STATE AND NATIONAL FEDERATIONS 249 



won alike from farmers and from the general public. 

 Resting as it does upon like units in the counties, with its 

 membership made up of the leading and most successful 

 farmers in every community, with the educational back- 

 ground of the work of the county agents and with a rational 

 and conservative program, it is not strange that the Fed- 

 eration has commanded much national confidence and at- 

 tained national leadership in farmer affairs. Its truly 

 representative character in county, state and Nation have 

 given it an unequaled opportunity to really speak for rural 

 people in the national interest. The Federation has applied 

 the educational principle of self-help as never before. It 

 is rapidly developing national farmer leadership of a high 

 type, rural self-expression and a rural interest in general 

 public as well as special agricultural affairs such as has 

 never been practically realized before. It is becoming a 

 clearing house and a correlating and unifying force in 

 American agriculture. It is making possible national agri- 

 cultural programs. 



The objects of the Federation, as stated in its constitu- 

 tion, are (1) to correlate and to strengthen the state and 

 county farm bureaus, (2) to promote, protect and to rep- 

 resent the business, economic and social interests of farm- 

 ers, and (3) to develop agriculture. All these are big and 

 comprehensive purposes and hardly to be attained at once 

 or completely. While ambitious in themselves, all these 

 objects are very much to be desired by all and if adhered 

 to they are not likely to lead the organization far afield 

 from its original purposes as so often happens. There are 

 many dangers, however, which must be met and passed 

 before it is certain that the organization is to be a per- 

 manent and important factor in American agriculture. 



