Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-24
What Two Million
Farmers Want
Ry Frederic J. Hask1s

Washington, d. c., Dec. 24.--Two
million farmers organized into national
sssocic ton with headquarters in Wash
| inpton constitute one Of the interesting
| new political factors which hive grown
| uu since the last time we elected presi-
| dent.
New political organizations, mostly
Of liberal or radical type, are becoming
| numerous. A Labor party an Liberty
| party hive been created recently, Bnd
| have made plans for conventions. There
| Is also a more or less political organlza-
| ton of soldiers. Now comes 20 the tore
| n national farmers organization when
| appearn to have real strength, and whlch
| tells Congress very plainly what u wants
| Big business is and always has been wen
| though lneonsplcuousiy organized lot pp-
| litical purposes. Little business lifts up
| voice Of growing volume through various
| associations. The only thing we lack "
n National Association Of Small-sa'aflcd
| Consumers. A call IS hereby issued Tor
| n convention to be held rs soon aa possible
and wherever the local lunch room pro
| prietors will guarantee the delegates
| five-cent milk and ten-cent PIC.
nrg ORGANIZATIONS.
Returning to the two million farmers,
| of Fartn Organizations. There are said
| TO be only about seven mill on real land
owning farmers IN the United States, 50
YOU can see that this organization speaks
for nearly a third Of them all. II was
formed back in 1917 when the necessities
of wartime production brought the officefs
Of many minor farm or9anI1o tons TO
Washington, whore they got to know
each other and learned To get along with
each other n little better than formerly.
For farmers are additionally poor
organizers One of the few things the
farmer has Is independence. he n IN
sulated from contaet with ms heighbord
by what the poet calls his broad acres.
He Is not used To maklng concessions 10
anyone else ; D ont of view because hc
has never hal to tloso. RE Is independent
and sell-reliant, and like most people
with those qualities, he IS also suspicious
and oplnIouatcd.
1T least that IL the traditional psychosIs
of the farmer. To some extent, no doubt,
it Is the actual one. But the farmers
! have always had organizations, and have
always done good work with them ne
National Grange has had appreciab!e
effects tIpon legislation and It has recently
| opened a national headquarters, too.
It hay confined It8 activities mostly 70
such non-controversial subjects as good
roads and rural education.
THIS ncw organization Is significant
for two reasons In the hrst place = y
m aggregation Of organizations mostly
COOP ratfye societies Whldh nave Deen
growing IN number amazingly during
recent ynars That cooperative move
ment % which people everywhere are
turning for relief from the high living
YYrEt 81 or
country than IL has in tho city Wnle
IN the eities consumer + tgle Or
community store hos succeeded here and
there. the cooperative movement - stu
an experiment. In the country " is an
established TACT Of life. The farmers,
who arc supposed 10 he incapable 81
organizing, are now organized aii over Inc
:. country both for buying and tor selling
The Farmers Educational and CO-dpera-
/ tive Union OF America, for example, ~
/ lust one Of about dozen organizations
which make ~ the national board has
/ union has twenty-five state organiZa~
tons and several thousand local chapters.
/ The purpose Of this association Is to get
/ better prices for produce and 70 ouy
/ supplies at lower prices by communal
effort Other member organizations 0i
| the board include the National Milk
4
/ Dairy Union, the Federation Of jewish
i Farmers OF America and the Corn Belt
! Meat Producers Association.
All OF these. and all OF the other organi-
! cations back al the board are co-opera-
/ tive societies for buying or for selling or
i for both The board represents the
/ gatherirgup Of all tins cooperative energy
INTO an effort 0i national scope.
no PROMOTE COOPERATION.
rs first ard primary purpose * to
promote cooperation. TO this end, {
has made its first great political fight
] for the Cappeg-HeIsmaa bill. his
j measure IS designed 10 remove tr om
/ farmers cooperative organizations the
/ restraints which the Sherman antitrust
/ law PLACES upon al organizations that
operate IN interstate trade IAe laE-
/ tsa act, amending the Sherman at
| specifically eXemDtcd from the operation
of tie antitrust law fa~megs oFganlza-
/ tons which had no capital ard were not
otepfated for profit. But some Of these
o. CARNATIONS haze an operating capital
! They want a clear field 70 work IN inter
| state commerce. The CappeT- -deT TsInan
measure will give them thus. Il will be
a bold candidate who refuses TO endorse
| this bill.
This board Of farm organizations IS
re..lIy live political organization. 1t
is the rural equivalent q the American
/ Federation of Labor The federation
| has recognized this fact hy asking the
national board to affiliate with it. The
two organizations have been flirting
gracefully with each other for some tune.
| The question whether It should affiliate
with the la6or organization was referred
! Nv the board to its member orgarlza-
tons. They refrained from asting upon
II rather than give labor 4 direct snub.
So the afiliation did not come about. Bet
it Is emphasized that the atmosphere
| between the two organizations Is distinctly
friendly
Thefe a re few more significant things