The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-03-09
INSULTED THE FARMERS

America are in the midst of some
| thing like an upheaval. 1t is one
of those waves of cooperation that
enables people to discover their real
strength as they usually do in a
crisis, and if they go on exercising
their powers If may result in great
achievement for the west.
The Canadian farmers have been
organizing for several years to pro-
tect themselves in various ways, and
they are doing an immense amount
of business thru their organization.
They have lines of elevators and
warehouses, representing investments
Of millions of dollars, and so elastic
is their system that members can
store crops, draw partial values on
it, sell it any day, have it shipped
if they prefer, or take it back and
use it, and they are growing quite
chesty in the exercise of their rights
and powers.
A couple of years ago the farmers
of North Dakota saw that their legis-
lature had been fooling them as to
some of its duties, and they sent 100
men to the capital to press them for
action regarding the submission of
a certain constitutional amendment.
They were given a hearing but were
treated with slight courtesy and
there was a disposition to dismiss
them as of little importance. One
of the legislative leaders became
testy about their demands and
figuratively told them where to head
in. In fact he spilled over so crude
ly as to say to them, go back home
and slop your hogs"
In doing that he started some
thing. Those farmers walked out
and proceeded to slop the biggest
bunch of hogs they had ever done
business with. They hired hall and
held council, and 100 men pledged
themselves to get busy with the slop-
ping. They organized the hog-slop-
pers in every county in the state,
bought automobiles, hired lecturers,
and organizers, tied up with the
friendly newspapers of the state,
pushed the stopping business for a
year and half and elected farmers
to the legislature and hog-raiser,
j. Lynn Frazier, for governor. When
he was nominated in the convention
and the committee rang him on the
long distance phone to tell him of
1t and to secure his acceptance, his
wife answered the phone, and said,
well, I'll have to go and call him.
He is out stopping the hogs" At
the November election he won over
hic Inv IF -
to one, and the old gang that had
been running the affairs of state
found themselves showed under. 1t
all dated back to that one rash
address in which one of them said
to the farmers committee, go home
and slop your hogs"
In Montana the sheepmen have
been uniting to keep the brokers
from fleeing them on their wool
sales, and for two or three years the
spirit Of "slop the hogs has been
bringing them together till they have
become a powerful factor in the leg
stature and state government. One
If their number is looked up to as
he boss of the bunch, and a man
hey cannot afford to ignore when
hey want to accomplish something.
In eastern Washington and north
I'm Idaho the farmers have been
uccessful in handling vast amount
# wheat in their own warehouses.
n southwestern Idaho, The Grange
las bound the farmers together in
strong working body, and in the
outheast the Society of Equity. In
he Twin Falls country they hold in
titutes and conventions for mutual
enefit and go out and work indie ,
evidently along the same lines. In
Bingham county they have reasoned
long the same lines and reached
imilar conclusions acting independ-
ntly, but at the polls and in their {
usiness management they have
loved pretty much as body and !
ave decided many matters that are II
sually mapped out and decided by
Tiers.