Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-06-16
Farmers the Greatest Class.

"The greatest single class of producers
in the nation-the farmers-is still dis
organized mass of individuals with ex-
ceedingly varied interests. The folks OF
the farm are among the last to find a
means of organizing in the common in
terest. 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
and buying back their necessities from
another organized group, finds itself ir
an untenable economic position.
I'VE are approaching the limit of avail
able tillable land. Our population is rap
idly increasing. On a pre-war exchange
value, the present agricultural dollar is
worth only about two-thirds of its forme,
purchasing power. Our real farmer pop
ulation is about one-third of the nation
the other two-thirds of the people are de-
their food and raw materials. Are you
willing as nation, since agriculture is
the basis of national existence, to leave to
the less capable the production of the ne
cessities. of our existence? If we are SC
wholly dependent upon the agriculture
class, can we afford to permit the ten
dency toward material and mental i'm
poverishment longer to prevailP
There is motto hanging on the wal
in a Farm Bureau office, which reads
The Lord freezes the water, but He ex-
poets US to cut our own ice.
''In order to cut ice we need real or
ganization. Unorganized agriculture has
been getting no results. We are not Or
ganizing for the purpose of forming po-
litical body, for we do not believe in i'm
proper class consciousness, nor do we be-
lieve it is good government for one class
to attempt to obtain political control
over other classes One of the big 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.
I 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 it as his duty to lend
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, is often prone to
give credence to the suggestion that our
fellows are animated by selfish motives
that our service organizations are at
tempting to exploit their members. Sus-
picions and jealousies have contributed tc
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 is
not working in his interest, that it costs
too much, that he is foolish to be men,
Der of a farmers cooperative organiza-
ton, is consciously or unconsciously
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
If we adopt these watchwords for 1922
Faith, Courage, Action. But We must
all act, for by our Works will our FAITH
be known"