The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-09-08


driving a white mule to cart with the
sign on eve amt joined the Farm
Bureau yet, nor we amt got shut
ourn scrub bull"
Support Your Farm Bureau, Says
Mr.. Montgomery.
Mr.. Montgomery, president of the
Southeast Missouri Agricultural Bu-
reau, made an address at the Farm
Bureau picnic last week, that every
farmer in the county should have
heard. He was introduced by Mr.
Schuttler, president of the St. Fran
co.'s County Farm Bureau, as prac-
tical farmer who knew the needs OF
the farmers of the present time. Mr.,
Montgomery was listened to very at.
tentively by all who got within hear
ing distance of him.
farming today is different from
what it used to be-, said Mr.. Mont
gomery. "The farmer of today must
be a machinist, a scientist, and bus
mess man. Today he has the prob
lem of paying for his farm, making a
living for his family, educating his
children, and keeping up the fertility
of the soil, and in many cases, in
creasing the fertility. In the early
days of farming in this country land
was bought at less than the taxes on
land today. In addition to the taxes,
interest must be paid on the mort
gage on the farms now.
~ have seen farmers that are
starving" continued Mr.. Montgom-
cry. "Some farmers cannot make a
living and pay rent. When pioneer
farmers lived miles and miles apart,
raised what they needed to live on,
they could be independent. We have
talked and talked about the independ-
ence of the farmer until we have al
most overdone ourselves on the theory
that we are independent. We must
have an organization to protect our
selves.
"The clothes we wear, everything
we use that we buy, is made by or
ganized labor. Must we work 16
hours a day in order that these people
may work shorter hours for more
pay? I heard an intelligent young
man say. not week ago. that if it
was not for the Farm Bureau he was
ready to quit the farm; and want to
tell you we cannot lose young men like
this from the farm &sSe& 5geAss
"We must organize. We must
stand together. Now what can we do
to help our Farm Bureau Organiza-
ton? 1t is not like the miners organ
ization. No one can start out and
mine coal without joining the miners
You know what hap
pened to those fellows in Illinois.
They cannot work unless they belong
to the union. We never will have a
farmers organization like that. We
must be loyal enough to our profess
sion to stand by our organizatin. If
you are not members of the Farm Bu-
reau, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself. Some farmers may say 4
got along all these years without a
Farm Bureau That's all the more
reason you should belong now. You
should get into this organization and
help your fellw man. This organiza-
tion is voluntary one and other or
are not voluntary. The
miners pay $50 year to belong to
their organization with nothing in
vested. Are you going to stand back
and not belong to your organization
and say that you will not pay $40
year when you have thousands of dol
lars invested in machinery and live
stock? By Farm Bureau organiza-
tion, if you are a good farmer, you
can make the $40 back in short
time.
"There may be some men here who
thing that the Farm Bureau is going
into the mercantile business, but l
want to say this: that the farmer,
he sells his grain in the
shock, his livestock as mutton, beef or
pork, he is manufacturer and he is
entitled to all of his raw material at
rates. He is entitled to his
at wholesale rates, also
seed, feed, and as a merchant, you
have no right to find fault.
"The call of the farm today is the
,all for cooperation. We don't only
have to stand together but we have
to work together. We must buy our
raw material together. We must sell
,ur products together. hear men say
that the Farm Bureau is better for
The little farmer than for the large
farmer. The Farm Bureau helps put
hem on an equal basis. If you have
only one hog to sell, you can, sell it
through the cooperative shipping as
sociation and receive as much for it
rs if you had whole car load to sell
with it. Not only does the Farm Bu-
.eau help the man with the one hog
% sell it but it enables him, through
The Producers" to same on the COM
The Farm Bureau is short
,ning distance between the producer
II the consumer. "The Producers I
'ebate back to the producers through
he organization, the profits made in
selling them. Sometimes the local
buyers feel terribly hurt over the CO.
operative shipments. 1t is simply
more efficient way Of handling the
Itock. He has no right to kick;
"The call of the farm, today is the
all for higher patriotism. In 1776
,unch of farmers struck the first blow
or freedom. The work of farmers
,oday is to re-dedicate ourselves to
hat flag.
'If it is fair for merchant to get
he cost price for his product plus his
and a pFofit. are NOT we as