The Ordway new era., 1921-02-25
FARMERS VIEW
OF THE BUREAU
By E. A. SAWYER
Motor Route A. Colorado Springs


motor Route A. Colorado Springs
am often asked the question.
what is the farm bureau?" The
iarm bureau is an organization hay-
ing as Its purpose the betterment of
conditions affecting the farmer. It has
definite program Of work which is
Deing taken up by tho state, county
ana community organizations. Each
community adopts program accord
ing TO Its needs. The needs of the
various communities may differ some
wnat, ana SO 1t is left to each COM
"umlty TO adopt its program of work.
This is the fundamental idea of the
farm bureau which we are trying to
get before those who have not vet he
come members of this great organizo-
tion.
In the programs of the yarious
communities, some ore countrywide.
some statewide and some nation
wide, This is why we must have q
county farm bureau, state farm
bureau and natioAAl farm bureau
federation. Some will say, "But
why go to all this trouble for the
Deneht OF agriculture? 1t is the back
bone of tho nation and has stood the
test OF years and when things get
back to normal it will be all right"
While the back bone of agriculture
is so badly fractured is the proper
t1me to remedy che trouble. We
want to be absolutely sure that our
interests will be all right in the fut-
ure. and the farm bureau is the one
medium thru which our interests can
be safeguarded.
Not until there is more complete
organization of tho farming interests
Will the farmer reap the reward to
which he is justly entitled and be
placed on an equal footing with other
organized industries. Practically all
other industries are organized and by
their organizations they have shown
their strength. The laborer sets the
price of his hire and he gets it be-
cause he has an organization back of
him. The section men CT the railroads
ere organized and pay into the treas
ury of their organization dues
amounting to $14 per member. The
membership fee of the farm bureau
. is only SIS per year. Only five dollars
10 help put on sound footing the na-
tion's biggest, life-sustaining indust-
ry!
| A railroad section foreman said to
me: "Our dues arc little high and
some of the men grumble. They seem
1 to think that things will run them
selves, but we wiser ones know better
We know that in. our organization
there is strength, and that we must
have men of brains to represent US on
the committees which we keep al
Washington to look after our. inter-
1 Nrtr D1F~ z~~..x
were getting $1.4O for 10 hours
s hours work"
So it does seem that wo farmers
should take lesson from the section
men. We do not ask for or believe
in any special class legislation for the
farmer, but we do want square deal
Tho farmer has acted the part of the
''goat" long enough and it is time for
him to stand on his own feet.
The readjustment which we are
now undergoing should be lasting
lesson to every farmer of this count
ry. When tho tide changed, the pro
ducers were the first hit and we have
been hit mighty hard. I am firmly
of the opinion that had the farmers
boen organized as are other indust-
ries that we would not be facing the
conditions chat havc been brought
\ upon us at this time. We were the
! first and hardest hit because we were
not organized to hold our own. When
prices began to tumble we had no
control whatever of our products
and have been compelled to sell at
whatever price was offered us. Are
we going to be content to go along
in the same old way, keeping in the
same deep rut while the other indus
tries of the universe continue to prof
1t by our short comings?
Let's get behind the farm bureau
and give it our undivided support. 1t
is holding out helping hand to us
and what has been accomplished thru
ether organizations can be accom-
plished thru the farm bureau if the
farmers will only get behind 1t with
their moral and financial support.
The support of every farmer is need
ed and / hope that the drive for
members about to be launched in
Ell Paso county will show 100 per
cent results. Let's make the farm
bureau organization in Ell Paso coun-
tNthe strongest in the state.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.