t was a people discouraged
by the long, arduous and often hope
less battle with industrial and politica
circumstances.
AMERICAN RESOURCES.
We In America have almost infinite
resources In the range of soil and eli.
mate. But within the narrow bounda,
ries OF the Emerald Isle the agriculture
gamut Is necessarily limited, and ther
limited again by the Tightening Gordon
of landlordism.
IT was in the face of this unpromis.
ing condition and with the formidable
Job of combating the customs and ira
ditions of centuries that Sir Horace
commenced his first campaign to arouse
concentrate and organize the Irish far
mer.
He has succeeded in degree that chal-
lenges admiration. We do not mean
to say, nor would he claim himself, to
have been the savior of Ireland, Noun
taionous reforms, agricultural and indus
trial, remain yet to be accomplished Blu,
he has sown scientific agriculture, bust
ness agriculture, cooperation. co-ordina-
ton and the gospel of hope and work
and education, so indefatigably as to
mitigate the lot OF the Irish and turn
his face once more towards the east.
knew these things when I met him
In Washington few weeks ago and 1t
was, therefore, with lively interest thar
listened to his conversation with me
and with other members of your legisla-
tive committee.
The most striking feature OF his state
ments was this: that he had experienced
very largely the same difficulties in work
ing for the uplift of the Irish farmer
that we have experienced In working for
the uplift tof the American. farmer. He
told us that even where inherited sub
mission played a controlling part in the
national temperament, 1t was a matter OF
tremendous difficulty to secure co-opera-
ton. The Irish farmer was 10th to give
up even the measure Of fancied indie
pendence ne possessed and pool his eff
forts for the common good. AS in Amer
Tea, he was given to criticising his lead
ers. He was prone to dissension. He
lent his ear to demagogic whisperings.
He was slow to see the absolute neces-
sity Of patronizing HIS own enterprises
and OF securing the right kind of men
to run them in order to work his way
out to genuine independence.
OBSTACLES IN PATH.
The most casual thinker among our
members will at once recognize the same
- -, IL,
American farmers. Check off the items
one by one and you will find very similar
conditions prevailing in both cases. The
situation Is complicated by the fact that
the American farmer is even more indie
pendent than the Irish farm and his
greater isolation has operated to make
him more suspicious than the other. ]
cite this parallel and these facts that we
may fully realize the size of the task
ahead of US If we are to achieve ulti-
mate triumph. / have said again and
again that IN order to readjust the bal
ance in this country and to win for the
farmer what is his due, the individual
must be prepared to forfeit a half of
common welfare. 1t is only as he pays
this price that we shall realize the pur-
poses of the organization.
The task in America is, Of course, IN
comparably larger than that in Ireland
by reason of the size of our country, the
diversity Of interests and the cast-of-
many-colors population produced by I'M
restricted American immigration.
We have made vast progress and will
win I'm the long run. 1t is just rs well
not to underestimate the size Of the I'M
dertalzing and to realize what each man
must contribute.