Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-20
Ian I ERS Of
GEORGIA FLOCK
To JOIN UNION
Head Of Tennessee Division Tells
Farmers Organization Is Only
Way to Get lust Dues.
Continued From Page 9.

and the Golden Ruie.; Our orssnrzs-
ton has steadily grown, until now if
reaches from coast to coast, and
north, south, east and west are
terms of direction to indicate its
magnitude. In one decade il has
grown until it is winged by Canada
and Mexico, backgrounded by the At
lantic and footlighted by the Pacific.
The 100000 farmers of this
country are laboring under an in
debtedness of $4,000, 600, 600. On this
amount counting commissions and
renewal charges, they are paying an
annual interest of S1-2 per cent. or
S5lO,OOO,OOO, while the business men
and manufacturers pay an average
OF . per cent interest, or $500. OOO, 900.
on S6,OOO,OO0, 900. This $21O, 100000 ex
cess interest paid by the farmers
would pay off our farm Indebtedness.
IN Is years Cooperative efforts and
rural credits would right these
wrongs. So let US continue to dis
courage this present system until il
mas passed into history and is only
remembered in the misty back yon-
der
Distribution being one of our
greatest problems, our second decla-
ration Of purposes is to assist our
members in buying and selling. The
Federal Government has spent $780,
100000 in the last ten years, teaching
US how to produce, and not cent to
teach us how to market
The real reason of the high cost of
nVlnS is not because the farmer pro-
duces an inadequate amount of prod
ucts or gets too much for what he
grows, but it is that there are too
many toll gates between the field of
production and the table of consump-
ton.
las long as we continue our pres
ent methods we will build up the
towns and cities at the expense of
the rural districts. The consuming
public pays $4,000, 900 600 for what
the farmer parts with for $4,000, 000.-
900. The farmer gets A cents and
the distributor gets 80 cents of each
dollar. If there is a practical work
able way to stop this plundering of
the producing and consuming masses,
and do away with this stupendous
waste, it should be done Surely no
one would oppose the change. except
those who think the jeweled hand of
greed should be licensed to pick the
threadbare pockets Of those who toll.
Expense Is Unavoidable.
We all agree that there is an I'M
avoidable expense in the distribution
of farm products. But let us make
what seems to us a reasonable df-
vision of the $4,000, 600, 600 consum-
ers other than farmers pay for farm
products each year
Give the wholesaler and iobber
$1,000, 100000, the transportation com
panies $1,000 100000, the retailer
$1,000, 100000; then throw IN $780,
100000 for all possible misallowance,
and we have $4,000, 900, 600, which IS
$4,000, 100000 more than the farmer
gets. This amount falls into the
waste basket of speculation.
If ii were divided between the
producer and consumer it would
clothe the naked, feed the hungry aud
educate the illiterate, instead Of
breeding millionaires, paupers, an
archists and suicides If the Farm
ers' Union fills its mission, ii will
not be long until a less portion of the
laborers' toll viii be turned in at the
toll gate of the palace and a great
portion will find its way through the
door of the cottage, and help to lift
the humble tenement to the comfort.
dignity and luxury of a home.
within the next decade the farm
ers of this country will produce
enough to load $4,000, 900 freight
cars, and its value will approximate
100000, 100000 If properly handled,
this should double the farmers
wealth. But producing is not ali Of
farming. We cannot prosper unless
we can control prices; we cannot
control prices unless We Cooperate;
we cannot cooperate unless we or
ganize. The farmer must keep his
pace with the organized industries
of the age or verify he will baUa bis
reward"
Mr.. Rhodes then spoke in detail If
the work the Farmers Union had
done, its aims, its objects. its hopes,
and the effect was so marked that
there We're responses on every hand
by farmers who heard him, and the
beginning Of tho $4,000 membership
in Georgia was inaugurated, and the
elimination will be a certainty if
President Barrett and Mr. Rhodes
put in few weeks OF organization.