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ROSTER OF NATIONAL AND
STATE OFFICERS’ OF THE
FARMERS’ EDUCATIONAL AND
CO-OPERATIVE UNION OF AMER.
ICA.
NATIONAL OFFICERS.
C. S. Barrett, president, Atwater,
Georgia.
J. E. Montgomery, vice-president,
Gleason, Tenn.
R. H. McCullough, secretary-treas
urer, Beebe, Ark.
L. N. Holmes, chaplain, Bernice,
Louisiana. A
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
W. A. Morris, chairman, Sulligent,
Alabama.
Campbell Russell, secretary, Rus
sell, Ind. Ter.
W. S. Miller, Lake Creek, Tex.
James M. Butler, Topeka, Kan.
I. N. McCollister, Many, La.
STATE OFFICERS.
Georgia Headquarters—Barnesville..
R. F. Duckworth —President.
W. P. Quinby—Vice-President.
J. L. Barron —Secretary-Treasurer.
J. L. Lee —State Organizer.
G. M. Davis —Lecturer.
J. G. Eubanks —State Business
Agent.
Alabama —I. A. Worley, president,
Guin, Ala.; E. J. Cook, secretary-treas
urer, Pell City, Ala.
Arkansas—J. B. Lewis, president,
Jonesboro, Ark.; Ben L. Griffin, secre
tary-treasurer, Conway, Ark.
Indiahoma —J. A. West, President,
Shawnee, O. T.; B. C. Hanson, secre
tary-treasurer, Shawnee, O. T.
Louisiana —L. N. Holmes, president,
Bernice, L,; J. W. Boyett, Jr., sec
treasurer, Tanhill, La.
Mississippi—J. M. Bass, president;
Hazlehurst, Miss.; G. W. Russell, sec
retary-treasurer, Hazlehurst, Miss.
Tennessee —J. E. Montgomery, pres
ident, Greenfield, Tenn.; J. T. Brooks,
secretary-treasurer, Atwood, Tenn.
Texas —E. A. Calvin, president. Dal
las, Texas; B. F. Chapman, secretary
treasurer, Dallas, Texas.
South Carolina —O. P. Goodwin,
president, Anderson, S. C.; B. F.
Earl, secretary-treasurer, Anderson,
South Carolina.
PRES. BARRETT’S TOUR.
Going to the Northwest to Organize
New Unions.
Last Thursday we had a call by
National President Charles S. Barrett,
who was going away on a month’s
trip, during which he will travel from
one end of the country to the other in
the union’s interests.
President Barrett will be in White
Plains, Mo., tomorrow for the purpose
of assisting in the organization of the
Missouri Farmers’ Union. The union
in Missouri is in splendid shape now
for state organization, having about
500 or more local unions, with a total
membership of over 25,000. The work
in that state has been done largely
by H. M. Ray, state organizer, who,
it is expected, will be one of the lead
ing state officials.
From Missouri President Barrett will
go direct to Topeka, Kan., where he
has called a state conference for Mon
day, March 25. Each local union in
Kansas will be represented in this
conference, and it is expected steps
will be taken looking to the organiza
tion of a Kansas state union in the
near future. The membership in that
state is now practically sufficient for
state organization.
25,000 Members In Illinois.
On Wednesday, March 27, at Marion,
Ills., President Barrett will assist in
the organization of the Illinois Farm
ers’ Union, which will, at the start,
boast about 35,000 members. Os these
about 22,000 were recently taken in
from the Illinois Farmers’ Union which
while bearing the same name, was an
entirely different institution from the
Farmers’ Educational and Co-Opera
tive Union of America, of which Mr.
Barrett is president. The National
Farmers’ Union had also acquired a
good membership in the state, so that
the new state organization will start
out under the most favorable aus
pices.
From Illinois President Barrett will
go direct to New York city, where,
with representatives of the Southern
Cotton Association, he will meet John
R. McCall, representative of the na
tional spinners. Mr. McCall was pres
ident of the conference held last May
in Washington between the spinners
and producers, and still acts in that
capacity.
The object of President Barrett’s
visit to New York is to confer with
Mr. McCall regarding a conference this
summer between the American spin
ners and the producers of cotton, with
a view to establishing direct trade
relations between the growers and
spinners. At this meeting a date will
be set for the conference, which will
probably be some time in June. Two
places have been suggested for the
conference —Atlanta and Norfolk.
Some want to go to Norfolk on account
of the Jamestown exposition, while
others are anxious that the conference
be held in Atlanta. President Bar
rett stated that he proposed to do
all in his power to bring the conference
to Atlanta this summer.
To Visit the Slope.
Upon concluding his business in
New York President Barrett will go
to the Pacific coast. He will visit
California and Oregon in which states
the work of organizing local unions is
already under way, and also Washing
ton, Montana and South Dakota, in
which states he proposes to set the
work in motion. President Barrett has
received numerous letters from these
far western states, as has also Nation
al Secretary R. H. McCulloch, of Bee
be, Ark., urging them to come out
there and assist in organizing the un
ion in those states. Already a num
ber of mass meetings have been held
in these far western states, and in
many places the farmers are ready for
the organization of local unions.
Owing to the importance of the
work involved, and the long trip which
President Barrett will have to take, it
will be impossible for him to return
to Georgia in time to attend the Sea
Island cotton and sugarcane rally of
the Farmers’ Union, which will be
held in Valdosta on April 2 and 3.
Other officers of the union, hower, will
be there, and the occasion will be
made a memorable one.
