The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1913-02-01
ROUSING MEETING
AT ROSEBANk HALL


held their first public meeting at Rose
bank Hall, Calvert, Md, Saturday, Jan
nary % Mr.. ]. P Shippers presiding. Dr.
Elmer E. Brown was asked to act as tenn
porary secretary.
The hall was filled with farmers. The
close attention given to the speakers,
and the character of ~ questions which
were asked, promised cry big FOR the
future success OF the organization.
Prof. Wilmer krusen, OF Temple Uni
Yersity, reviewed the evolution of roads,
from the early trail to the highest de-
velopment of road building. He said
the cost of wagon transp portation in the
United States is three times as much as
it is in Europe This condition is not
due to an insufficient amount of money
being expended on roads in the United
States, but is due to the enormous waste
in road construction and repair. This
waste is due to three causes:
Lack of comprehensive plan for build
ing and maintenance of permanent roads,
and repair of dirt roads. Inefficient road
supervisors and engineers. Lack of or
ganized effort on the part OF farmers to
insist upon the right kind of road build
Ing and repair.
The office of road supervisor is an
honorable one, and probably the most i'm
portant to the farmers. This office
should be filled by the very best and
most capable men in the community.
Prot. Krusen called attention to the
number of eminent men in the United
states who served as road supervisors,
naming George Washington, Thomas JEFF
ferson and Martin VanBuren as filling
lhis important office after retiring from
the Presidency. A. j. Cassatt, the great
President of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
served as road supervisor for number
Of years
Prof. L, {. Corbett, head of the Pomo-
!psical and Vegetable Gardening Investi-
satier at Washington, spoke on the ne
cessity of farmers organizing. In the
early days of this country there was but
very little money exchanged in the trans
action of business. 1t was nearly all a
matter of barter, and there was not the
pecessity for organized effort in either
puying or selling But now the days of
pafter have passed, and money is the COM
mon medium of exchange. Independence
and individual!sm must give way to or
saniZation and cooperation, and for the
cooperation to be successful from a
business standpoint, it must be COM
posed of a group of men who will stand
together, and in such an organzatio the
fraternAl spirit is not enough. 1t must
nave stronger chain, and some form of
4 forfbit for lack of good faith.
With reference to the increased prices
which would result TO the farmer from
selling his products through the Ex-
change, Prof Corbett explained that the
farmers products were held in storage
in certain large cities, and that smaller
cities drew their supplies from these
larger cities. For instance in the state
of New York, New York City is the great
6torehouse, and even cities as large as
Buffalo draw from New York City. Far
mers' Exchanges should sell directly to
the smaller cities at the New York price
current F. o. B. shipping point. To il
lustrate, We will say Scranton, Pa,
draws from New York City and the Far
mers' Exchange of Calvert, Md, instead
Of Shipping to New York City, would ship
directly to Scranton, and Scranton would
pay F. o. B. cars, Rising sun, Md, the
same price that they would pay f. O. b.
cars New York City, and thus the freight
between Rising Sun and New York City
NoulV De sdNeO 10 lne FARMERS EN-
change, and the consumers in Scranton
while paying the New York City prices
would have the satisfaction of knowing
chat the goods We're very I;,uun rresher,
and could be relied upon. This saves
the profits that heretofore have gone to
several different people, and to do this
It is necessary to be organized. Every
other line of business is organized and
fhe farmer must meet organization with
organization, and capital with capital.
IN the future there would be no competi-
ti6n-co operation would rule, and far
ners must get into the game.
Mr.. Frank E. Williams, Editor of the
Cecil Whig, in a ringing speech review
ing the local situation, deplored the high
LAX rate, the failure to make proper as
easements, and mentioned that there were
many valuable properties in Cecil county
that wer not assessed or taxed at all
some of these properties being valued at
from ten to fifteen thousand dollars each.
He predicted that unless present me-
thods were changed, taxes would surely
ifcrease. He claimed that the country
would not be able to bear the expense
Uf the present method of road building
and the waste from the inefficient repair
Of dirt roads.
Mr.. Williams also spoke of the lack OF
opportunity of the farmers to get toge-
cher 70 public meeting and discussion
With an organization such as is proposed
fhe farmers could and would get toge-
cher, and they would be aDie, as a re-
suit of their organization, to command
attention when bills of interest to the
farmer wers before the State Legislature.
All taxes are regulated to a very great
extent by the state appropriations and
legislation, therefore it would become of
paramount Importance to those who
paid taxes to see that the proper legis-
lation was had. Mr.. Williams subscrib-
ed as member Of the organization, and
urged all the others to DO so.
The Rev. w, H. Briggs and the Rev.
B. j. Brinkema each made ringing
speech in favor of the organization, and
urged the fafmers to join. Membership
application blanks were then distributed
and nearly fifty of the farmers signed
A committee was appointed, consisting
pf Messrs. Balderston, Fassett, McKin-
pey, Hanna and Cameron, to meet at Mr.