The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-21
NATIONAL farm BUREAU
PROSPECT OF SOCIETY
GROWING LARGER
GOpHfRSTATs INTEREST
Reference To Townleyism Gre.
ated Some Stir in Chicago
- iGg4 Gathering

ta's utilization With the National
Farm Bureau federation, organized
here last .week, while impossible for
at leaSsla lear. hinges on member
ship drives IN the various counties,
accordingJ TO delegates from thai
6. v. Allen returned to Winnebago.
X. l.. Scott to BOrup, and H. ]. Farm
er TO Airlie. These three were the
only accredited delegates who re-
NAMED for the closing session. f. E.
Balmer, state leader of county agents
who sat with the delegates in the abb
sence Of ID. NJ. Bendixen of Morgan.
returned to st. Paul
All members of the delegation re-
sret an unfortunate incident in con-
nection with the convention in which
the. NDnpartisan League figured.
Tuesday afternoon. after much time
had been devoted ytoo discussion loof
how the federation was to be financ-
ed. Frank %! Odeli, research director
of the Cspper farm Publications. sug-
gested that the ifnAncial plan / fol,
lowed by Che league in North Dakota
might be studied with profit. He
closed his remarks. by expressing the
hope that the Farm Bureau organiza.
ton would never. accept a cent from
Public houid Not Be Confused.
One, Of the principal anxieties on
the part Of all delegates is that the
public should not become confused
as to the attitude IT had taken to-
ward partisan politics. All were
agreed that affiliation with any or
ganization of a, political aspect was
decidedly fnadvisable. Mr. Odelrs
remarks We're passed over with slight
notice until late Thursday afternoon,
his statement hadS been miseonstrued
into condemnation of the lea que
by the convention.
To counterfeit this report, Mime
sotans requested Y of Mr.. Odell TO
Introduce resolution explaining the
circumstances and specifically putting
the convention on record as neither
indorsing nor opposing any political
faction, but extending a welcome to
all farmers, regardless of their party
affiliations.
Opinions Are Divided.
Opinion as to the stability of the
organization is divided. A. ID. Will,
son. chief of the Extension Division
of the Minnesota Agricultural col
lege, and Andrew Boss, vice director,
both Of whom have been closely con-
nected with farm bureau work in
Minnesota, think the movement as
now constituted is simply another ef-
fort to organize farmers on a bigger
scale than heretofore started.
Like other similar movements 1t is
likely to experience difficulty be-
cause it was urged and, in reality, put
over by enthusiastic, leaders before
the. members of the county and state
farm bureaus and gained a full un-
derstanding and control of the small
.er units or knowledge of the OBJ
jects of the national organization,
they said.
Minnesota's accredited delegates,
on the other hand, were pleased with
the general trend of the connection,
respectfully by the stand for the econ
omic bettermenh of agriculture and
the refusal to enter political entan-
kglements.
Minnesota Men Were There.
Minnesota delegates, however, took
little active part in the closing ses-
sions,, because they found the finan-
cial basis such as to make immedi-
ate utilization, impossible. When the
state organization becomes stronger
and the membership has been mate
rally increased, it probably will join
the national body, BY that time it
will have become stabilized and
parts OF the constitution to which
Minnesota objected will have been
amended to a mora enuitable basis
H. ]. Farmer is convinced that the
method of organizing the governing
body will be changed.
The present basiss-is on farm bu-
reau membership. and he /fav\'s and
voted for one state one vote"
plan. He takes his position be-
cause it is the principle on which all
successful cooperative enterprises
are conducted
Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Ross headed a
delegation of Minnesota agricultur-
alists who left last evening for home.
Others were Dean r. w. Thatcher of
the Minnesota agricultural college, e.
NJ. Freemanl and Professor J. d.
Black and WI. Cavert.,. All had
peen attending : national. conventions
engaged in Similar lines of work
from all, parts Of the United States.
During the week, Chicago has enter
tanned delegates to five national farm
those attending the American Farm
-