The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1924-02-23
COlOred Farmers
Should Organize
(Lincoln News service)

Washington, Feb. 10. 1924-Repre-
sentatives of (white) farm organiza-
tions have been holding a series of
conferences with senators and repre-
sentatives here for several months, eX-
planning the legislative needs of the
farmer. Plans for farm relief, both
legislative and departmental, have
been discussed and a number of the
farmers have appeared as witnesses
before the Senate and House Agricul-
tural Committees. Unfortunately, the
colored farmers are not generally af-
filiated with the white farmers in
their local or national organizations :;
nor do they have a national organiza-
ton, and but a very few locals of their
able lack of useful information that is
absolutely necessary to successful
fascning and marketing. Certainly the
problems of these farmers are not of
less Importance than those of other
racial groups, and it is thought by
]
impossible to work out a plan that
will permit of full participation in the
organized activities of other farmers,
then the nearly one million colOred
farmers. who are doing business on in
vested capital amounting to more than
two billion dollars, should get to
gether as early as possible and or
ganize local associations wherever it
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sential ARRANGEMENTS for state and ma
tional organizations. Especially i'm
portant is the need of organization
among those who hone to narticinate in
the system of agricultural credits and
ins the co-onerative marketing bene-
fits The following editorial from
"The Rural Messenger" our only
Negro agricultural publication. in
speaking of conditions in the southern
states. says in its December issue:
"Negro farmers should be given
every advantage of intermediate
credits recently provided by Congress.
Many of these agricultural credit acts
don't aid the needed Negro farmers of
the South Something is deficient
when it comes to Negro farmers being
benefited by such credit movements.
In many of the southern states we
know where the financial power is that
aids farmers, but the trouble is, as
rule, we can't get the power When
il comes to the Negro farmer, he is
simply left out That is all
"NegrO farmers should be allowed
TO function in local cooperative finan-
cial agencies for farmers. There
should not be facilities for one racial
group of farmers and none for the
other racial group until one racial
group is simply benefited. Negro
farmers need financial assistance as
much as any other racial group of
farmers in this country. When they
fail to get it, well, it simply means
that more Negroes are leaving the
farms in the South. The Federal
Credit Act is all right but the rub
comes with the local credit corpora
tfons begin to function. We trust that
Negro farmers will be given ample op-
portunity to benefit by this act
The above condition, however, is not
peculiar to the South, but also obtains
in many localities in the northern and
border states where nearly 10000
colored farmers operate Approximately
9 100000 acres of farmland, valued mt
5000, 100000. They, too, are having Diff
ficulties due to local opposition TO
their membership in existing organiza-
tions. Unless this local opposition
can be overcome. as it has been in
many instances, the only hope for the
colored farmers is to create their own
because the laws en-
acted by Congress require membership
in such organizations before the bene-
fits are made available. This cooper
ative plan is absolutely necessary be-
cause of the impossibility of dealing
directly with 6,44S,343 individual
farmers located in 3,065 counties in
forty-eight states. Before starting
separate organizations, however, a
committee OF colored farmers in each
locality should discuss the question of
with the officials of local
associations.