

ADVOCATE AND GUIDE. 117 



"I have never understood why one-half of the American people 

 should find it necessary to organize and co-operate for their benefit and 

 not the other half. It has occurred to me that if it was proper and 

 necessary for labor and industrial interests to organize, it was also 

 proper and necessary for the other half the agricultural people to 

 organize and co-operate as well. Certainly, when we consider all that 

 is involved it seems that every fair-minded man will concede the jus- 

 tice, right, and necessity for co-operation. 



"When we turn to the census reports we find that more than half 

 of the American people live in rural districts. We find that more than 

 6,000,000 farmers and 6,000,000 farm laborers, tilling more than 6,000,- 

 000 farms, produced last year 5,600,000,000 bushels of cereals, which is 

 about one-third of the production of cereals in the world ; 917,000,000 

 bushels of wheat, about one-third of the wheat produced in all the 

 world. 



"The gentleman preceding me has spoken about the dairy interests. 

 We have 43,000,000 head of cattle, 23,300,000 milch cows, giving more 

 than 8,500,000,000 galbns of milk. We have 71,000,000 swine ; 49,000,- 

 000 sheep; 19,500,000,000 pounds of meat, pork and mutton. The 

 live stock on the farms on the 1st of January and the 1918 crop was 

 valued at $24,700,000,000, which is three times the stock of money in 

 the United States, after our printing presses have been running to full 

 capacity the last year qjid turning out all sorts of money. 



"My friends, here we are with organization on one hand, the labor 

 and other activities co-operating. On the other hand we have this 

 vast number of people without co-operation. 



"It would seem that it is proper and fair and just that they co- 

 operate ; that is, to perfect an organization such as suggested by your 

 chairman here a moment ago, men with heart and soul in the work, and 

 who have a sincere interest in the agricultural people an organization 

 equipped here with proper office building, with money to support it, 

 and with money to employ the proper talent to appear before legisla- 

 tive bodies to impress their viewpoints ; men who stand for a square 

 deal all along the line, for just laws, and an honest administration of 

 just laws. Legislation not to meet the views of those who have no re- 

 spect for law, order, or property rights, but legislation dealing with all 

 questions in a broad and comprehensive manner, with a spirit of fair- 

 ness and justice to all concerned; legislation not to deprive an indi- 

 vidual, corporation, or interest of a single dollar honestly acquired, but 

 legislation to promote and perpetuate the prosperity and happiness of 

 the people in all communities. 