Before leaving Atlanta, President
Barrett stated in an interview that
more than 160,000 members have been
taken into the Farmers’ Union since
the big convention held in Atlanta on
January 22. President Barrett is con
stantly in receipt of advices from the
various state officers, and these show
that the union’s membership has in
creased to that extent. The total num
ber of members in the Farmers’ Union
now probably exceeds 1,200,000, Presi
dent Barrett stated. He already has
hopes of seeing this increased practi
cally to the 2,000,000 mark within the
next twelve months.
THE GEORGIA UNION.
Warehouses Planned and a Cotton
School Provided For.
An enthusiastic convention of the
Farmers’ Union was held in Barnes
ville at state headquarters on Wed
nesday last.
Plans were perfected that had long
been in contemplation and others were
taken under advisement that will be
of vital importance to the Farmers’
Union in this state.
Among the important things done
was the provision for a uniform sys
tem of warehouses for the entire state.
The number of warehouse companies
chartered, in operation, and the com
panies now in process of organiza
tion was a great surprise to many.
From every section and almost every
county came cheering reports that
greatly encouraged President Duck
worth.
Mr. Duckworth stated that the bus
iness of every department had quad
rupled since the first day of April,
1906, and yet the union is but on the
threshold of the great things to be
accomplished within the next twelve
months.
The success of the movement in
Georgia is due to the untiring and
zealous efforts of Mr. Duckworth and
other state officials. Mr. Duckworth
came to the state when the union was
unknown and unheard of, and set to
work organizing. He met with re
buffs, and sometimes with threatened
violence, but none of these things
moved him. He believed in the right
eousness of the cause. He had faith
in its ultimate success, and was willing
to toil on and labor under adverse
circumstances.
It has succeeded beyond the hope
of its most sanguine friends and to
the defeat and chagrin of its most
violent enemies. Today it is planted
in the hearts of thousands of toiling
but appreciative farmers. All hail
to Duckworth!
The convention unanimously decided
to hold during July and August of
the present year a cotton school in
the city of Barnesville, where will be
taught all the principles connected
with the growing, marketing and hand
ling of cotton from the time it leaves
the producer’s hands till it arrives at
the mills.
The services of experts will be pro
cured, and it is expected that more
than a hundred students from the
farms will be enrolled. This is to
be a cotton school of the farmers and
their boys. Here they are to learn
all about cotton and its grades.
The need for a grader on the farm
has been keenly felt, and, often deplor
ed. This need is now to be met, and
hereafter the cotton will be sampled
and passed upon before it leaves the
producer’s hands.
Resolutions thanking Barnesville for
the part she has taken and her attitude
towards the Farmers’ Union were
passed.
DANGER OF OVERPLANTING.
(The Dublin Times.)
Now that the planting season is
here once more, the danger of over
planting faces the farmer as it has
never done before. For several years
past systematic efforts have been made
to induce the planters to reduce their
acreage, but the results seem to be
just the opposite of what was intend
ed.
It has been demonstrated that reduc
ed acreage gives better prices for cot-
ton, but it follows almost as certainly
that high priced cotton brings heavily
increased planting.
The farmers have it in their own
hands to plant a 6 cent crop or a 10
to 12 cent crop—it all depends upon
the amount planted. When we say
the farmers, we mean the landlords.
The tenant who has nothing but his
muscle and his wife and children to
help him, must plant as his landlord
dictates. Cotton is the only recogniz
ed commodity that will pay the rent,
or that the merchant will accept a
mortgage upon in exchange for sup
plies for the season.
Nearly all of the land owners belong
to the organizations striving to make
the price of cotton better, and they
should see to it that diversified crops
are made. Let the cotton crop be the
money crop, if you choose, but see to
it that there is corn and meat and
potatoes enough made also to sustain
the families of the croppers until such
a time as it is advisable to sell the
crop.
The price the past season has been
extremely good, and the necessaries of
life are correspondingly high. ‘lf then,
the crop is overplanted just now, and
next fall, consequently a crop of say
14,000,000 bales is assured, it needs
no prophet to foretell what the price
will be, or what condition the farmers
wil be in. •
A 6-cent crop of cotton next fall,
following the price of the past two
years, and made from supplies at pres
ent prices, would almost bankrupt the
country. Therefore we sound the warn
ing to go slow about planting more
acres than last year, and recommend
that, if possible the acreage be re
duced. Keep the supply below the
demand and the price will always be
good.
X
TAX RIDDEN FARMERS.
I
(The Beaver, Pa., Commoner.)
The farmers as a rule are tax rid
den. Relatively, they pay more taxes
than any other class. But the taxes
collected from the farmers for the sup
port of the government is not the
largest item of taxation mulcted from
them. The railroads tax them. The
railroads of the United States have
injected into them $7,000,000,000 of wa
ter upon which dividends must be
paid. This necessitates increasing
freight and passenger rates, which is
.simply another form of taxation. A
large portion of this tax collected by the
railroads comes out of the pockets of
the farmers, and Bryan is quite right
when he reminds the farmers that, if
they had not allowed so much water
to be put into the railroad stocks, they
would have less difficulty in keeping
water off their private roads.
n
EDUCATED AWAY FROM WORK.
(The Industrial World.)
In all sections of the country there
is a scarcity of able-bodied laboring
men, whether skilled or unskilled. For
eigners are coming in by the millions,
but every year the scarcity becomes
more acutb. Each year higher wages
are being paid foreign labor to
do this class of work, and the foreign
er has the field all to himself.
The American boy is no longer seek
ing work in the mill, mine and facto
ry. He wants an education. Once
he has this, he will not accept a po
sition where he has to work in grime
and smut. He must dress in away
that would be unfit for service as a
laborer, and he must have a profession,
a clerkship or some sort of office job.