Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-20
UNION HOPE Of
] SOUTH, SAY ORGANIZERS IN
GREAT GEORGIA CAMPAIGN
Charles S. Barrett and L. NJ. Rhodes,
of Tennessee, Sweep Through the
State With a Message to Planters
to Check Enormous Crop Waste.

L. NJ. Rhodes, president Of the Ten
neEsee division and chairman OF the
national board Of directors OF the
Farmers Union, has just finished a
Aging trip through Georgia in com
pany of Charles : Barrett. national
president of the Farmers Union. and
J. ] Brown. former Comml ssiouer 81
Agriculture Of Georgia. The follow %
ing message 10 the farmers as dellv-
cred by Mr. Rhodes ab0unds In sucn
truth and fact not generally known
The marvellous grandeur OF the
worlds progress astuunus and amazes
us, yet the wonderful story would
never have been written had II not
been for the ever faithful farmer.
agriculture is basic. Upon il rests
cities. commerce and civilization The
people of the earth consume 10000, 70
600 tons Of food annually Five hun
bred and eiEhty-two million tons OF il
come from the farm. Human beings
are clothed In the products Of the
farm from the time they are born un q
I'll they embark for eternity. Yet ever
since Grandfather Adam made the
mistake that caused him 10 lose the
family estate the farmer has been a
failure in business
Farmer Behind in Business.
IN business development OF the
United States IN the last century the
farmer has fallen behind In the pro-
cession OF modern business methods
he has followed where he should have
led.
when we became n nation the farm
er owned 80 per cent Of the wealth
In 1850 our national wealth was
81 1000. 600, 900 and the farmer owned
81 900 600, 600, or four seventies.
IN 1918 our national wealth is esti-
mated AT $4,000 100000, and the
farmer owns $4,000, 100000 our farm
property rs valued AT nearly 10000
0b0. 600, but $4,000 000. 900 is owned by
other classes than farmers.
THE above figures show that farm
ers are not holding their own, for IL
they had kept pace with other voca
lions since 1850 they would now own
SIS 600 600 900 worth OF wealth instead
Of S2B O00. 600 600 Their lack Of bust
ness methods and failure TO match
conditions have cost them $4,000,
Geo 900 This would buy an the farm
property In the United states ana
have enough left 10 buy a half Interest
ia all the railroads.
In a score of years the farmers OF
this country have produced S135. 900,
GOO 900 worth OF farm products, or
enough 10 buy all the property In tho
United States. Yet this wonderful
amount of wealth has not gone to the
farmers. We have 10000 men in this
country who own an average OF $40
GEO 600 each. And their combined
wealth is S100.0OO0O0 600 The other
90 $50. 600 people own S31 600 O0O0 900.
OF our 100. 600 600. 60.0G0,Oo0 are home
less
Twelve men control one-thlrd Of
our wealth, and one man controls
nearly tenth Of the wealth OF this
the richest country In the world. At
the rate we are going capital viii own
practically all our wealth in another
generation
sixty three land companies and
rich individuals own an area equal
TO Tennessee, Mississippi Alabama
and North and South Carolina.
Liberty can not long exist in a
country where the tendency IS to
eonfine the wealth 70 a few hands, for
he who controls a nations money
controls its people
Union Is Educational.
Knowing that our liberty was
bought with holy blood and sacred
tears, and seeing that We must or
ganize and change our present meth
eds or surrender we organized the
Farmers f4NutdlltlAi ana Ae-OpeId-
tive Union Of America Believing that
a lack Of practical knowledge is man $
greatest enemy we placed 'educa-
ton as the first word in our name.
And knowing that a people are never
strong when they are wrong. we Sc
lected as our motto. Equity Justice
and the Golden Rule our organi2a-
ton has steadily grown, untH now it
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 il is winged by Canada