The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1915-11-25

ll-being of the millions who toll
il shop and factory and 4 submit
TINT there y and can he I'D great
| ef econ0mic issue before this Ma
ti0n nj this time than the one
which seeks to scourge these sinis-
I ter influences from the seat Of un-
holy power which they occupy At
this time. In short, the farmers
|of tAs United States are facing
the gravest crisis in heir history
ct this hour for upon the out
come Of the impending struggle
depends the future of every farm
homo IN the Nation.
What is.tosbe donef Farmers
must organize es they never
dreamsd 81 organizing before.
They must quit playing the policy
of ssevery farmer for himself and
the devil take the hindmost."
Farmers represent a sleeping Her
cules helpless only because they
have never assembled their
strength dismembered disor-
ganixed mass as numerous and as
futile as the sands of the sea be-
cause each is an entity and a law
unto himself. Heretofore we
have speculated on what farmers
could do if they would cooperate
and stand together. Now they
no longer have any choice in the
matter. We are facing crisis and
organization has finally become
matter of self-preservation. As
the producers of the Nations
foodstuffs, farmers have it in their
power to say through what chan
nels their products shall pass in
reaching the consumer-and here
is where the blow must be struck
for we cannot prevail against
monopoly so long as we use mo-
machinery.
The great Santa Fe Railroad is
owned by 10000 stockholders who
years ago, placed it's management
in the hands of a strong board Of |
directors and in immediate charge /
is E. p. Ripley-one Of the best
railroad men in the Country. Ev-
IN so, if we are driven to it, why
should not farmers get together
'uild their own packing plants,
20 over the heads Of the Packers
md sell direct to the consumer?
There are 277,OOO farmers in Mis-
ouri. If 100000 of them would
nut up $40 each, it would equip
good sized packing plant. If
in other lines of bus
ness can be owned and conducted
y thousands of stockholders,
sn't there sufficient intelligence
mong farmers to do likewise9 Of s
the legal machinery of the
tate and federal governments
'ould have to be brought into i'm
rebate play to protect such an t
ndertaking-and with farmers 5
back of the movement, q
oes anybody doubt that these d
'rces would be brought into play :
5 never before? | am not say b
lg that this is the way to solve I
he problem. am merely suggest T
~ it. What | do say is that IL
must be done-and W
lat quickly. o
The great essential step now is g
organize. First, we must call O.
mass meeting Of farmers :,
,rfect county organization and =
en- push the organization Of
Farm Clubs" into as nearly as
'ssible every school district. The Fl
oment 40 or so counties have q
en- brought together in this way, "
powerful state organization v,
ould be perfected and from its s.,
ry inception the movement must "a
kept free from politics. If b.
1000 determined farmers in 4,
Iowa, Kansas, Illinois,
diana, Oklahoma and Nebraska II,
II band themselves together in III
IS way. they will represent m
nee more mighty and powerful !.
IN any other American Agricul- D,
re has ever Known force in
lich will be able to wrest the pr
ntrol Of American food products w.
m those whose heavy hand M
It's upon every farm ia the land
d who levy an unholy tribute Ia,
on every morsel Of meat and ey
I'D which the millions who toll Vi,
factory and sky-scraper con- IN
ne. Already this movement is 81,
der splendid headway in . NUM- a.
. Of Missouri counties-and I
,cat that self-preservation and
regard which farmers have for 8,
future Of their children should
,use them to the fact that the tt