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TALE FARMERS’ UNION DEPARTMENT.
ROSTER OF NATIONAL AND
STATE OFFICERS OF THE
FARMERS’ EDUCATIONAL AND
CO-OPERATIVE UNION 0 T
AMERICA.
NATIONAL OFFICERS.
C. S. Barrett, president, Atwater,
Ga.
J. E. Montgomery, vice-president,
Gleason, Tenn.
R. H. McCullough, secretary-treas
urer, Beebe, Ark.
L. N. Holmes, chaplain, Bernice,
La.
Executive Committee—W. S. Mil
ler, chairman, Lake Creek, Texas;
W. 0. Morris, secretary, Sulligent,
Ala.: Jas. Butler, Topeka, Kan.;
Campbell Russell, Russell, I. T.; I. N.
McAllister, Many, La.
STATE OFFICERS.
Georgia —11. F. Duckworth, Presi
dent, Thomaston, Ga.*, R. L. Barron,
Sec.-Treas., Hendrix, Ga.
Alabama—l. A. Worley Pres.,
Guin, Ala.; E. J. Cook, Sec.-Treas.,
Pell City, Ala.
Arkansas—J. B. Lewis, Pres.,
Jonesboro, Ark.; Ben L. Griffin, Sec.-
Treas., Conway, Ark.
Indiahoma—J. A. West, Pres.,
Shawnee, 0. T.; B. C. Hanson, Sec.-
Treas., Shawnee, 0. T.
Louisiana—L. N. Holmes, Pres.,
Bernice, La.; J. W. Boyett, Jr., Sec.-
iTeas., Tanhill, La.
Mississippi—J. M. Bass, Pres., Ha
zlehurst, Miss.; G. W. Russell, Se«-
Treas., Hazlehurst, Miss.
Tennessee —J. E. Montgomery,
Pres., Greenfield, Tenn.; J. T.
Brooks, Sec.-Treas., Atwood, Tenn.
Texas—E. A. Calvin, Pres., Dallas,
Texas; B. F. Chapman Sec.-Treas,
Dallas, Texas.
South Carolina—o. P. Goodwin,
Pres., Anderson, S. C.; B. F. Earl,
Sec.-Treas., Anderson, S. C.
THE WAY IT GROWS.
—J. C. Stribling, of Pendleton, S. C ,
writing for the Barnesville (Ga.) Un
ion News says:
“The south will also take her proper
position as the master of the cotton
trade so soon as her cotton producers
and other occupations in the south
come to know that we must come to
gether as a unit on cotton. Then we
can control the cotton situation against
the world if we can induce cotton
growers to raise their own food
for both man and beast as far as
possible.
“Our cotton growers will have done
quite a big thing for themselves and
the south when they have complete
control over their own affairs.
“Our own farming business when
done in a businesslike manner should
give us our full measure of profits
without our meddling with other
tradesmen’s affairs that do not block
our progress. That disposition to mix
our farming business with politics ami
other things not in our way is the
dose that killed the alliance.”
—T. M. Odom, of Campbell county,
Ga., says:- “1 am satisfied the union
is the best thing for the farmer that
has been on earth. There are a few
good union men in this county but 1
am afraid they are scattering. We
need a good organizer here.”
—President R. F. Duckworth of the
state union, and editor of the Union
News, knows what he is talking about
when he says:
“This is going to be a year for hard
lighting; all kinds of schemes will be
laid to catch the farmer.
“Such men as ‘Joe’ Hoadley will pro
pose (during the spring) to finance
this fall’s cotton crop.
“The thing, that worries us so is to
think that some of our farmers are
green -enough to be caught in his trap.
“Yes, he will claim to be a friend
of the farmers, why not? He and
his cohorts could afford to spend ten
million of dollars to get the farmers
demoralized this year.
“Their first plan is to get the farm
ers to plant everything in cotton so
that enough of it will be forced on the
market to enable them to hammer the
price down.
“Will the southern farmer walk into
this trap? The Union News is going
to do all it can to keep them from it.
