South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-21
SOME FEAR NEW
ORGANIZATIONS
In Majority of Cases Reliable
Men are at Head of the
Movements.
News-Times Special Service (.
rDw nAT Hn

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, March q.
The farmers Of Indiana are organ
ling in a way never attempted be-
fore in this state. Rumor has il
that much of the organization is for
political purposes, while other rumor
has IL that the purposes are purely
in the interests OF the farming in
dustry IN the state. In this city the
word IL being passed around by both
big political parties that the organ
ization is a good thing. Ii is known
here that in many localities in the
state the organization Is extending
down TO as small units as the town
ships. In the vast majority Of in
stances. apparently, men of high type
are assisting in the organization
work. In some localities. however. il
is feared that INSCRIPTIONS leaders,
who are interested only in obtaining
power for themselves, are at the
head of the new movement.
Some state officials here are view
ing the new organization-or at least
parts of with alarm, while other
state officials believe that such a
widespread organization will be Of
intense value TO the farming and
other interests Of the state. The re-
cent session Of the Indiana legisla-
ture brought out the fact hat some
OF the farmers new organizations in
central Indiana are dominated al
ready by unsCrupulous men. who
came 10 the legislature as lobbyists,
aYowedly to defeat all legislation
that might be in the least inimical
10 their own interests. Some legis-
latOrs, who came in contact with
this movement, said the leaders in
particular localities were men who
could not be trusted far with power
in their hands.
Purposes Are Vague.
The announced purposes OF the or
Ganization are extremely vague and
thus far the newspapers of the state
generally apparently have kept
hands off. One good view of the or
g~anization is to n effect hal such
an organization will 20 far towards
stopping any possible increase in
b%olshevistic tendencies in the 3,O00,-
600 population of Indiana.
it has been known for a long
time that the farming element in
Indiana represented perhaps 60 per-
cent OF the voting population. With
such a political lever in hand n
single party would be assured of vic
tory. According to the underground
talk hat is being heard at intervals
here. it is q nice race between the
democrats and republicans in many
local communities for the plum of
control of this new organization.
That it will affiliate with the strong
farmer-leaders Of each OF the two
parties seems certain. The great
livestock meeting here today was
pointed 10 as one of the concrete
evidences Of farmers renewed aotiv-
ity in Indiana since the war clouds
have ceased to lower.
There are many here who are
watching the organization OF the
farmers closely. Some feel that it
may be a reflex of the great farmers
organization in the northwest. which
has attracted u~nfavcrable comment.
Among these are officials who have
been charged during the period OF
the war with watching costs of all
kinds to the There is a
report being circulated here that the
new farmers organizations are being
brought together for the sole pur-
pose of fixing prices, and if this
proves true. the organization quickly
would work to promote social unrest
and bolshevism among the varied in
terests of n country which are not
agricultural in character. Central
Indiana at present seems to be the
hOt-bed of the organizations,
although the ramifications already
are extending far into other corners
of the state.