Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-05-25
EDUCATE FARMER FROM
FARM TO Federation


Union of Maine. in the Farmers Open
Forum" published monthly at Wash
ington. D. c. 1t will interest all farm
ers and especially those who are men,
bers of the Farmers Union and are
looking ahead:
The discussion in the Farmers
Open Forum" relative to organizing a
National Federation of Farmers,
reaches out in many directions and
finally we are becoming confused and
wonder il we will ever get together on
a plan which will meet with the ap-
proval of those who are now discuss
ing the methods they think should be
adopted.
In my opinion the Nebraska Farm
er" strikes the keynote when the edi-
tor suggests that the weakness of the
national agricultural organization in
stead of being the coming together of
existing organizations of farmers, is
an outside attempt to bring them to-
gether
Every loyal citizen of the United
States believes that our system OF
government is correct We first es-
ia blish the town, the village, the rur-
al community. The town has board
Of selectmen elected by the people to
take charge Of their affairs. Again the
people of a community elect represen-
tatives to the state capital and no
state government was established until
there were towns from which to draw
the material necessary to organize a
state government.
70 a.
lions sends representatives to some
central point and there establish
national government. If we apply TINS
system of organization to natlona
federation of farmers we would simply
copy from the most successful system
of organization in the world.
In order to establish a Republican
form Of government it Is necessary
that the people be educated to govern
themselves. In order to correctly or
ganize a national federation of farmers
the farmer must be educated up te
the standard necessary to properly
conduct such a federation. In order
to do this, we must start at the foun'
dation and educate the farmer, steI
NV stem. from the farm to the fedora
ton.
The state and the national govern.
ment cannot advance any more rap
idly that the people who make up the
government.
Rv following the system upon which
our government is founded we hrs'
give our attention to the rural commu'
mites. Let each state make the start
bv organizing local farmers unions OF
ORGANIZATIONS When sufficient mum
Der of locals have been organized. rep
resentatives from these locals shoulo
organize a state central body. Wher
other states have organized in this
way representatives from the state
central bodies can meet at some point
and organize the National Federation
of Farmers. BY this method the or
ganization will be made up OF those
who are the most interested, viz. the
farmers.
Every line of trade must solve Its
own problems. The banker never calls
in the farmer to help him solve finan-
cial problems, and instead they call IN
the expert along banking lines. We
who are working for the farmer, can
simply open the door and point the
way. but the real problems Of the farm
must be solved by the farmer. Strug-
gle as we will, we who are not engaged
in tilling the soil will never solve the
nroblems that confront the farmer un-
less the foundation of our endeavors
are laid at the farm and the farmer
educated to properly care for and con-
duct the organization as real business
farmers.
This is the method followed in or
ganizing the Farmers Union of Maine
and we are hoping that other states
will follow our lead and that Of the
California Fruit Exchange. We have
established 50 local units, wholesale
grain house, distributing houses in
Boston and New York City; erected %
shipping houses, % grain stores, SIX
grocery stores and our business this
season will amount to over one million
dollars. We have kept steadily to work,
never loosing sight of the fact that the
movement would spread to other states
and finally that there would be ma
tional union or federation made up OF
real farmers representing state central
ORGANIZATIONS and local unions.
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