The Devils Lake world., 1922-11-08
Farmers the Greatest Class.

The greatest single class Of producers
IN the nation-the farmers-is still dis
sr9anized mass Of individuals with ex-
ceedingly varied interests. The folks Of
zhe farm are among the last to find a
means Of organizing in the common in
1cfest. Agriculture is not sufficiently
prosperous or satisfying today. Under
present methods Of doing business COM
Pletely unorganized group selling the
fruits OF their labor to an organized group,
xnd buying back their necessities from
another organized group, finds itself in
An untenable economic position
I'VE are approaching the limit of avail
able tlllable land. Our population is rap
Idly increasing. On pre-war exchange
value, the present agricultural dollar il
worth only about two-thirds Of it's former
purchasing power. Our real farmer pop
alation is about one-third Of the nation
ahe other two-thirds Of the people are de-
pending upon that one-third to furnish
4heir food and raw materials. Are YOU
Hilling as nation, since agriculture is
ahe basis of national existence, to leave to
che less capable the production of the ne
cessIties of our existence? If we are 80
wholly dependent upon the agricultural
class can we afford to permit the ten.
aency toward material and mental i'm.
poverishment longer to prevail?
There is motto hanging on the wall
IN a Farm Bureau Office, which reads.
The Lord freezes the water, but He ex.
pects us torcut our own ice
In order to cut ice we need a real or
sanization. Unorganized agriculture e' haa Ia
been getting no results. We are not Or
Aanizing for the purpose Of forming DO
Etical body, for we do not believe in i'm
proper class consciousness, nor do we be.
Eeve it is good government for one class
10 attempt to obtain political control
over other classes. One of the big fac
tors OF success or failure will be our ability
20 recognize our real position in big ma
4ional economic questions. The other
Aia factor is faith.
Faith is Factor.
LET every Farm Bureau member in
Che 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
chat the organization movement among
3he farmers is the means, and the only
means, to better the condition of the
earmer, recognizing it as his duty to lend
his support to that movement.
The opposition is whispering to the
2aithful that their faith is folly and their
4forts will result in failure Surely the
8ntelligent American farmer will rise
shove such suspicious and scorn the mar
SOW mind that gives them birth Human
aature, in it's weakness, is often prone to
give credence to the suggestion that our
fellows are animated by selfish motives
sfat our service organizations are at
1empting to exploit their members. Sus
Yicions and jealousies have contributed to
etI the colossal failures and disappoint-
anents in the history Of the world. The
farmer who permits hostile interests to
suggest to him that his Farm Bureau is
not working in his interest, that it costs
too much, that he is foolish to be mem
her of a farmers cooperative organiza-
ason, is consciously or unconsciously
guilty Of treason to the best interests Of.
ainself and brother farmers. AS the
Farm Bureau gains in strength, opposition
BECOMES more active, more clamorous
.Gnd subtle.
There is no doubt about the victory
" we adopt these watchwords for 1922-
Faith, Courage, Action But we must
al act, for by our Works will our Faith
Be known"