The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-02-01

things. But so long as many groups
combine for mutual protection, it Is
that any particular group not
so organized Is the prey Of all those
that are organized. And, so long as
nature is as it is, selfish, heart
less, merciless, it is folly to argue any
thing else. Hardware men have their
so the lumber men; SO the
transportation companies. The only
thing left for the producer to do Is to
follow suit. Of course the farmer
has, In q sense, followed suit, or been
trying to. He has had his grange
alliance, cotton growers association
and other organizations. If he had
not, he would long since have been
out of the running. But, so far, the
farmers organizations have not func-
toned to any high degree. This is at
tributable to many causes: the farm
ers isolation; his lack of education;
his failure to adjust himself 20 the
rapidly changing conditions and his
innate honesty. He has been the goose
that has been picked bare. 1t is not
40 very nice in us TO say these things.
They may not be true, but we cannot
see il otherwise. 1t Is certainly n
fact that those who produce the food
and clothing of the world have never
been we'll clothed themselves, nor
even we'll fed, save in exceptional
cases. This, to our mind, is a rank
shame. The farmer has bent his back
10 the burden; he has exacted labor
from his children from the time they
were able to do anything; he has n
lowed them to go without education,
save of the most rudimentary kind
his sons and daughters, many Of them
have fed away from the farm and be-
hhCi lneIiSeiNrS W VIC Shop, Htii'
store and office. No one blames them
for making the venture, for their pros
pect on the farm has been groomy in
deed. 1t is better now, and the con.
ditions will rapidly improve. Good
roads, telephones, daily mail and the
automobile have broken down the iio.
lation. Improved schools, yet far
from adequate, have helped; the cf-
forts Of the government to bring in
better methods of farning--these and
other things have contributed to the
gradual upward climbing Of the farm
er. His efforts at organization failed
to function largely because he turned
his organization into political ma
chimes, or designing politicians did it
for him. He must organize. He mast
get to a position that will enable him
to sell at profit, a reasonable profit.
His problems are not political but
commercial. economic, financial. The
cooperative marketing association Is
move in these directions. 1t is a
movement destined to revolution;ze
the agriculture of the country. II it
fails it will fail for the reason that it
will be broken down, destroyed, by the
farmers themselves. They are sus-
picious Of it. They tell as they have
been stung before. We can only say
that unless they do go into some such
organization, they will be stung again,
stung to death. The way to get a
square deal in a wicked world, an or
ganized world, selfish world, is to
he able to demand, not beg, justice
Then, when all other organizations go
out of business, when supply and
demand are allowed to function with
out let or hindrance, when the lion
and the lamb lie down together, then
may we say to the farmer: "pis-
band, the new day is herev But until
that time 1t will be better to build
your own fences, set your own guard
and recognize the fact that these is
selfshness and greed, plenty of thiev-
;po opd lofs of l,oauar,, T., +ho ,,,n..la
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