The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-09-05
Too Many Agricultural Association:

Croker, ]. S. Dominick.
Too Many Agricultural Associations.
Fort Worth, Texas, August =
Never in modern history has there
been so many movements organized
in the United States to help the
farmer as at present, and there are
many "cure-alls'' with free samples
for every i'll that besets agriculture.
No farmer should put out "No
Help Wanted" sign, but it is impor-
tant that he employ only the kind OF
help he needs.
A great many people appear to be-
lieve that because a farmer pulls off
his coat when he thinks, that he is
not capable of understanding his
problems. Men can sit in libraries
entirely surrounded by books and pa
pers and concoct schemes to cover
the valley with grain fields and tle
hills with focks and herds, and hon
estly believe they can make the far
mer enough wealth to ransom king,
but the farmer knows better than to
exchange magic for common sense.
Men skilled in trading may feel cap
able of instructing the farmer in the
art of cheating nature, but the far
mer knows that Mother Earth will
not be deceived. The problems of
agriculture are as serious as the
multiplication table and they cannot
be solved by agricultural magicians
making miracles to order or by seek
ing marketing through faith, hope and
charity. 1t is a cold business pro-
position.
The farmer can only be helped
through common sense and copora-
ton. The farmer is able to get
about on the farm, but he loses his
way in the market places and it is
there he most needs assistance
Too Many Organizations
There are too many agricultural
associations. The mania for organl-
zation is causing confusion of effort
and a wasting of energy. Everybody
including the government, wants to
organize the farmers, and if the far
mer Joined all the associations, read
their literature and attended their
ordinances, he would have no time to
plow. 1t is passing strange that our
State legislatures will appropriate
thousands of dollars, much of it to
be used in organizing agricultural
associations in localities where the
farmers are already thoroughly Or
ganized, and ofttimes business mems
associations send out emissaries to
organize the farmer and at best they
can only nope to duplicate existing
organizations. The farmer does not
need organization as much as CO.
operation and plans should be formu-
lated by which the government can
effectively cooperate with assoc1a-
tions which the farmers have orga-
nized, and business men should CO.
operate in their efforts with regular
farmers organizations.
Government Cooperation.
The recent appropriation of $780,
600 by the Federal government for
marketing, followed by an appropria-
ton of $4,000 by the Texas legisla-
ture, and with other States giving
consideration to marketing problems,
renders an imperative necessity for
organization among the farmers. The
farmer can produce without organiza-
ton, but to successfully market, he
must unite with his neighbor. Our
governments, both State and nation
al, are now brought face to face with
the problems of agricultural organ1-
zation in order to deal successfully
with the marketing problem.
The National Farmers union is
the most powerful organization on
the western hemisphere, and it has
taken half a century of effort and
hundreds of thousands Of dollars to
build up the farmers to their present
degree of organized efficiency. This
powerful machinery already in opera
ton should be utilized by the
government in their marketing plans
and all local unions should be will
ing to cooperate with governmental
agncies in solving the market pro-
blems.
The farmer is always inclined to
look a gift horse in the mouth, but