Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-11-24
Farmers tho Greatest Class.

The greatest single class of producers
in the nation-the farmers-is still a dis
organized mass of individuals with ex-
ceedingly varied interests. The folks of
the farm are among the last to find a
terest. Agriculture is NOT suI1icientiv
prosperous or satisfying today. Under
present methods of doing business a COM
Pletely unorganized group selling tho
fruits OF their labor to an Organized 0roup
and buying back their necessities from
another organized group, finds itself in
An untenable economic position.
I'VE are approaching the limit Of await
able tillable land. Our population y rap
idly increasing. On a pre- -Waf exthanTs
value, the present AGRICULTURAL, doaiar .
worth only about two thirds 81 isCfornsr
purchasing power. Our real farmer pon-
the other two-thirds of the people are de-
pending upon that 6ne:fhird 10 fxrnish
their food and raw ma tsrials. ~ ArtS ysu
willing as nation since afYicultuFe !.
the basis Of nationa exist nei ,5f6 isaye Ia
he less capablstheF pfodQsti0n ofsthe ne
cesstties Of our existeHesR %1f wSsare -
wholly dependent upon the agricultural
Sas., can We afford % tSfnit the fem
dency toward material ma tns&tal i'm
poverishment longer to prekaili
4. Farm bn mes,o o&e & the f. .;,l
The Lord freezes the wat4r, but He OK
poets us to cut our own ic1'
''In order to cut ice we need a real or
EaniLation. Unorganized agriculture haa
been getting no results. We are not or
gaming for the purpose of forming DO
iitical body, for we do not believe in i'm
proper class consciousness, nor do we be-
lieve it is good government for one class
over other classes. One of the biz fac
tors OF success or failure will be our ability
to recognize our real position in big ma
tional economic questions. The other
big factor is faith.
Faith is Factor.
LET every Farm Bureau member in
the United States resolve for 1922 that
he will have faith in himself, his fellow
farmers, his County Farm Bureau, his
State Federation, and the American Farm
Bureau Federation. He should urge
every unorganized farmer in the United
States to join him in the faith, believing
that the organization movement among
the farmers is the means, and the only
means, to better the condition of the
FARMER, recognizing II as his duty to Iend
his support to that movement
The opposition is whispering to the
faithful that their faith is folly and their
efforts will result in failure. Surely the
intelligent American farmer will rise
above such suspicious and scorn the mar
row mind that gives them birth. Human
nature, in its weakness, 10 often prone TO
give credencc to the suggestion that our
fellows are animated by selfish motives
that our service organizations ase At
tempting to exploit their members. S,s
picions and jealousies have contributed to
all the colossal failures and disappoint
ments in the history of the world. The
farmer who permits hostile interests to
suggest to him that his Farm Bureau Il
not work king in his interest, that it costa
too much, that he is foolish to be a mem
Der Of a farmers cooperative oraaniza
ton, is consciously. or unconscious!y
guilty OF treason to the best interests OF
himself and brother farmers. As the
Farm Bureau gains in strength, opposition
becomes more active, more clamorous
and subtle.
There is no doubt about the victory
II We adopt these watchwords for 1922
Faith. Courage, Action. But We musr