The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-09
BARRETT ISSUES GARD

Union President
Farmers Educational and Cooperative
Union of America:
During all the years that have served
as your president it has been one OF my
cherished dreams to see a close reorgan-
fzation among the different societies
throughout the country which represent
the farmer.
For the last seven years may say this
has been an obsession with me- 1 have
thought it and talked it and dreamed it.
In fact, il the dream had not come true
l was in serious danger of becoming a
monomaniac on this question. But the
dream has come true.
1t is with the profoundest pleasure that
at the meeting held in Washington dur
Ing the presen4 week at which a numb er
of these farmers associations were rep
resented an agreement was entered into
under the name of the Federal Board
of Farm Organizations with an Office
already opened in Washington and un-
der this agreement when measures come
up which directly bear upon the interest
of our farmers, the combined strength
of the organized farmers of the country
can be exerted as one man.
We have at last made long start to-
ward tremendous success. 1t will not
do, however, for us to sit down and fold
our hands contenedly with the idea that
we have nothing to do but to open our
mouths and let the huckleberry drop In
Much arduous and earnest labor lies
ahead of us. The organized farmers OF
America ought to mean all the farmers
of America, and that is the end towards
which we must strive with redoubied en-
ergy and zeal now that we know that
the different divisions of the army are
cooperating jointly in all important mat
tiers.
/ would not be doing my duty by you II
did not warn you of the vital fact that
great enterprises are often wrecked by
little things, and that means that We
must be externally on our guard not tc
let these little causes of friction and
these little errors creep in which result
in destruction of the big things we are
trying to do. 1t is permissible to re-
call some of these small things which
have resulted disastrously. The temple
of Diana at Ephesus was said to have
been the most beautiful structure in tn,
ancient world. An utterly insignificant
and contemplate person desiring t.
achieve notoriety, struck a torch to tina
wonderful building and it was destroyed
by fire. This worthless individual wa
able to destroy a building which had
taken the greatest genius of the worlt
to produce in an hours time to CRAFTY
a diseased Imagination.
ouAftLL JDLtI11NlN1lNu
One or two rat holes in the Mississippi
ievees have time and again carried de-
struction to crops worth millions. A lit
tie more than three years ago mar
and woman were assassinated in little
Bosnia town. Neither one of these per
sons was of any transcendent genius OF
of any great value to the world, but this
murder was seized upon and made an &C.
casion for the frightful war which is now
desolating the world which has cost mil
lions and millions of lives and untold bill
lions of treasure. A fit of temple OF
the part of bad woman some two hun.
bred and odd years ago caused Franc,
to wage bloody war. These instance,
might be repeated indefinitely. Lin,
fences, two dollar pigs worthless hount
dogs, chickens over the neighbours fenc,
and like utterly insignificant things hav,
disrupted families, neighborhoods and
churches.
I cite these things to you because I
may happen that we will be more in dan
ger from the little things which peopl,
do without thought than we are likely
to be from the big things, for with the
big things people generally take thought
Let US therefore. be loyal to the new
order; let US rejoice in the accomplish
ment of great work well done; let III
as members of the component parts o.
this great new organization do our par,
in unstinted measure, and if we do this
the day is not far distant when we will
realize the fruits Of our years of toll In
the cause of practical cooperation among