Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1916-02-04
FROM THE PEOPLE.

delivered by Hon. J. ]. Brown,
president of the Farmers Union
of Georgia. Would that l had
the power to convert the Heavens
above US, into a mighty scroll,
written there on, in letters of liv-
ing fire, these eternal truths
that they might burn themselves
into the minds and thoughts Of
man.
Arousing them to a realization
of the true condition that con-
fronts the American farmer, and
working man Of today. The ad-
dress follows below. Read it:
"CVIs."
For ten years the Farmers
Union has stood for and recon-
mended to it's members diversi-
fled farming, the growing OF
home supplies, raising cattle and
hogs, in fact, we have taught
this lesson so thoroughly. that it
is presumptious for anyone to
suggest these means as any COM
plete solution Of our agricultural
problems. 1t is a fact that the
Union, in cooperation with our
extension and demonstration
agencies Of this state, has taught
our farmers to grow not only two
blades where one was. formerly
grown, but in many cases more
than twenty have been produced
where the one formerly grew;
and yet we find the farmers of
our, state, as a whole, more
heavily in debt than they were
five years ago. So, my friends.
while it is safe farming to follow
these teachings, it is not appar-
ent that we will ever be able to
redeem the mortgages that hang
over our homes until we devise
some plan by which we will be
able to demand a margin of profit
or these extra blades and extra
bushels. We may learn from a
scientific application how to grow
100 times what we now raise per
acre, but if we sell the increase
for less than it costs us to pro
duce it there is no gain to the
producer; nor, on the other
hand, do we find the laborers in
the shops and in the mills living
in any more ease and luxury
than before we began our system
of diversifca alton. But those of
us who have been close students
on the farm for the past few
years, have observed that this
extra increase Of wealth is going
into the hands of the gaAiblers
and the manipulators who con-
troll the money of our country
and in turn control the prices of
our products. And let it be un-
derstood here that when we re-
fer to these manipulators who
say from the farm that wealth
which should go to the producer
and legitimate consumer, we do
not mean the men who are en-
gagged in legitimate mercantile,
and manufacturing industries.
The Farmers Union has no war
to make on our merchants and
others engaged in facilitating
our commerce. We have always
had merchants and will ever
have them, for the fact that they
are essential in great agricul-
tural and commercial country.
One of our greatest handicaps as
a farm organization has been due
to the misunderstanding that
existed on the part Of our mer-
chants and country brnks rela-
tive to our oims and purpose,
but I am glad to say to you today
that these misunderstanding
are fast passing away and thanks
be to those who have stood faith
fully by our great Union, your
labors have not been in vain.
The Union is growing more pow-
erful t IAN ever before, and the
business interests have at last
seen the necessity of cooperation
all along the line in order that
our great section may receive
her proportionate part of the
wealth that she produces. It has
begun to dawn on our would-be
friends, who once advised us
that we had no Ilace in the po-
litical arena, tnat the opposite is
absolutely true. While we pro-
pose to continue along the line OF
safe farming, giving the aid of
, the Union to every agricultural
institution in our state that will
cooperate with us, we intend to
90 farther and demand of our
law makers, both state and ma
tional, that they give to US, as