The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-04-15
ATTACK LAUNCHED ON FARM BUREAU BY r ARM U MON
Declare It Private Corpora ton Organized For Profit" and File Protest With
 Underwood

Farmers Union. Alabama division. is in arms against the Farm Bureau and it's alleged operations. contend ing in particular. that the smith, Lever act and the Smith Hughes act do not contemplate and allow county agents, the men and women employ ed by the state and nation under the above named acts, to give their time, their services in organizing purely private corporations and associations for gain and profit"
 The Farmers Union alleges that this is being done in Alabama and in many states throughout the na- tion through the Farm Bureau.
 Farmers Union assisted in or ganizing the Alahama Cotton Grow . CTS Cooperative Marketing assoca- tion last fall and invited the Farm Bureau to join. The bureau did not do SOL Both organizations have been going ahead under separate pro- grammes for financing the cotton growers.
 J, s. sehofield, president of the Farmers Union, declares that the Farm Bureau is an expensive or ganization charging the producer large fees. while the Cotton Crow CTS association charges nominal fees. He said:
 "The Farm Bureau charges SI0 for admission and makes each farmer sign notes for sl0 for four years, q total of $50. We charge only s3 ad- mission and $1 dues per year. We seek to line up 15.000 farmers at S3 which would be si5,00O. The Farm Rnrnan CTS at $50 per farmer, which means $750,000 for the Farm Bureau op- erations against our S45,000. Who pays the bill? The farmer does. Add to the $750,000 exacted from the farmer the $250.0O0 of salaries of the county agents who are working for the Farm Bureau and you have $1. 000, ,OO0
 Down in a south Alabama county the other day farmer told me that a member of the Farm Bureau. through the county agent as it's rep resentative. was getting nitrate of soda at S5 less a ton than he was getting it. l questioned the agent and he admitted that the Farm Bu- reau member got 1t for less. I cannot see the justice of allowing county agents to work for a concern thai makes differences between farmers In the county where he is supposed to serve all alike"
 Lining up Cotton Pool.
 Asked if the Alabama Cotton Crow CTS Cooperative association was to continue in the game. Mr. Schofieid sald: ' ou bet it will. We are sign Ing up farmers in our cotton hood every day. We have $100,0O0 of War Finance corporation money to our credit in the reserve bank at Atlant- 70 and can get more as we need if. The Farmers Union is stronger than 1t has ever been and is growing more rapidly than in ten years.
 l signed up 1000 bales of cotton Tor the cooperative marketing as- soeiation in Franklin and De Kalb counties alone one day last week"
 MT. Schofield as president and w. A. Morris as secretary of the Farm . CTS Union have taken the matter to the national government.
 lhe following telegram was wired Sen. Underwood yesterday:
 The Extension Service and Farm demonstration Service organized un- der the Smith-Lever and Smith Hughes acts by Congress. and admin lstered by the agricultural colleges through the government. has cer- tam ana specific duties to perform, which in our opinion. does not in- clude permit, or allow the men and women employed by the state and na- tlon' under the above named acts. to give their time and their services in organizing purely private corpora tions for gain and for profit and such is the case in our state and in many states throughout the nation.
 Are you willing to support a measure requiring the Farm Demon stration agents and all other em ployees working in or under the agri- cultural extension service. to give their full time and services to tho state and nation rather than to pri- Vate corporations and associations orsanized. and being organized pure iy for profit and for gain?
 We are asking you this question In the interest of the farmers of our state and the farmers of the na- tion."