THE FARMERS' UNION 225 



But these political anticipations never materialized, although in 1920 

 some 120,000 men and women in Kansas wore the Farmers' Union 

 insignia. 10 



The Union, as part of its expansion program, sought to absorb the 

 American Society of Equity. If this could be done, optimists claimed, the 

 combined membership of the two organizations would reach the fantastic 

 total of 5,000,000 members. Such a merger became one of the chief topics 

 for discussion at a conference held in St. Louis during May, 1910, but 

 so far as formal action was concerned, all such hopes failed to materialize 

 for many years. 11 



The St. Louis convention, judging from the prominent names carried 

 on its program, had attracted significant attention. Heading the list of 

 notables was President William Howard Taft; others less prominent, yet 

 important, were Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson, William Jen- 

 nings Bryan, Robert M. La Follette, former Governor J. W. Folk of Mis- 

 souri, Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, 

 and Clarence Poe, editor of the Progressive Farmer of North Carolina. 12 



One topic that seemed to interest the delegates was the possibility of 

 forming a new party, with the members of the farmers' organizations and 

 the labor unions as a nucleus. Among those who emphasized such a 

 need was Jacob Coxey, of "Coxey's Army" fame, who argued that many of 

 the old Populists who had gone into the Socialist party were not satisfied 

 with its doctrines and were anxious to form a new political alignment. 

 Barrett was quoted as being in agreement with the Coxey proposal, but 

 Samuel Gompers, true to the balance-of-power policy of the A.F.L., did 

 not concur. The resolutions finally adopted by the convention represented 

 only a resume of past demands: the elimination of speculation in farm 

 commodities; the abolition of unnecessary middlemen; the establishment 

 of postal savings banks and a system of parcel post; the extension of farm 

 demonstration work; the drainage of swamp lands; the building of good 



10. Emporia Daily Gazette, February 2, 1907; Stuart Blythe, "Is Kansas the 

 Greatest Cooperative State?" Country Gentleman, LXXXV (September n, 1920), 



P-I3- 



11. St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 3, 7, 1910. 



12. Ibid., May 2, 1910; Farmers' Union News, May 25, 1910. According to the 

 latter source, President Taft was received "coolly." 