“Plant peas, corn, sow oats, let some
of your land rest, don’t plant it all in
cotton.”
—From Montgomery county, Ga.,
comes cheerful intelligence, through
the Union News, from J. M. D. Eth
ridge, vice president of the local union,
lie says: “We have twenty members;
but I think it will grow rapidly now.
It seems as if the people are just now
beginning to take an interest. 1 can
hear the people around here talking
up for the union, saying that they
are going to come in with us soon;
and I think they will.”
—The District Union of White coun
ty, Ark., will have a warehouse ready
for the coming crop.
—There are over 900 members of the
F. E. and C. U. of A. in Lawrence
county, Ark., and they are discussing
the warehouse proposition, and if Al
vie Dillin’s advice is taken they will
be independent of commission men and
local cotton buyers, by building a ware
house to store their cotton.
—W. 11. Entrikin, of Bethel union.
Miller, Miss., is writing “good stuff”
and giving sage advice in the Co-Oper.
ator and Farm Journal.
—Hollis Local Union of Texas has
resolved not to sell any cotton seed
for less than sls per ton and if ev
ery union in the cotton growing states
would set their price and stick to J
the mills would pay it.
—J. E. Rankin, of Aberdeen, Miss.,
says: “Leave politics alone, we are
not a political party, and should, as
a body, abstain from even so much as
a discussion of partisan politics.” As
Mississippi is now entering a political
campaign the advice should be heeded
and thereby prevent the fate of the
Alliance.
—S. D. Phillips, of Madden, Miss.,
expects the union to derive much bene
fit from local unions meeting together
and the interchanging of ideas on
such occasions.
—The Madison (Texas) County Un
ion is a hummer. It owns its ware
house, got 11 cents for cotton and ex
pects to sell the 1907 crop to the spin
ner. Such men as J. E. Sloan know
how to encourage the boys.
—The local union at Beaverdam is
progressing rapidly, and G. W. Touch
stone says, they don’t intend the spec
ulator shall sit in the shade and eat
the bread the farmer toils for without
paying for the toil.
—All the members of Clair Valley
THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
union, Ark., who had backbone to
stick to the minimum price got 11
cents for their cotton, so says Josh Nel
son, who is wide awake to everything
that will advance the interest of the
union.
—The Winton county, Ala., local
union is one of the liveliest unions
in the state and S. P. Hanson will
keep it alive if any one can.
—President E. A. Calvin of the Tex
as union is a live wire. When he
drops into a town there is something
doing and when he drops into a dis
trict or county union good bye to
carpers and kickers. Rubber goods
won’t save them.
—“Some men’s heads are longer than
they are wide, while some men’s heads
are wider than they are long, and
there are some other men’s heads
that are neither, but just like an old
time black bottle with a hollow space
in the bottom of it, consequently you
can never get it full. If you fill it at
the mouth the hollow at the bottom is
empty, and if you turn it over to fill
the hollow, what you have put in it
runs out. So you see you can’t satis
fy everybody,” says “Old Dick” (B. R.
Carter) speaking of things in Polk
county, Ark., and of the men who know
it all.
—Bob Nelms, of Brookland, Ark.,
says local union of Antioch is “on a
boom, and never, prior to the present
time, have the farmers been stirred up
as they are now. They have dtermined
to make 1907 the banner year of the
farmers’ union, and to make the spec
ulator hunt his hole.”
—The district union of Yell county,
Ark., has built a warehouse at Riley,
Ark., which is full of cotton and noth
ing under 11 cents can move it. A
co-operative store with $2,500 stock of
goods has been opened at Havana, and
Dave Broaddrick says the prospects
are that every farmer, worth having,
will unite with the union—those who
expect to get everything and give
nothing will be weeded out, you see.
—W. E. Beasley, of Austin, Ark.,
says: “There is not a farmer in reach
of Camp Grand local union who is
not a member of the union, they have
built a warehouse at Cabot and stored
their cotton.” What a valuable exam
ple these Arkansas farmer unions are
setting for their Georgia brethren.
