Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-12-26
WHAT TWO MILLION FARMERS WANT-By Frederic j. Haskn

TASHNGTON, D. c., Dec. 2t.-Two mill
| Wv lion farmers organ Led into a national
association with headquarters in Wash
ington constitute one of the interesting new
political factors which have grown up since
the last time we elected president
New political organization, mostly of liberal
or radical type, are becoming numerous. A
labor party and a liberal party have been
created recently, and have made plans for con-
yentiOnS. There is also a more or less political
organization of soldiers. Row comes to the
fore national farmers organization which ap-
pears to have real strength, and which tells
congress very plainly what it wants Big bust
ness is and always has been we'll though in
Little business lifts up voice of growing vol
ume through various associations. The only
thing we lack is National Association of
Small Salaried Consumers. A call 10 hereby
possible and wherever the local lunct-room
propretorS will guarantee the delegates five
cent milk and ten-cent pie.
Returning to the two million farmers, they
are members of the National Board OF Farm
ORGANIZATIONS. There are said to be only about
seven million real land-oWning farmers in the
United States, so you can see that this organi-
cation speaks for nearly third of them all.
1t was formed back il 1917 when the neceS-
stiles of wartime production brought the Off
GERS of many minor farm organizations to
Washington, where they got to know each other
and learned to get along with each other a
little better than formerly. -e.4.,..
For farmers are trSditiolaly poor organizers.
One of the few things the farmer has is in
dependence. He is insulated from contact with
his neighbors by what the poet calls his
broad acres He is not used to making con-
cessions to anyone elSe'S point of view be-
cause he has never had to do SO. He IS in
dependent and Self-reliant, and like most people
with those qualities, he is also suspicious and
opnonated
At least that is the traditional pSychoSis of
the farmer To some extent no Doubt it is the
actual one But the farmers have always lad
organizations, and have always done good work
with them. The National Grange has had ap-
preciable effects upon Legislation, and it has
recently opened national headquarters too.
1t has confined its activities mostly to such
non-controverSial subjects as good roads and
rural education.
This new organization is significant for two
reasons. In the first place, it is an aSgrega-
ton of organizatonS-mostly cooperative So
cetes-whch have been growing in number
amazingly during recent years. That eo-opera-
tive movement to which people everywhere are
turning for relief from the high living cost has
really grown much faster in the country than
Sumets' league or community store has sue
ceeded here and there, the cooperative move
lncnt is still an experiment. In the country It
is AL established fact of life. The farmers,
izing, are now organized all over the country
both for buying and for selling The Farmers
Educational and Cooperative Union of America,
for example, is just Of about dozen Or
CARNATIONS which make up the national board
| This union has twenty-five state organizations
and several thousand local chapters. The pur-
pose of this association is to get better prices
tor produce and to buy supplies at lower
prices for communal effort. Other member or
CARNATIONS of the board include the Natiolal
Milk Producers association and the National
Dairy union, the Federation of Jewish Farmers
of America and the Corn Belt Meat Producers
/ association.
All of these, and all of the otl.ar orgahiza-
tons back of the board cooperative So
cieties for buying for selling or for both
The board rcpre3 ,nt< the gathering up Of all
this cooperative energy into an effort of ma
tonal scope! & ....3 ..... ~ ,,
Its. first and primary purpose is to promote
co-operation: To this end It has made its first
great political fight for the Capper-H ersn1an
| bill, This measure is designed to remove from
farmers' co-oneratiXe ORGANIZATIONS the restraints