Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-03-22
REVIEWS PRISON Irvine HISTORY
Old Time Farmers Alliance Leader Revives Idea o.
Making Irvine From Flax Straw.

nave quietly acquiesced to this Irvine
outrage for rs years put up by the
| tw1ne trust and the State. There must
ne last straw" to be laid on the far
mers' backs, and ally there seems to
oe plenty who are SO filled with greed.
| that they are ready to toss on the last
| straw"
! thought at the time that the farm
ers must have near and dear friends
they had never heard of before, that
would bring fiber and experts from the
state OF Iowa to come before the com.
mlttee to convince the members of the
folly of even making an honest trial.
Well remember the boom given flax
noer, following the passage of the bill
TO put In long fiber machinery at Still
water.
1t does seem strange that after a1l
this proof was given, showing that flax
noer was too valuable to make binding
tw1ne of, there should be hundreds of
tons of flax straw burned every year
IN Minnesota. At this writing I know
OF two piles of almost pure fiber living
on two farms. After wet weather last
tall the flax straw became so complete
~ "rotted' that the fiber separated
almost completely from the woody part.
so 1t now lays in piles to be burned up
or rot.
There has been bids for flax straw
Tor bal1ng in many of the small towns.
but the price offered in the towns near
where live, is too low to make it an
object to haul flax straw from a dis
lance Of over three miles. One would
naturally suppose from a spirit Of fair
deal, parties obtaining material, that
those experts declared before the sen
ate committee was worth at least y
| cents per pound.
wish some progressive teacher in
one OF our high schools would collect
data OF the amount of Irvine used in
this state, what percentage Of that
tw1ne was made at Saltwater, then es-
innate the amount of profit the farmer
would have from selling flax straw to
the state at from S to dollars per
ton, also the saving it would have been
to the farmers to have been able to buy
their Irvine the past rs years at from
to cents per pound. 1t seems prac-
tical lessons like the above would awak-
en- keen interest in the farmer stud
ent. fear it would not do to give the
facts to the farmers, to do so, might
make the authors liable to arrest for
melting riot.
have badge and medal presented
to me for being delegate to the great
Conservation Congress held in st. Paul
few years ago, with great "pomp and
circumstances" there I listened to Eber-
hart, j. j. Hill, Archbishop Ireland
Ballinger and numerous others. This
"blow out" congress I have heard cost
over $1,000. I have also attended two
VQn6aVf110 1f
American Society Of Equity, besides
numerous local meetings of the same
organization. Years ago I was for 10
months secretary of a Grange in Mis-
souri,: Was elected for five consecu-
tive years member of the executive
committee of State Farmers Alliance
and one year state lecturer. I belong
to the following cooperative farmers
organizations: Creamery, elevator, in
surance, telephone, swine breeders club,
farmers club and have signed as char
ter member of the local American So
c1ety of Equity which "died bornin."
l spent almost all Of years in efforts
to organize farmers, with no pay be-
yond actual expenses. In fact, I would
have been financially from to 5 thou
sand dollars better off had I never al
lowed myself to spend time with such
matters. I have been maligned, slurred
and slandered, but I still have as deep
convictions of the necessity Of farmers
organizing as I ever had, would even
now willingly, were I able, devote my
time and energy in the cause Of organ
iZing farmers.
l fully believe, after weighing all the
evidence, had the farmers been organ
lied strong enough and been determine
ed enough to have forced an honest eff
fort to have been made twenty-five
years ago, there would have been saw
ed to the farmers over thirty million
dollars on Irvine alone. Now to as
sumo that half the above amount to
be nearer correct Query? Would the
state at large been any worse off at
this time than it now is, since the
above huge sum has much of it gone
into the hands of those who are this
year holding up the farmers 100000
in the rise of fiber material alone. What
are all these demonstrations for except
to distract the attention of the farm
ers from the injustice that is being
done them.
There is a large fund set apart for
what is called Extension work. Can
any one really tell me what is meant
by extension work, that demands such
large sum of money. I am told the
U. S. Government appropriates $4,000
or more, the state turns over $25,OO0
annually I am told for the same pur-
pose. Who can show value received"
from that department for the expendi-
ture of all above sum of money. It is
safe wager that a goodly sum Of ex-
tension money will be used to demon
strate hemp fiber, but not a penny to
honestly demonstrate the making of
Irvine from flax fiber.
The truth Of what have stated in
regard to the Alliance action can be
verified by some five members of ALL
ance executive committee who are now
living, who with the writer should re-
member most if not all Of that episode.
There is crying need of something
being honestly done to alleviate the
present condition Of the farmers For
fifteen years the capital represented by
the average farm sale price, If invest
ed at s per cent would bring in a larg-
er net return, than it brings from the
net returns of sale of farm crops, with
all the toll and labor of the farmer
added. Do not think for q moment that
farmer boys and girls can be educated
| to be contented on farm under pres
ent conditions. Keep them as ignorant
as mules If you expect contentment.
The average sale value of farms in my
locality Is three times the earning value
at per cent interest. When the stud
ents are figuring on the Irvine question.
1ok h Rrp.,~ l,~~~ To- IL A-S