The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1919-11-13

President and the government SHOULD
be as indifferent to the common wei
fare Of 100 million people as he Is.
THE dispatches say that agricul
tural organizations have refusec
TO enter into m alliance with organic
ed labor, . circumstance that reed
surprise no one. There il really very
little basis at present for harmonious
cooperation between agriculturists
and the labor unions And II ID doubt
full that such basis will exist whom
agriculture shall have become = COM
plstely organized industry, Just at
the present time, labor Is demanding,
and seeking TO enforce such demands,
lower food prices, higher wages and
fewer working hours. Agriculture
will never be found striving for any
such program as that. The conditions
under which our basic industry flour
ishes are no. at all opposite with the
conditions which organized labor seeks
10 establish. Agriculture. for In
stance, would never agree to support
traffic tieups. Only few weeks ago
q railroad strike In California for
time threatened TO ruin the fruit and
vegetable growers OF Southern Calf
ornin. Can one imagine the fruit
growers and gardeners Of that or any
State willing 10 have their perishable
products ruined for lack Of facilities
TO reach the markets promptly? Hard
~. Organized labor would starve 20
death In record time II the farmers OF
the world were to put the eight-hour
Law into effect, And the whole wor,,l
would b. In sore straiRhts II the farm
ers were to hold control Of the food
they produce until Cher branches OF
human activity complied with It's m
bitrsry demands. Happily for hu-
msnity, the farmers have never adopt
ed brutal methods In their Efforts to
secure justice. no doubt, they 'rld
have disciplined some Of their OPP
pressors II they had possessed better
facilities Of organization, but ~
rule they have endured much injus-
ties and many pr,vations in patience,
awaiting the hnrhasard Of event. to
bring them prosperity. so often de-
lsyed. II 10 doubtful II tbs Americs n
Federation Of Labor would find It easy
to Assimilste into the currents Of is
existence thoroughly organized agri- !,
culture. At present some 1900. 900
members are enrolled in the constit-
uent bodies Of the Federation. What
would Mr. Gompers and his associates
do with an organized agricultural
grodp OF $4,000 900 essentially OPP
posed to strikes Of any kind what
soever? And consider the character
Of the agricultural population. II is ,
strongly individualistic, strongly un-
soeialistic. strikingly independent in
Its political and economic action, al
ways patient In times Of distress as
compared with the impulsivc and inn
patient action Of the industrial groups. 7
Remember. too. that the agricultural
group, through responsive at times to
leadership OF poor quality. seeks its
remedies rather through the orderly
and established process Of civilization
than through manifestations of physi-
cal strength exerted without the law !
or in eontravention Of the rights Of
the public Remember. too, that there Y
is an element Of homogeneity In sxri-
culture, at least in sectional sense.
whereas In the industrial centers there
Is Babel Of tongues, manifested at
times in variety 81 furics. tyranaies
and class hatreds. So far from p(sc-
ing American agriculture under the y
thumb Of Mr.. Gompers and his cabi-
net, X has not been possible even to
organize the industry in a national
sense. There have been small groups ,
70 organize here and there. but no
farmer or community Of farmers read
iIy yields Individual discretion and :
prsrDgativss 70 organization. Even
where agricultural organization has
been effected. the element Of allegi-
ance. 50 comrnon 20 the trades. is not
implicit, and the Wild a9itator IS al
ways at disadvantage IN securing
the unquessionin1 loyalty tina. men
like Fitzpatrick and Poster temporary
ny obtain among their followers. The
farmers must be Shown and convinced,
even when they are radical and revolt
u&iouary An agricultural radical Il
conservative compared with some Of
~ labor Leaders, for farmer even I
whsn radical = eonStructivsIy 70, and I