Newspapers / The Carolina Union Farmer … / Oct. 10, 1912, edition 1 / Page 2
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?age ^0 THE CAROLINA UNION PARMER [Thursday. October 10, 1912* XENFNfESSEE DEPARXIVIEINIX. OFFICIAL ORGAN OF TENNESSEE FARMERS’ UNION. L. M. RHODES, Pres., Huntingdon, Tenn. C. vv . BROOKS, Sec., Atwood, Tenn. To the Tennessee Brotherhood. The Carolina Union Farmer has Been Adopted as Organ of the Tennessee Union.—A Stirring Appeal from Presi dent Rhodes to Put the Organ in Every Members* Home. At the close of the best year’s work of the Tennessee State Union, in State Convention at Chattanooga, September 6, 1912, we adopted The Carolina Union Farmer as our State organ. We are to have a Tennessee page, or pages, and I most earnestly request State and county officials and other Union members all over the State, to write to our Tennessee de partment. Write short, readable let ters; tell what you are doing, when your County Union meets and what kind of meetings you are having. Make the Tennessee page a red-hot live wire, sparkling with unionism every week. Let every Local make a special ef fort to get every member to take this paper. Every Local Secretary should send in a club at once. Let us put The Carolina Union Farmer in every farmer’s home in Tennessee. North Carolina, the foremost State in the Farmers’ Union, and Tennessee, one of the foremost, can certainly get out a paper that will interest, encourage, strengthen and enlighten every farm er who reads it. We must be up and doing. So let Tennessee and North Carolina join hands across the moun tains and make The Carolina Union Farmer the greatest farm journal and Union paper in the whole coun try. Every farmer should read it and treasure up its truths, for knowledge is power, and practical intelligence, properly applied, is the most produc tive force on earth. But the power of knowledge exercised by the few and neglected by the many, has mocked equity, dethroned justice and torn the Golden Rule into shreads. Farmers, we must take no backward steps until intelligent methods of production, scientific methods of mar keting, and (M-operative systems of rural credits transforms our country into a nation of happy and prosperous homes and our farmers from indus trial slaves to industrial masters. Our slogan is double the member ship in Tennessee this year. And my motto has always been, “A purpose once fixed, then death or victory.” Fraternally, L. M. RHODES, State President. CONSTANCY. By C. W. Brooks, Tennessee State Secretary. The writer has yet to meet his first man who will come out, straight from the shoulder, and say there is nothing farmers may gain by organ izing, should get closer together, should have frequent meetings where their various interests may be dis cussed that all may profit by the successes and failures of each. And that there are a multitude of small and great problems, local. State-wide and nation-wide in their scope, that may be dealt with profitably by a compact organization where individ ual effort would be absolutely fu tile. There is no denying this prop osition. It is so nearly self-evident that a little real thinking is sufficient to convince anyone who is not in cased by some bigoted or foolish prejudice or who is too mentally lazy to exercise the thinking faculties. There is one “stock in store” ar gument used by all who would place a low estimate on the results of an organization composed of farmers. It is neatly constructed and always in easy reach that it may be brought forward at the proper time. It is conceded that organization is legiti mate, that there is a need for it, and if properly conducted much good will result, but—they say, “Farmers won’t stick.” Is it true that farmers are lacking in constancy? Is there any founda tion in fact for this indictment against the fixedness of purpose, firmness of mind, persevering reso lution and unchaken determination of the American farmer? When we consider him from the standpoint of a business man, candor forces us to admit there is some grounds for the accusation. Why this lack of “stickability. Is it characteristic of the men whose brain and brawn causes the farms of the United States to produce more than $8,000,000,000 of farm products annually? It certainly is not. Touch any of the cherished rights of the American citizen and you will find the tillers of the soil ready to sacri fice time, money and, if need be, life itself. The question may be asked, why then do they not revolt and see to it that our present system of dis tributing farm products, which al lows the producer less than half of what the consumer pays, is so amended as to eliminate all useless dealers, .thereby bringing the pro ducer and consumer closer together the result of which would be a sav ing of millions of dollars to each? There can be but one answer to this query? They do not fully realize that they are being systematically robbed. They have become so ac customed to turning over the pro ducts of their labor to some local dealer, where it is lost from their sight, and have gotten so deep into the old rut, if sounded to the bot tom, it will be found they really doubt that a more satisfactory and economical system can be put into operation. So many are short-sighted, indif ferent and selfish that were it not for the faithfulness of those who are satisfied to know that some day some one will reap a harvest from their sowings, we. think it is not extreme to say, civilization itself would per ish. No vocation or profession is free from drones. In every walk of life men may be found who do not think it worth while to strive for improve ment. A vast majority are content to stagnate year after year. Men of broad mental equipment whose en ergy and ambition prompt them to strive faithfully for the betterment of their fellow men and for the stamping out of all inequalities are comparatively few in number. But upon their faithfulness and trueness depends the life and usefulness of all movements for the common good. Development and progress are gov erned by laws as fixed and regular as those which rule the physical world. Where there is no constant effort there is no progress; where there is no progress there is stagnation. It is the mission of the Farmers' Union to so educate the