The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-03-14

The big twelve of the Ohio Farm
Bureau federation present their pic
lures and a few cogent arguments in
favor of farm bureau organizations, in
full page of the March IL number of
the National Stockman and Farmer,
of Pittsburg The group pictured is
that of the executive committee, who
state that: THE men who run your
farm bureau are men from the ranks
practical farmers who know farming
problems and who realize the need
of a powerful and influential organi.
cation through which farmers can talk
and act together"
agriculture must be represented in
an effective, intelligent way-and real
farmers are the only people who can
or will represent it."
What These Leaders Promise.
Farm bureau leaders are making
no promises beyond a sincere pledge
to do the best they can. They dc
know that strong organization, clear
thinking and hard work are needed
to solve the new problems affecting
our business, which come up almost
every week. They are devoting full
time and honest effort in helping solve
these problems
The rank and file of Ohio's ruraI
population will accept this presenta
ton in the spirit in which it is made
The pledge of their executive commit
tee is all that can be reasonably asked
This is no time for the making Of
promises but for conscientious work
best, fulfillment and satisfying re
OF
future, possibly many years.
The committee states that: THE
farm bureau idea was farm born" Il
makes an appeal to all farmers to joir
at once. 1t states that $4,000 Ohio
farmers already have joined. and tina
there are over million farmers nov
in the various state memberships
Memberships Cost Millions.
At the inception of the farm fedora
ton and farm bureau organization:
the dues were small; just what the
individual townships and countie:
chose to make them. In some in
stances they were set as low as 5:
and SO per year, this being true il
Wayne county in the spring of 1920
Not so now. Five dollars per year i:
the minimum for any Indiana county
and of this sum the county bureau of
ficials must remit 50 to state head
quarters, annually. The state fedora
ton, in turn, pays a per capita mem
bership tax of so cents per memhe
to the American Federation of Farm
Bureaus, at Chicago.
1t is easy to see that the state ant
national declarations will have mil
lions of dollars on deposit, and draw
/ ing interest, within a very short time
This is clearly apparent when it il
stated that the individual membership
dues now run at from IS to SIS pc
year, in the various states. This il
| the result of the efforts of the handful
of men back Of and in control of th'
| farm bureaus to collect a smashing oil
| fund to work with. At their requeS
and insistance thousands of corn bel
! farmers have signed up bankable mem
| bership contracts for the next thre'
years, payable as their dues fall due
! Where such contracts are in fore
there will be little need for the AN
nual drive or for the work of pail
canvassers to stir things up. at leas
for some time. And this was givel
out as the central idea in securing tn
three year or five year memberships
! 1t insured plenty of funds for tn
carrying on of organization work an,
reduced the labors and cost of can
vaSsers.
The fact that each local unit retain