The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-03-13
The Farmers Banquet.

Belfast Board of Trade Entertains the
Crangers. Organization of Farmers
Exchange.
The Farmers Banquet by the Belfast Board
OF Trade took place last Tuesday evening
IN Memorial Hall and was largely attend
ed. The supper at $50 was furnished by
the ladies' of the Baptist church and the
tables were most attractively laid and
bountifully supplied with appetizing viands.
The ladies' who served were dressed in white
and the supper and service were alike the SUBJ
Ject of hearty commendation. Rev. d.
Phelan of the M. E. Church was called ,no,
to ask blessing, and after supper Secretary
Gllchrest of the Board of Trade introduced
Rev. A. A. Blair of the Universalist church as
the toast master and he proved equal to the
occasion. In his opening remarks he welcom.
ed the farmers, and said among other THINGS.
I'VE are glad to see You and trust that this
meeting may effect closer union and clearer
understanding between the residents of the
nearby country ard the residents of Belfast
There is mutual dependence between the
Two. One cannot get along without the other
You need the city markets and we need the
farmers and their up -to-date methods of farm
ing and especla iy Go we we want to hear to-
night from those who have made studv of
greater cooperation among the merchants
and farmers Men sometimes forget in the
anxiety of their own work the welfare of the
community. We should boom Belfast for in
booming Belfast boom the country ro,nd
about"
W. b. Reynolds of Burnham, president of
the waldo County Farmers Union, was intro
duced and spoke on the general lines of the
Union work In this county. He said, in part:
This is new departure, when the Board of
trade OF city invites the residents of the
farming communities into the city and asks
them to cooperate and work for the best in
terests of the two. We are glad to see an
awakening along this line. There has been
great change in the shipment of freights out
OF the little towns on the Maine Central
branch in the past eighteen years. This wear
BROOKS has shipped 400 cars of potatoes and
the same from Thorndike, and seven years ago
it was thought unusual thing to send one
car from the little flag station of Winnecook,
and this year l have myself loaded some 25
cars from that station. The corporation of
the farmer is certainly great question, since
there is so much to be looked after We have
organized a union in this county for the up-
building of the farming interests, and we
expect with the aid of the Belfast Board
of Trade to make it one of the strongest of the
organizations for the best interests of the
farmers and the making of better port of
shipment of the port of Belfast. We are
striving to build up this organization and need
Belfast to come in with us. We have adopted
the name of the Waldo County Farmers Union,
that the rest of the county farmers may come
IN, and that they may learn that it is for CO.
operation and not for tearing down and des-
troying, but to work out it's own existence.
The farmers will not accept the Roosevelt
up-hft movement, but we must apply bu ,iness
methods to farming. as is done in the city, We
Of ha hoe md collip
and the farmer should make his farm his bank
account. The young farmer is not content
now without his automobile and his bath
room. He demands some of the luxuries of
the city life and he is bound to have them
The electric lights must soon pass his door,
and there are other modern conveniences
which must be installed on the 1arm and so
his bank account, not in cash but his iarm in
creases.'
Mr. o. B. Abbott of Springfield, president
of the North Penobscot Farm ers' Exchange,
was the next speaker. He said: ~ think
that the farmer is coming into his own. Co
operation has been NY hobby for mar
years and It is the only way of succe SIS
for the farming communities. The Interests
of the merchants of Belfast depend upon the
farmers of this community great deal more
than the interests of the farmers depend upon
the merchants. The Exchange of which am
a member started with a membership of tif-
/
enrolled members. We began with nothing in
the treasury and have more than $500 paid in.
| he produce Of our farmers when shipped into
the New 4ork markets should be fit to eat il
they desire to secure good price for it. The
costs of shipments great, but it is a
greater cost for the poorer article than it is
for the good, and until get d direct
sale from the producer to the consumer we
expect nothing. But We must guard against
the inferior article. We must stand together
or fail We should have our Exchanges and
Unions so organized that they will carry
weight and backing ard it will mean some.
thing to the farmer who markets KS goods
through these channels, which VII mean bet
ter prices /" the proGucer ard better goods TO
/ the consumer and the absence of the middle
man, who has long been making a hueral pro-
f.
He VS. followed by Mr.. c E. Enbree of
Bang"r general manager Jf the Farmers EX-
cnar &c of Maine, who said ''In behalf of the
Farmers Exchange of Maine wish to extend
thanks 70 the Belfast Board OF Trade for the
! priviega of coming here at this time and the
/ making OF other farmers their guests, in
/ 0rGer to talk over this matter Of co-oEeratloy
This is a better chance to meet farmers than
/ IN any other way. We should all stand by the
principles of the Farmers Union OF VI Maine.
| We do not believe that when the farmers get the
power of handling their goods III their own
! hands that they will remember the Sights
which have been placed upon them, but will
treat everyone right and fair. | can remem-
ber, and have taken part in the farming days
OF Maine, when we drove the five cattle team
the days of the candle and the burning OF
whale oil, when the farmer was always in debt
and how, when after hauling all the produce OF
the far to the village store he received his bii
at the first of the year and obliged tc
work all the mo tn of January that he nigh;
get square to start the month of February AS
boy we considered fifty cents per year ouI
share of the money. There are Maine men al
over the United States. and we meet them
everywhere. 1t is true that some of oul
brightest men have gone to the West. but the
fact lies in the reason that we have only
recently began the real cultivation of the
farms OF Maine on system and have taken
up the matter of cooperation in the sale OF
the products The Farmers Exchange is a
Statewide organization. 1t was started in New
York and it, has spread now to all New Eng
| land. In no State is it stronger tt lay than in
the State of Maine and to one is more
praise due for this strong movement than to
! your former Commissioner of Agriculture, ].
! P. Buckley of Augusta. From the start he
has been an advocate of aiding the farmer and
| he has brought about much that has been help
full to them. We must work our way along
gradually and avoid failure. People are ask
ing from all over the country about the Farm
ers Union in Maine, and it is the only State
wide movement of the kind in the United
States. 1t is the progressive farmers in the
State of Maine to whom we look to make a
success of corporation. The time is not far
distant when we can maintain just as strong
an organization as can be found in other lines
in any State.
Rou phalan