Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-09-03
5''S'''':'Ss'S..S.ss. Observation-Disclosures.
! TOO MANY ACRICULTU. !
j RAJ A"SOCIA FIONS. J
II BY Peter Radford, Of the Texas .,
i Farmers Union. 9,
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tor keowee Courier: Never In mod.
ern history have there been so MANY
movements organized in the United
States to help the farmer as at pres
ent, 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 important that he employ
only the kind Of help he needs.
A great many people appear to
believe that, because a farmer pulls
OFF his coat when he thinks, he is not
capable of understanding his prob
lens. Men can sit in libraries. en-
tirely surrounded by books and pa
perS, and cOncoct schemes. to cover
the valley with grain fields and the
hills with flocks and herds, and hon
eStly believe they can make the far
mer enough wealth to ransom a king;
but the farmer knows better than to
exchange magic for common sense.
Men skilled in trading may feel
capable OF instructing the farmer in
the art of cheating nature, but the
farmer knows that Mother Earth
will not be deceived. The problems
or agriculture are as serious as the
multiplication table, and they can
not be solved by agricultural magic
ians making miracles to order or by
seeking marketing through faith,
hope and charity. 1t is a cold busi-
ness proposition.
The farmer can only be helped
through common sense and co-opera-
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 organi-
zation is causing confusion of effort
and a wasting of err rgy. 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 appropri-
ate thousands Of dollars, much of it
to be used in organizing agricultural
associations in localities where the
farmers are already thoroughly or
ganized, and Oftentimes business
mems associations send out emissa-
ries 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 asso-
citations which the farmers have or
ganized, and business men should CO.
operate in their efforts with regular
farmers organizations.
Governmental Co-Operation.
The recent appropriation Of $50
900 by the Federal government for
marketing, followed by an appropri-
alton of Sis, 1000 by the Texas Legis-
allure, and with other States giving
consideration to marketing problems,
renders an imperative necessity for
organization among the farmers. The
farmer can produce without organi-
Zation, but to successfully market he
must unite with his neighbor Our
governments, both State and ma
tional, are now brought face to face
with the problems of agricultural or
ganiZation in order to deal success.
fully with the marketing problem.
The National Farmers Union is
the most powerful organization on
the Western Hemisphere, and it has
taken half century of effort and
hundreds of thousands Of dollars to
build up the farmers to their pres
ent degree Of organized efficiency.
This powerful machinery already in
operation should be utilized by the
government in their marketing plans,
and all local unions should be will
ing to cooperate with government
agencies in solving the market prob
lens.
The farmer is always inclined to
look a gift horse in the mouth, but
the government is his, and in accept
ing the good Offices of the govern
ment he is taking his own money
and utilizing his own agencies. Every
voter who gets garden seed from his
Congressman knows there is power
in government and can realize how
important it is to find a market for
tho