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.

!. NJ. Rhodes. president Of the Ten
nes,see division and chairman OF ta'
national board OF directors Of th'
Farmers Union. has just finished
flying trip through Georgia In com
pRuy OF Charles : Barrett, uau0ua
president OF the Farmers Union, and
J. j. Brown, former Commissioner y
Agriculture Of Georgia. The follow
ing message 20 the farmers as CeliV.
cred by Mr. Rhodes ab0uuas IN su.-
truth and fact not generally known
The marvellous grandeur OF th'
worlds progress astOuuds and amaze'
us, vet the wonderful story would
never have been written had II moi
been for the ever-tIlthful farmer
agriculture is basic Upon IN rests
cities, commerce ana civilization. The
people OF the earth consume 60.000,-
600 tons of food annually. Five hum
dred and eighLy-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-
IL they embark for eternity. Yet ever
since Grandfather Adam made the
mistake that caused him 90 lose the
family estate the farmer has been a
failure in business.
Farmer Behind in Business.
Tn business development u 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 30 per cent Of the wealth
In 1850 our national wealth was
$1,000. OOo, 900 and the farmer owned
$4,000 600 600. or four seventies.
In 1913 our national wealth is esti-
mated at $4,000, 000, 900, and the
farmer owns sac. 900, 600 900. our farm
property is valued at nearly $40 00O,-
000. 600, but S14 600 ,0OO,o 600 Is owned by
other classes than farmers.
-The above figures show that farm
ers are not holding their own, for II
they had kept pace with other voCa-
lions since 1850 they would now own
SIS. 00O, 900 900 worth OF wealth instead
OF $4,000, 900, 900, Their lack OF bust
ness methods and failure to match
conditions have cost them $40 600. p
900 600 This would buy all the farm
property in the United States and
have enough left 10 buy a half interest
an all the railroads.
''In a score Of years the farmers Of
this country have produced $4,000, -
000 900 worth OF farm products. or
enough to buy all the property I'm the
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
600 600 each. And their combined
wealth is 500 1000, O00. 200. The other
80 $50 900 people own $3l .OO0. 600 goo.
OF our l00,0oo,O00. 60.O00.0O0 are home
less,
Twelve men control one third of
our wealth, and one man controls
nearly one-tenth OF the wealth OF this
the richest country I'm the world. At
the rate we are going capital will 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
conftne the wealth to 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
DDS or surrender, we organized the
Farmers Educational and Co Opera
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 organiza-
ton has steadily grown, until now Il