farming class that a better system of farm ing, a better system of marketing, (buying and selling) and an im provement of farm life conditions wil be a matter of course. The man who expects all farmers to join in this work, take a part in the program and prove themselves valiant soldiers will be disappointed. Many men who are in some degrees thoughtful and progressive will not associate themselves with the organ ization. Many who do enlist under its banner will prove to be weaklings. The final results depend on the faith fulness of the faithful. Fortunately; there are a few in each community whose minds are receptive and who are willing to ac cept the benefits of scientific re search. These men are on the look out for new ideas and developments and are not unwilling to forsake a well beaten path if the fact that there is a better road can be demon strated. They are the pioneers of thought following the blazed trail of the explorers who believe there are yet new productive and commercial worlds that may be discovered. These local leaders are the ones who introduce new machinery and im proves live-stock, and it is they who foster and encourage all movements looking to the uplifting of their class. They are the ones who per suade the timid, stimulate the slug gish and create enthusiasm in the minds of those who are indifferent or doubtful; these are the men who by their influence and activities build better school houses and better churches and put into them more efficient teachers and more able preachers. The majority who year after year find themselves enjoying the pleasures amd conveniences of improved conditions seldom stop to consider why the changes or what part they played in bringing them about. It is well to remind ourselves of the fact that it is not absolutely ne cessary to have the co-operation of even a majority before progress can be made. A few earnest, energetic men can by persistent effort, interest enough of their fellow men to make some advancement along most any line of general betterment. In all history we find no record of an organization that aroused, ani mated and inspirited the farming class as the Farmers’ Union has done. Into whatever community it enters it instills into the minds of the patient, long-suffering “Man with the hoe” a desire for better conditions and a hope of obtaining them. It strives to educate him and lead him onward into a wider range of thought that he may develop men tally and get into possession of a great number of useful facts and significant truthes from which he may learn important lessons and get a clearer view of the tendencies of life. Thus the Farmers’ Union has mul tiplied the number of thinking far mers. Thus millions of farmers have come to know that for a hun dred years this government has been more favorable to commerce and manufacturers than to agriculture. And as a result of the work done by this organization millions of farmers. through their committees, are knock ing at the doors of our national con gress and our State Legislatures and demanding a square deal for Ameri can agriculture. All honor to the faithful few io each community. It was their con stancy, faithfulness and fixedness of purpose that has made it possible to build up and maintain the Farmers Union. The future influence, pow ers and usefulness depends on their continued loyal support. rilKSlDKNT RHODES’ ANNUAU ADDRESS TO TENNESSEE FAE- MERS. The annual address by L. Rhodes, President of the Tennessee Division, Farmers’ Union, delivered at the opening of the State Conven tion, Thursday, was as follows: _ At a time when the Farmers Union of Tennessee is more prosper ous and powerful thrills me with pleasure to greet and congratulate its representatives in annual conven tion. You are the authorized spokes men of the most important farmers organization ever assembled in our State. We had a good organization in Tennessee one year ago. We have a much stronger one today. As vre look back over the long, hard road we have traveled and the obstacles we have overcome, I am sure you re joice with me today over the victor ies won and stand ready to meet- with absolute confidence, any oppO' sition that may obstruct our path' way. Hours like these of good f®*' low'ship and victories are the golden strands that the flying shuttle time weaves into our lives. But the roses of pleasure are not w'ithon their thorns of disappointment. To day we miss the manly form, hearty hand-clasps and cordial greetings ° some who were with us a year ago- They have gone to their abundan reward. Let us treasure their mem' ories; let the good they did live aft® them to bless those who are to o®tn®^ let us write their faults upon tb sands and their virtues upon tb tablets of remembrance and love. One year ago, when you made your president for the third time- promised you with all the earnes ness of my soul that if you wou^^ give me your loyal support the Fa mers’ Union in Tennessee continue to grow and prosper, I do not claim a more lofty ism than that which actuates otb^^ public men, and I hope I shall feel an impulse to draw around a robe of self-righteousness, I claim to have been industrious, selfish and faithful. Since the State Union I have written 1,800 ters, made 160 speeches and gt 2,700 miles. I have willingly ‘ j sleep, undergone privations, endu ^ hardships, worry and heartaches- have almost forsaken home ties of confidence, love and and deprived myself of the swee joys of the human soul. But the race has not been run- j battle has not been fought alo^®' feel it my duty to say that your » Secretary-Treasurer has stood like a brother. With an knows no fagging and an entnus that knows no discouragemen , has labored to build up and en our organization. Some when the burdens have seeme ^ heavy for my shoulders to be have shifted some of them onto and he has borne them ^’Elingiy^^.gg, without an exception. ^°^^n,itte® President and Executive Com have never failed me, and inn our success is due to then counsel and timely aid. I nm n dulging in idle flattery jjaV® you that no body of men coul stood more nobly by me and no more loyal or faithful men n®
The Carolina Union Farmer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Oct. 10, 1912, edition 1
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