Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-02-01
OBSERV ATOMS !.
CRITICISMS OF FARM ~
BUREAU BY H. o. BERVE

To the Editor of the Sheaf: XII &
have read the various accounts
of the late annual meeting or conven-
ton of the Minnesota, Farm Bureau
with good deal of interest, and as
sumo that the various newspaper re-
ports are at least substantially cor
rect. Among other things notice
that in his speech of acceptance, Mr..
Reed, the new president Of the Min
nesota Bureau says, II want you to
go home and serve notice on your
county commissioners that when they
try to move the county agent out of
the county, they might as well try to
move out the court house,"
also notice that among other
things their program calls for new
law to require the commissioners to
make appropriations for the support
of the Bureau in counties where it
has 200 or more members. As the law
now stands the commissioners have
the right to make this appropriation,
but they do not have to do 50 unless
they wish. The idea as I understand
it is to change the law so as to force
the commissioners to make an apprO-
priation regardless of whether they
feel the county can afford it or not.
and also regardless of whether they
feel the majority of the taxpayers, or
even the majority of the farmers of
the county wish to have them do so.
Now I am not going to make any
particular criticism of this proposal.
except to say that in counties where
they can afford it, and the people,
especially the farmers wish to have
it so, the appropriation ought to be
made, even though taxes are high, and
we are having hard times. In these
times, however, we need to practice
rigid economy and retrenchment
where we can and it seems a serious
question~to me whether the commits
sioners should be forced to make an
appropriation, if they don't feel that
the county can afford it, and the ma
jority of the farmers favor their, so
doing.
Last summer I am told that the
officials of the Farm Bureau Of this
county. (Marshall). went before our
Board of County Commissioners and
demanded cool eight thousand
($8,OOO.OO) dollars. Fortunately, 1.-The
commissioners thought of the inter-
ests Of the taxpayers too, and had
courage enough to cut them down to
Two thousand dollars. This was a
liberal amount, and it seems to me
should have satisfied anyone. But
understand the Bureau people: We're
far from content, and later on made
all sorts Of efforts to force the COM
missioners to increase the amount: i
do not know the details Of all this,
but I have been so told, and it is
about time that the people Of the
county find out about it. o., There is a
limit to everything, especially in these
hard times, even the Farm Bureau
should remember that. -.u, :,
However, leaving the matter of IAN
appropriation aside, do wish to say
that private organization that wants
to be supported nd maintained out Of
the public treasurery, should try to be
a little more careful to be representa-
tive of at least all the large farming
groups Of the state and nation. All
will be taxed to meet these appropri-
atoms. AS it stands now, and as it
will be if the law is, changed to force
the commissioners to make there ap-
preparations, all farmers will be taxed
for the support Of the Bureau. No
organization can be representative of
all individuals, but under the condi-
lions, the Bureau should at least make
an effort to be representative Of all
the large groups that pay for it's sup
port in taxes. .,uy .
At the last annual convention of
the bureau some of the members from
Yellow Medicine county proposedgeto
ask to have the U. s.. Grain corpora
ton revived, and the farmers given
a guaranteed price for their wheat.
There were quite a few of the mem
bers Of the bureau that wanted this.
Quite a few farmers outside of the