42 FARMERS' UNION AND FEDERATION 



helpless and at the mercy of the government or any specu- 

 lators that conclude to take your wheat at any price they 

 choose to give you. 



Do you intend to remain such a helpless class, when by 

 unionizing you will have such great power? 



American Federation of Farmers. 



While the wheat growers' union would look after all mat- 

 ters for the wheat growers exclusively, it would be a mem- 

 ber of the American Federation of Farmers to look after the 

 political and economic interests of all unionized farmers 

 generally, as the American Federation of Labor does for all 

 unionized classes of laborers in the federation. This would 

 make the farmers the most powerful factor in our govern- 

 ment, owing to their numbers, instead of the weakest. If 

 the wheat growers will lead the way there would probably 

 be a score or two of other farm products unionize in a short 

 time. All producers who raise for sale cotton, corn, oats? 

 barley, rye, broom corn, alfalfa, hay, cattle, hogs, horses, 

 mules, sheep, poultry, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, 

 apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries, butter, eggs, etc., 

 should unionize separately to fix and enforce a minimum 

 price on their special product. Then all such unions should 

 join the American Federation of Farmers to protect their 

 common interests against the encroachments of unionized 

 and nationalized labor, capital, bankers, manufacturers, rail- 

 roads, lumber, coal, and scores of trusts, syndicates, and 

 monopolies. Each farmer should be a member of all union- 

 ized products he raises for sale. They should then elect 

 members from their own number to State Legislatures and 

 to Congress. In a government ruled by organized classes 

 the unorganized classes get no consideration. 



Then farmers should unionize to use their great latent 

 power. 



