PREFACE 



If any people, any one class, or any one industry is 

 entitled to distinction as the preferred business, or its 

 people "the select of the earth," that business is agri- 

 culture and the people are the farmers. If any one 

 class should prosper more than another, this distinction 

 should fall to the farmers. But this is not an attempt 

 to raise one class over others, it is not even an attempt 

 to make all equal, but to equalize conditions so all may 

 have an equal opportunity to secure a fair share of re- 

 wards for efforts put forth. 



All movements for the benefit of the masses had op- 

 position at the start. An idea may be born and pro- 

 mulgated. The originator of the idea may be stoned to 

 death or hung, but if the idea is good and has vital 

 force, it grows and will not down. An evolution once 

 started never recedes, but develops into the perfect 

 flower or fruit. 



This is an age of organization and cooperation. The 

 old saying, ''Competition is the life of trade", is 

 changed to "Cooperation is the life of trade." 



An individual would be strong enough if he was the 

 only individual in the world. However, if he is one of 

 a large class he is weak and the larger the class the 

 weaker the individual. The farmer class is the most 

 numerous, hence, the individual farmer is the weakest 

 individual when he stands alone. "In union there is 

 strength." The greater the union the greater the 

 strength. The farmers united would be the greatest 

 union — greater than all other unions combined. They 

 would represent a strength and power such as the 



