Arizona republican., 1921-11-20
EXPERIENCES CT OTHERS

EAT 1 V
 While the Farm Bureau is pretty much in the spotlight today. let us not forget that farmers of old had just such troubles aS we experience nowadays and that as soon as meth ods of communication, such as better roads and the mails, were we'll enough in use to facilitate the ex- change of ideas. the farmers began to get together for their common good.
 The Grange was established shortly after the civil war and owing to the general unrest of the times, had a fertile field in which to grow. At the age of eight years it had over three quarters of a million members, but six years later it had shrunk to about one hundred thousand.
 The purpose of this article Is to show some light on why Farm Bu- reau predecessors either have lost their once robust strength or have gone out of existence, that we may profit thereby. The Grange, the AL liance, and the Farmers Union are of their platforms are quite similar to ours.
 The Grange failed mainly because of poor business methods in handling | it's organization and managing its various cooperative enterprises. | Members were taken in in such num- bers that the order lacked means of educating the new members along safe and sane lines. Also their dues
 were small and sufficient money was not available to employ competent men to handle their cooperative ven- l tures, Hotheads often gained control
 to the detriment of its business af- | fairs.
 | The Farmers Alliance fostered many cooperative enterprises, but its l downfall resulted from the fact that | it went into politics. Its dues were
 low and though the national organ . l ization should have received s5O.OOO
 a year from it's state organizations peak, yet that year 1t received less than fourteen thousand dollars, which 1 was the result of two loose an organ l ization. leaving the national body to- day figurehead only.
 The Farmers Union appears to have profited from many of the mis- takes made by the earlier farmer as- sociations. It has avoided politics as | much as possible and though its CO., operative efforts have never met with disastrous failure, as did the Grange S | bankrupt agricultural machinery fac tories. yet it's success seems to be
 somewhat nomadic in that it thrives in some states for time. then loses strength there, but springs into new ani stronger life in other states Kan | sas, Oklahoma and Nebraska appear to be it's stronghold just now. IT many states the union Las practi-
 cally died out, while some of the local cooperative enterprises it fostereo are in a thriving condition today. This
 being the case. the Farmers Union is
 weaker nationally than if they hae
 kept their local alive and interested
 Another drawback they had in com
 mon with other earlier organizations
 was not sufficient funds to employ
 enough competent business and lega
 advisers, nor even good office man. agers. Therefore they have ofter
 made mistakes that have cast baci
 their reflection.
 If the Farm Bureau is to profit by
 the experiences of it's predecessors 1t seems that these are the lessons i should learn:
 First-Stay out of direct politics. | Second-The need of enough none, to pay good salaries to experts t ,l conduct a big program.
 Third-Keep local units alive ans ' active.
 ,I Fourth-The absolute necessity O business methods in directing tn , policies of the organization.