The Ward County independent., 1921-02-24
FRANK KAISER, BERTHOLD
FARMER ANSWERS CRITICISM
OF Il. w. BElGHLE
Ward County Independent:

Ward County Independent:
Dear Sirs:
am sending the following letter
in answer to the article published in
the recent issue Of your paper entitled
"The Farm Bureau, is it what we want
it to be?"
In the Feb. Srd issue of the Ward
County Independent letter appeared
criticising the Ward County Farm
Bureau for not adopting resolution
at the annual meeting, asking the
State Legislature to grant the appro-
priations asked for by the Attorney
General.
do not wish to question the sin
cerity of the party who proposed the
resolution, as believe he took such
action thinking, it to be to the best in
terests to the farmers and undoubt-
edly he has done lot of good work
in their interests.
Nor do l wish to make any COM
ment on the merits of the request
made by the Attorney General or the
Legislators in their refusal to grant
his request, but / do feel that the
resolution as presented was Of poll
ticai nature, and would if passed have
been an expression Of support to one
political party, or at least would have
been regarded as such by those who
opposed granting the appropriation.
The Farm Bureau is composed of
members of all political parties, all
sects and creeds. 1t adopted an open
policy, which in no small measure has
been responsible for it's large men,
bership-that of keeping out Of poll
tics, and steering straight course
with one purpose in mind-the devel-
opment of better agriculture.
think it would be unwise for the Ward
County unit to deviate from that pol
icy.
Since the birth of the Farm Bureau
idea thru its development until now,
43 states in the Union are affiliated
in one great institution with an en-
rollment of more than 2,O0O,00 farm
ers. This organization has kept free
from politics. 1t has attained its
enormous growth largely because its
members have not been split on any
political issue; has no office seekers
to cater, to, but stands as the great
est farmers organization, whose pur'
poses and objects are broad, con-
structive and helpful to all humanity.
The sponsor of the resolution said
that it was not political but economic
1t is true that the legislation which
the resolution sought to influence in.
wolves economics, but the resolution
was distinctly political. The voters
of the state and Of this county are de-
cidedly split on the merits of the leg,
islation in question.
believe that the members of the
Farm Bureau should take part in poll
tics as individuals or with their re.
spective parties, but we should unite
on a common ground on the principles
of the Farm Bureau which all men
regardless of political affiliations car
support.
AS long as we can keep the Farm
Bureau free from politics, it will be
successful and the quickest way thai
we can kill it will be to inject politics
If you will study the history of thu
cooperative associations of the Wes
coast, where the farmers have revolu
tionized their marketing systems ant
as a result brought prosperity, bet
ter educational institutions, better
homes, and in general made the bust
IlCSS VI A0AHAA5 PAVAVoOASs W. wa
find that their organizations had moth
ing to do with politics and were pure
ly economical. In this way only wer'
they able to get the cooperation ant
support of all the farmers and all mel
whose business was dependent on tn
prosperity of the farmers.
The president of the Ward Count!
Farm Bureau is to be commended TO-
doing all that was in his power t.
guide the organization free of politica
entanglements. He did not ignor
the resolution, however, but used hi
right and ruled against it as being O.
political nature and having no plac'
in the Farm Bureau. He then callet
for a vote on his ruling which wa!
upheld by the convention, showing
that large majority Of the member:
thought that the resolution was Of ;
political nature.
Signed: FRANK j. KAISER,
Berthold, N. Oak