The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-10-31
Farm Bureau and Politics.
(RutIand Herald.)

Answering Congressman Greenes st.
Adams speech in regard to the political
activities of the Farm Bureau, the "exec-
utive committee of the state Farm Blu
reau federation" which means E. b.
Cornwall, salaried propagandist, has
this to say:
The American Farm Bureau fedora
ton has an office in Washington. which
keeps in touch with all legislation of in
terest to the farmer, informs the con-
gressmen and senators the attitude of the
farmers back home, and reports to the
farmers back home through the medium
of the state declarations the attitude of
the representatives in congress. This
office has confined its work entirely to
policies. and not partisan politics. 1t
does not propose or select candidates. or
oppose candidates in election; it simply
reports their records. 1t sincerely ems
deavOrs to support only such legislation
as is fair to all classes and economically
sound"
We do not know what Mr. Cornwall
| has in mind, but if anyone can take a
more active part in politics than the
LamOille County Farm Bureau did, we
would like to know what ii Is. After
! reciting the unfriendly manner in which
Congressman Greene had voted for
protective duty on potash. as well as on
farm products. this constituent group of
Mr.. CORVALLIS organization. acting. we
have no doubt, on direct advice received
from Mr.. Cornwall, resolved as follows !:
BE it therefore resolved that we do
not favor his election to the United
J States senate"
If this is not opposing candidate,
| then we do not know what opposition is.
| 1t was, of course, hostile political act
so intended, and a direct result of the
propaganda that Cornwall and his illl
are circulating all the time about men
who refuse to do their bidding.
As a matter of fact. Cornwall admits
! il and glories in it and yet has the in
| effable effrontery to call Greene to ac-
count for defending himself Read this
| from the official statement of the Farm
| Bureaus executive committee, for which
! Mr.. Cornwall is the paid publicity
agent:
AT time when the American Farm
! Bureau federation is interfering with
! the plans of the old party leaders and
obtaining agricultural legislation, the
| easiest thing for politicians to do is to
| cry class legislation and deplore the en-
| try of the farmer into politics. In n
state where there are two evenly divided
parties il is neceSsary for the represen-
tativs TO stand or fall on the record of
1 their vote. We do not believe that the
. representative should be Swayed by every
wind that blows, hut we believe that he
should listen to the wishes of his con-
stituency. and we believe that the farm
| ers resent an attack on them or their
| organizations because they express their
| opinions"
! If we understand English. this means
| that Cornwall and his crowd are trying
/ to oust such party leaders as Lodge. Dill
! ingham and Greene; that the farmer is
/ not only in politics, but proposes to STAY
/ there that the leaders of congress will
| either be Swayed by what the bureaus
| political agent mot necessarily its mem
\ bcrshipl demands or they will do what
they can to defeat him. And these
Farm Bureaus partly supported by the
state funds. too
The trouble is that Cornwall is not a
farmer. but a salaried agent of the Farm
( Bureau federation, possibly also a self
| appointed political agent. Vermont
farmers had no part in the farm bloc
! movement. 1t was organized by politi-
/ clans for the purpose of controlling con-
| greSs. and such agricultural demand for
the bloc as came from anywhere came
from the one-crop farmers of the West
and Middle West.
The inevitable tendency of this sort
of business is TO turn the FARM Bureaus
into political agencies. and The Herald
hereby takes the ground that if the bII-
reaus can afford TO maintain headquar-
ters in Burlington, send Mr.. Cornwall 10
| Washington TO line up the delegation
for free potash and institute a black
| hand movement against whoever refuses
| to kow-tOw thereto. they can afford to
run without the aid of state funds.
Why should the taxpayers of the
| state, a majority, be taxed to pay for the
political activities of the very few farm
politics?