The National leader., 1922-03-20


organizations who have backed up the
bloc, Mr.. Pierce of the Homestead
says:
I was in Washington the week of the
agricultural conference. spent consider
ete W Senator e. P
Senator Ladd and others who are avowed
members of the agricultural bloc. I was
reliably and officially informed that the
Farm Bureau" as Mr.. Sullivan asserted:
that the Farm Bureau does not dictate
the legislative program of the bloc" as its
publicity agent intimated and that instead
Of being the prime mover in the formation
Of the bloc, Gray Silver, of the American
Farm Bureau federation, was, simply q
looker-on. t5---s
The facts in regard to the organization
Of the bloc were told to me to be as fol-
lows:.. A meeting of senators and repre-
sentatives was held in Washington the
ing bills directly affecting farmers inter.
ests were discussed. Similar meetings had
been held prior to this by farmer-minded
members of both houses to discuss pend
was found that the discussion could not be
concluded. The need Of further meetings,
OF closer coalition. was realized. An eve
tor and representative after another sug-
gested meeting place, but all were found
Involvement, inaccessible or inadequate.
cussed, Cray Silver offered the u use eea Of the
offices of the Farm Bureau federation, In
fhe f..+1al Munsey ms building. which is centrally
& of Ms the e 9a
was merely an onlooker. His offer was
accepted and the conference adjourned to
meet in the rooms in the Munsey. building.
Thereupon the Farm Bureau federation
Immediately took the credit for having
launched the movement and fathered the:
bloc. The owner of the building, Frank a,
the honor. Had the meeting been held in
the Willard or the Raleigh hotels, the man
ayers thereof might just as. well have
claimed It, for having furnished the neces-
the unfounded claims being made for the
uses and abuses of the bloc and ia
origin and sponsorship. -
Regarding the board of trade CON.
trlbution to the Farm Bureaus, which
Farm Bureau leaders sought and &C.
cepted, the Farmers National council
says:
Robert McDougall, president of the Chi
cago Beard &c m cf Trade, made a speech, jan
tbs Hasy dsI: no The news @ release given out by
as saying: The board of trade looks on
the Farm Bureau movement as the great
est forward step taken by American agri-
ment by Mr.. McDougall that boards Of
trade trade have have contributed 100000 to the
Farm Bureaus. The stenographic report of
his speech contains the following statement
Of vital interest to every farmer in Amer
ica; @ =
Gently celebrated its tenth birthday, and
the speaker of the day pointed out how tho
Pnanslat RoanS IL eS cooperation ratio of the Chicago
other local interests initiated th;a ,noI.o.
ment successfully and put it on its feet.
IN this way the crop Improvement COM
mittes OF the board Of trade was sort OF
ment. A cash grant of $1,000 was made
to each of the first hundred Farm Bureaus
formed, beginning with the one in New :
York state, and spreading to Iowa and
trade took no part in controlling the Farm
bureau, shaping its policies, or keeping
any. any strings iI4 tied to it Of any kind.
movement. not SO much because of our
financial investment in it. but because of
ties.'' Essl-7ss', ss.$&s
1t is interesting, indeed, to think oi
The Chicago Board Of Trade as grand
father to the Farm Bureau movement
to the tune Of 100000. How mucI
stronger the tune was we probably
will never know, but it keeps up ths
which will not be downed al
long as the Farm Bureau leaders con
tinue their present policy Of playing
with the interests which rob the farm
ers. II .s.54 4 s &