Arizona republican., 1921-03-05
Farms Bureau Movement Gains
 Impetus In Maricopa County

Adrm bureau movement in Mart n,,r. eounty Is gaining in impetus and 1, ~ icai strength to the point where ,.t,., soon expected to be of the most ,s s.al s..' ,mportance to Maricopa county f.'a .'.urc; ..u,s; and through agriculture, to
 ise American Farm Bureau Eeda,..- .son mas in one years s time, become the .,lost Y important agricultural factor and se strongest agricultural organization Sver attempted. When one considers .nae the present agricultural conditions gre responsible, more than any other L1sor, Tor depressed business, since the ouying power of 60,000, ,0O0 agricultural people of the United States has been curtaiied to the point where industries 1epending upon the buying public have Deen materially slowed down. the i'm portance of the farm bureau movement to the country as whole is realized. farticularly in the east and middle west has this movement gained head way, though at present every state in the union has either organized or has requested organization and affiliation with the American Farm Bureau Fed eration.
 The present campaign in Maricopa county started Monday. February 2s witn a rousing meeting in the Madison uistrlct- Since that time meetings have been held in Mesa, Gilbert and Chand- ier At the Madison meeting more than 100 members joined, while the Mesa Farm Bureau has at present better than 150 members The meeting at Gil- bczt was attended by over 300 farmers and the enthusiasm evidenced was such as to indicate that the Gilbert Farm Bureau will be one of the strongest in the county.
 The Chandler district already is quite we'll organized along farm bureau lines. c~ mo sl< <ss&< i Q A., suit of the meeting on Thursday night of this week. the Chandler membership IS expected to reach of 800 Despite the Tact that many farmers in the Salt River valley. as well as the rest of the United States, are in desperate finan- cial straits. there has been no evidence of any radical tendencies on the part or those attending the present series of meetings. Every talk which has been made thus far has been on con- scrvative basis and the farm bureau is being organized in this county as well as elsewhere, for constructive purposes and in no sense for destruction of le- gitimate industries
 While the organization of the farm bureau in Maricopa county is of great importance as far as the county work is concerned, the value of affiiiation with the State Federation of Farm Blu reaus is not to be overlooked During the past year, while the state Farm Bureau Federation has been active, though more or less handicapped by lack of members and active support. it has accomplished many things of value 10 the state. For example, farmers of a district in Pima county were getting on nicely a couple of years ago when certain parties representing placer min ing interests filed on a goodly acreage of farm land for placer claims The motive of these men were questioned by the farmers since many of their own number had spent considerable the country was not adapted for placer mining and that mineral deposits were not available.
 One of these farmers spent s14O00 without any return whatsoever. The matter was thrown into court with the lover courts ruling that the farmers should hold title co their land and that the placer interests should withdraw 1t was appealed until finally it was placed fin the hands of the secretary O, the interior. For more than a year I rested in that office; meanwhile the farmers made every effort to get action on the case and had sent attorneys te Washington to expedite the hearing.
 The Arizona Farm, Bureau Fedora \. ion was appealed to and within II day: xfrom the date the Washington repre- l1sentatiyes of the farm bureau received f&he communication from the Arizona
 ederation, an answer was received by the president of the Arizona Farm Blu Dfnau Federation. In this answer tn. ruling of the lower courts was in par sustained and in part reversed. some O the lands being given over to the place ineesests and some being allowed to re main in the hands of the farmers. Thi ruling did not seem just to the home steaders who held that the placer inter ests had misrepresented the facts A a result the, Arizona Farm Bureau Fed rration was enabled to get rehearinl granted which is pending at the pres ent time.
 One of the most important thing