The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-12-19
GROWTH Of FARMER
UNIONS IN STATE
Report of State Organizer
Shows There are Over
1000 in N. c., 600 Hayinu
Been Added Past Year

Following is the interesting annual
report OF the State organizer and lee
turer Of the North Carolina Division
Of the National Farmers Union,
whose State Convention At Wilson ad-
%journed sine die Friday night:
We have chartered aloe local
unions in North Carolina. This is a
gain OF COS local unions since our last
annual meeting.
Twenty county unions have been
organized this year, as follows: Ale
ghany, Gates, Pamlico, BERTHE, Nc
Io"ell, Richmond. Henderson, Hyde,
Jones', Madison, Martin, han
OnsloW, P~asquotank, Pender, Wash
ington, Watauga, Hartford, Avery and
Hoke.
There are fourteen counties which
have. as yet, no county unions. These
are: Brunswick, Camden, Carteret,
ChoWan, CuTrituck, Dare, Jackson,
New Hanover, Perquimans. TransyI-
Tania. Tyrrell, Edgecombe, Mitchell
and Polk.
In a greater portion Of the counties
which have county organizations the
organizing work has not been com
pleted and there is much follow-up
work to be done in territory where
the union has already been planted.
| would Recommend tina in the special
work that is to follow in the organized
counties that it be done at expense
Of the State Union, or under some
kind Of guarantee that will secure
men best fitted, by experience and
qualification, FOR the work, and that
III selecting counties for this special
service those counties that are raising
warehouse funds be given preference,
50 that the special organizer may
visit local unions, explain the ware
house system of marketing intelii-
gently and solicit took for same.
This appears to be the only way to
prevent the reaction and falling off of
membership that will come, and has
already come in some localities, for
lack of constructive business leader
ship and a definite, concrete, tangible
pla of action.
We have reached a period in the
history of the Farmers Union in
North Carolina when we should be
frank with each other and deal with
conditions as they are. While your
State officials have succeeded in push
ing the numerical strength OF the or
g~anization upward they have done
nothing more than any other faithful
set of men, guided by a reasonable
amount Of intelligence, Wotad have
done, and as one of your official fam
lily L would not think OF pointing with
any unusua degree OF pride to re-
suits achieved thus far, but rather to
express regret that we have not laid
the foundation more enduring by fol
lowing out some well defined and
practical constructive business policy.
1t is not difficult to find leadership
that can line up farmers into a class
organization but constructive business
leadership that can hold them To-
gether after they are ana
establish and maintain a markeung
system that means success and per-
manency to the organization, IS not SO
easily found.
Heretofore we have spent much OF
the time Of our conventions discussing
and passing harmless and fruifless
resolutions about parcels post, Sood
roads, good schools, the IOrrenS SyS-
tenn. etc, which the world knows we
all favor, and have also been thrilled
and entertained by some eminent par
tizan politicians who discuss partizan
questions in q n~on-Partizan way Du1
as vet we haven't spent much time
or money in the effort to establish d
marketing warehouse system that Will
take farmers off the streets IN the
humble attitude Of beggaTs Nnere
they cowardly surrender their rlgh,
to put a profitable price upon the
products Of their soil.
Whether we have high tariff, low
tariff or no tariff at all, we, as a
class, can never hope to ENJOY genera
prosperity until we quit peuu.Hs -
products on the streets, seliins Ia
deadly competition with eacn otneI,
giving the purchaser the undenled
and uncontested right to price our
products, regardless of cost OF pro
duction.
Since human nature is the same rs
human beings. whether they own
stock in trusts or whether they pc.
long to independent companies OF act
as individuals, it is disastrous 10 our
business interests to surrender 10 dry
of them the right to arD1IrAiuy -
prices for as. On general principles
it would be ruinous- to the interests
of any seller for the purchaser 10
exercise the right to price the product
of the seller. and. trust or no ,,us,'
WAYS be true as long as the element
of selfishness in human natur con-
tinues to exist