The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-29
FARMERS FLOCK
into militant
ORGANIZATIONS
BOuck's Meetings Meet
with Great Success

PLENTYWooD, Montana, Dec. 81.
William 5ouck, militant leader Of
the farmers in the northwest and
president Of the Western Progressive
Farmers, has had exceptional success
in organizing the farmers Of Montana
in local councils. Everywhere the
message that 5ouck Is carrying to the
Montana farmers Is received with
enthusiasm.
In his speech before the farmers in
many villages of Montana, Bouck
traced the history Of the farmers
movement of the past and outlined its
future development He urged the
farmers to join in this movement that
It now being formed in order to bet
ter fight the capitalist class which
uses the farmers as its football.
I'VE farmers are about the silliest
victims Of propaganda that ever lived.
All our lives we are persuaded to
keep the past upon It's throne, think
ing thereby we will be protected in
some miraculous manner by some old
|, parchment written by the dead hand
.reSthe past
100 = Keep the "Dead Past"
MTe train our children, join the ku
ruxers, go into mobs, vote-vote-yote
millions strong every chance we get
to keep that little, dead old past upon
its throne. And so no wonder we are
the ragtag and bobtail Of society,""
declared Bouck. mo wonder we are
becoming wanderers upon the face
Of the earth. No wonder our farms are
foreclosed away from us and the land
is taken over by the tenant class.
For instead of taking the initiative
and building and operating and plan
ming our own system we meekly fold
our hands and say: The past is good
enough for u.s.
Farmer Must Think.
you, Mr.. Farmer" continued Bouck,
must get around some table in a
dingy committee room and think and
think; and plan and plan; and write
and write; and then try 1t out and
try 1t out again; then rewrite and re-
plan; and spend time and money I'M
til by trials and working functions
you know that you have a working
plan for a great movement Of your
class. Bankers are not building farm
ers' organizations-only as will o.
the wisp to make you subservient
tools Of the money-loaning class. Com
mercial men are not building your
virile farm rganizations-only as
some bell wether sheep to lead you
to the slaughter willingly.
Tenancy increases.
"Over 400 Of the farmed land in the
Union is now operated by tenants,
and the plunge into tenantry is so fast
that one cannot keep the right figures.
In the south tenantry is over 500 in
seven or eight states, while in the
northern states it is growing by leaps
and bounds.
LOT at Montana, thousands being
forced off the farms and being made
wanderers on the face Of the earth
no homes, no place to live, being cheap
laborers ever after, and your broad
acres farmed by tenants-and a ten
ant class of farmers is a poor class
of farmers. Can't be otherwise. And
your state 80 to 40 per cent tenants
in two more years.
Homeless in Old Age.
How many never get their land
paid for? How many toll all day, and
all the year, and all their years, and
sacrifice, and go without many things,
being good citizens in the best term
Of that word-then being cast off that
land in their old age to become home
less and penniless wanderers. That's
the story Of about five millions of
American farmers and families the
past six or eight years, and many
millions more are about ready to take
the same STEP"