The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1919-06-19
NORTHWEST FARMERS
erRoNG FOR FEDERATION.
Great Convention at Spokane
last Week Marks Big Ad-
vance Step for Agricul-
turists.

The following condensed stor
of the epoch marking farmers
convention last week is takel
from the Spokesman-Re Review AM
a;ves a fair idea of the magnitud
Of this movement for federation
of all farmers organizations:
Spokane. June 12.-'We are go
;ne to federate the farm organiza
tions of the United States and WI
are going to build temple O
agriculture in Washington, D. G.
declared Charles S. Barrett, presi
dent of the Farmers Union Of
America, one Of the principle
sneakers at the farmers conven
ton which started yesterday
morning. This was the keynote
Of all the convention speeches
yesterday.
Fully 2OOO farmers from all
over the northwest, many accom-
panied by their wives, filled the
main floor of the armory and re-
NAMED an interested audience
from the time the program start
ed at 10 80 a. m. till its conclus-
ion at 6 p. m.
Barrett s Speech Hit.
Mr.. Barrett. who was the first
speaker on the afternoon pro-
gram, had everyone in the hall
with him in his hour-long address.
His dry humor kept the hall rock
ing with merriment. When at
last he said he had talked long
enough and must give way to the
other speakers who were dying
to be heard, there were cries of
"No. no. -
Much Of Mr.. Barrett s talk was
Of numerous description Of his
trip abroad to secure the adop-
ton Of an international bureau Of
agriculture as part of the plan OF
the league of nations.
~ have never told you lie,
said Mr.. Barrett. When | tell
you this federation is going to be
put through | mean it. If some
parts Of the country do not help
others will. This does not mean
that the farmers union will swal-
low up the grange or that the
grange will swallow up the farm
ers' union. 1t means that each
will retain its own organizations
and individual freedom, but that
we will all work together on the
things on which we are all agreed.
"Ten years ago labor was a
joke, as big joke as you are to-
day. What makes the difference?
They have gotten together into
one compact, wellorganized asso-
citation. Has Sam Gompers and
his crowd done any more for
America than you farmers? No:
but he gets more recognition be-
cause labor is organized.
cit is easier for you farmers to
get things than for any other. class
Of people. Why? Because, IN the
first place, there are more OF you
when you get together and, in the
second place, you don t ask things
that are not fair and reasonable.
Cover there hundreds of influ-
ential men were waiting Tor
hearing at the peace conference.
Most Of them didn't get it. You
wouldn It have got it if you hadn
been organized. You received ~
cents more a bushel for your
wheat than you would have II IT
hadn't been for the national
board of farm organizations.
Deny it If you can. The man who
does is liar and I know it. |
am not mad. l Just want to be
emphatic. (Laughter).
Points to Union Labor.
eve are going to have mag
nificent building in Washington,
where each state can have offices.
Labor has one now in Washing.
ton Labor is in the League OF
Nations. Do you know why? Be
cause it's leaders raised hell and
threatened to raise more hell II
they didn't get what they want
ed. They got it. Now, the farm
er isn't going to raise hell, but
he is going to get what he goes
after because il. is right and be-
cause he is going to get together
"The only thing that holds
back federation is jealousy and
selfishness, not ignorance, just
plain lowdown meanness. Where
you find any one blocking the
move you will find in 999 times
out of 1000 that that fellow has
a job to lose. I have told audi !
ences all over this country that
the Pacific northwest held more
great, big broad-minded men, In
proportion to population, than !
any other part of the country.
n n\