AGRICULTURAL DISCONTENT 



in Washington." This "assistant government," declared Barrett, "has 

 one advantage over the Constitutional government. It is more effectively 

 trained for its work. It is an association of specialists. Eminent men and 

 women who know all the legislative, administrative and bureaucratic 

 avenues, streets and alleys in Washington belong to this interesting and 

 patriotic collection of men and women." 65 



The Farmers' Union was an outspoken critic of the Farm Bureau. From 

 the beginning it always considered the Bureau as an auxiliary of the 

 chamber of commerce, big business, and the agricultural colleges. 66 Since 

 the Bureau admitted businessmen into membership, said the Union, it 

 had absorbed the businessmen's point of view regarding the solution of 

 the farm problem, which was contrary to the best interests of the farmer. 



Another bone of contention was the affiliation of the Farm Bureau with 

 the county agents. Such a tie was held to be unfair. It gave to the Bureau 

 a distinct advantage when it came to getting new members. Some of the 

 money provided for the support of the county agents was furnished by 

 Farmers' Union members in the form of taxes, and these sums were being 

 used in a manner held detrimental to the best interests of the Union. 67 



Naturally, Bureau spokesmen came to the defense of their ties with 

 the county agents. It was claimed that the county farm bureaus were 

 organized especially for the purpose of helping the county agents. "There 

 were other farm organizations in the field [at the time the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation was organized] but they were not created to 

 do extension work. A secret, fraternal farm organization, or one engaged 

 directly in business, clearly was not equipped to cooperate with the Exten- 

 sion Service." 68 



The relationship between the Farm Bureau and the county agents was 

 explained in another way: county agents were organized, along with the 

 county farm bureaus, chiefly for the purpose of stimulating the pro- 

 ductive efficiency of the farmers. At the time of their inception, the 

 Farmers' Union and the American Society of Equity were bitterly assail- 



65. New Yor\ Times, May 15, 1921. 



66. Farm Market Guide (Minneapolis), May-June, 1926. 



67. Farmers' Union Herald (South St. Paul, Minn.), May, 1929; March, 1927; 

 December 21, 1931. 



68. American Farm Bureau Federation, The Extension Service and the Farm 

 Bureau Movement (Chicago, [1939]) [mimeographed]; Nation's Agriculture, XIV 

 (July- August, 1939), p. 1 6. 



