The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-11-07
BARRETT SEES DANGER
IN RADICAL LEADERS
Warns Farmers If Alliance With
Labor Is Made Bad Men
Will Get Control

There has been, and still is, an
effort on foot to draw the farmers
unions of the country into the fold of
the labor unions. The labor~unions
themselves being in the grip of the
most socialistic, not to say anarchis-
y, groups, the farmers would then
0e allied with, and controlled by, the
most dangerous element in our coun-
try at this time.
Foreseeing this, President Charles
Barrett, of the National Farmers
Union, who has been member of the
Industrial Conference in Washington
which has failed Co reach any salts
factory agreement, has issued a
warning address to the farmers of
the nation, a part of which we pro-
duce below:
The failure of the industrial con-
ference to accomplish any concrete
thing throws the whole question of
an offensive and defensive alliance
between all constructive forces of the
country against the common enemy
of extremism, back to the people. 1t
places the question where it was be-
fore the conference assembled and
leaves an adjustment to the indivi-
dual and collective common sense.
common honesty and common patrio-
tlsm Of the people. Where shall a
beginning be made, if not with the
sturdy sons of the soil? Who shall
take the initiative in composing the
differences between the contending
elements if not the farmers?
And if such composition proves
impossible, who shall lead in the de-
tense of the nations integrity, if not
the farmer?
Structure Rocking
The boat is rocking. Only a will
fully blind man will doubt this. The
structure is shaking. Only he who
would allow his hops to blind his
judgement will deny this. | am not
among those who believe that revo-
luton and all its horrors are upon
US. l do not believe the American
people If given few moments to
think will even allow themselves to
be beguiled into making a violent as
sault upon our institutions. But no.
body can deny that all the essentials
for revolt are here, that the fires
are smouldering and that in some
places even the flames can be seen
mounting skyward.
g In this crisis in the nations history
the farmer must get to the helm
and he must say at the helm until
the ship of state is brought safely
into the haven of rest. He has done
this before. He did it when the nation
was in extremes during the revolu-
tionary war, and when the ragged and
starved soldiers of Washington held
on until CORVALLIS was forced to
surrender. He can and will do it in
q the midst of this war of human pas
slons, human resentments, greed and
intolerance.
l am not making this appeal to
men who have experienced one hun
dred per cent of the nations graf
itude for the services they performed
in every war, for the salvation they
brought to this country through de-
votlon and sacrifice. | have no IL
lusions in these respects. | know that
the farmer has been exploited in
every way possible, by all sorts and
conditions of men. He has been plum
dered and deceived and if his RICH
teous resentment has not taken a
violent form it is because he knows
that his nation, as whole, is sound
to the core and its internal enemies
are its superficial thinkers, or it's vi
clous and unpatriotic citizens.
But the time has come when every
resource that the farmer has must
be used in keeping the boat from
turning turtle and in saving for our
children and our children's children
the rich heritage that our father
farmers secured for us.
Open threats of revolution are
made in many places. In New York
right under the noses of che authori-
ties they hold meetings in which they
display the red flag of revolution and
threaten the country with bolshevism
They sing songs in which they laud
revolt while they in concert ridicule
? and execrate the American flag.
Shall the farmers of this nation per-
nit any such propaganda to grip the
country? Shall we not by example
and precept force the nation to take
its nourishment at the fountain head
of pure democracy?
The boat is rocking it has threat
ened more than once to overturn.
Unrest must be pacifed or it will be
intensified until it will find expression
in some acts of violence which might
result in nationwide bloodshed and
IN mob tyranny, most dreaded of all
forms of tyranny.
Farmers Qualified to Direct
l am not appealing to the farmers
because l believe them to owe a
greater debt of gratitude to their