East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-09-13
Texas Has
Plan For
Mutual Aid
Farmers Cooperation Urged as Soiu-
ticn OF Rural Problems

FORT WORTH, TeNas.-Never ia
modern history has there been so
many movements organized in the
United states TO help the farmer "a
at present and there are many cure
alls" with free samples for every i'll
that besets agriculture. No farmer
should put out a NO Help Wanted"
sign but II is important that he en-
ploy only the kind of help he needs.
A great many people appear to be-
licve that because farmer pulls off
his coat when he thinks that he is
not capable OF understanding his prob
lens. Men can sit in libraries en-
tirely surrounded by books and papers
and concoct schemes to cover the val
ley with grain fields and the hills with
flocks and herds and honestly believe
they can make the farmer enough
wealth TO ransom a king but the far
mer knows better than TO exchange
magic for common sense. Men skill
ed in trading may feel capable of in
structing the farmer in the art of
cheating nature but the farmer knows
that Mother Earth will not be de-
ceived. The problems OF agriculture
are as serious as the multiplication ta-
Bile and they cannot be solved by ag
ricultural magicians making miracles
to order or by seeking marketing
through faith hope and charity 1t is
a cold business proposition.
The farmer can only be helped
through common sense and cooper
alton The farmer is able to get
l.. T..
way in the market places and it is
there he most needs assistance.
To Many Organizations.
There are too many agricultural as
sociations. The mania for organiZa-
ton is causing confusion of effort and
wasting of energy. Everybody in
Guiding the government wants to or
ganize the farmers and If the farmer
joined all the associations. read their
literature and attended their ordin-
ances, he would have no time to plow.
II is passing strange that our state
legislatures will appropriate thousands
of dollars, much of 1t to be used in
organizing agricultural associations in
Localities where the farmers are al
ready thoroughly organized and oft
times business mems associations
send out emissaries to organize the
farmer and at best they can only hope
to duplicate existing organizations. The
farmer does not need organization as
much as cooperation and plans
should be formulated by which the
government can effectively cooperate
with the associations which the far
snould cooperate in their efforts with
:eguiur farmers organizations.
Governmental Cooperation.
The recent appropriation of $780,
coo by the federal government for
marketing. followed by an appropri-
alton of $4,000 by the Texas legisla-
ture, and with other states giving con-
sideration to marketing problems, rem
ders an imperative necessity for or
ganization among the farmers. The
farmer can produce without organi-
zation, but to successfully market, he
must unite with his neighb,r. Our
governments. both state and national,
are now brought face to face with the
problems OF agricultural organization
in order to deal successfully with the
marketing problem.
The National Farmers Union is the
most powerful organization on the
western hemisphere and 1t has taken
half century of effort and hundreds
of thousands OF dollars to build up the
| farmers to their present degree of or
ganized efficiency. This powerful ma
chinery already in operation should
be utilized by the government in their
marketing plans and all local unions
should be willing to cooperate with
governmental agencies in solving the
market problems.