—Georgia farmers, listen at this from
T. J. Johnson, of Baldwin, Miss.: “We
will never let the fires slow down so
that we have to blow the sparks to
start them afresh. Our county trade
agent delivered two carloads of flour
last week and we are all now supply
ing our tables with union flour, sugar
and coffee.”
—A. J. Dunn, of Farmersville, Texas,
says: “I have stored all my cotton in
the farmers’ union warehouse to stay
there till I get 11 cents.” Suppose ev
ery cotton raiser in the south should,
in 1907, follow this example, cotton
would easily bring 15 cents.
—According to Charlie Cooper, of
Monroe City, Indiana, the farmers
of his state suffer as much from the
speculator as the cotton farmers do
and his people are willing to contrib
ute their best efforts to rid the coun
try of the vermin. Why can’t the
farmers’ union unite the west and
south? Their interests are identical.
—“I am a boy only 14, and live and
work on a farm” says I. L. Taylor, of
Wheatly, Ark., in the Co-Operator and
Farm Journal. “I read in history that
200 boys, cadets at the Virginia Mili
tary Institute, during the late war,
went into battle, with a courage that
knew no faltering, charged and fought
mid withering fire driving the enemy
before them and winning the victory
for General Breckenridge. We farmer
boys are enlisted for this fight, and
like those matchless southern lads nev
er intend to halt until the battle is
won. Under the leadership of our
National President C. S. Barrett, we
are going to drive the speculating
horde off the field and plant the flag
of Golden Rule above the ramparts
of Greed and Graft, to float over the
fallen walls and broken ruins of every
speculator stronghold in all the coun
try.” What an inspiration this noble
boy’s enthusiasm should be to every
weak-kneed adult who carpingly cries
“The farmers can’t do anything be
cause they won’t stick together.”
—ls S. O. Broussard is not greatly
misled by the 62 members of his Iccal
union Bodoc, La., will store the cotton
crop of 1907 in the farmers’ union ware
house. So may it be throughout the
cotton belt.
—President J. B. Lewis will meet
with the county union of Garland coun
ty, Ark., at Myers March 7th, when the
organization of a stock company will
be considered. The farmers of Ar
kansas are not negligent of the advant
ages of the farmers’ union.
—The Farmers’ Union State Central
Warehouse has been completed at
Winnfield, La., and opened for busi
ness. The local banks have agreed to
advance two-thirds the value of all cot
ton stored at 8 per cent per annum.
A. P. Collins is president and J. E.
Croker, Secretary.
—The farmers of Texas mean busi
ness. They are now building ware
houses throughout the state sufficient
to store 6,000,000 bales of cotton. In
addition to this they contemplate a
great number of cotton mills to spin
their cotton. The plan advanced to
build the cotton mills is the co-opera
tive plan: Every time a farmer sells a
bale of cotton he deposits one dollar,
for which he gets one share of stock;
said stock is subject to transfer and
negotiation at any time; to this fund
is added local subscriptions from com
munities who compete for the location
of the mills; to this is added subscrip
tions of local investors. Some farmers
are subscribing from SSOO to SI,OOO
thus showing their faith. And all of this
home rule, progress .and interprise
must be credited to the Farmers’ Edu
cational and Co-operative Union of
America. Wake up, Georgia farmers.
—A number of local unions have
been organized in Crisp county, Ga.,
and the farmers’ union will have cause
to be proud of its Crisp county con
stituency.
—Elbert county, Ga., farmers are
getting interested in the farmers’
movement. Thos. L. Johnson, Middle
ton, Ga., secretary and treasurer of the
Elbert county union, says: “The time
has come for the farmer td get a
move on himself, in his own ranks,
among his own class. If cats and
rats are put in the same cage the
cats will surely destroy the rats, and
if bankers, merchants and cotton spec
ulators are tied up in an organization
a like fate awaits the farmer.
No, boys, you can’t bring them togeth
er and expect the farmer to get his
rights. Oil and water will mix when
ever the speculator, the spinner and
the cotton producer can make their
respective interests harmonize.”