THE BEGINNING OF THE U.F.O. 39 



made up their minds that something could be 

 done, chiefly because they believed that some- 

 thing ought to be done. On a bright, cold 

 Saturday in the late fall of 1913, with a hint of 

 coming winter in the air, four farmers came to 

 Toronto to discuss the seemingly hopeless situa- 

 tion, and, if possible, to devise some means for its 

 betterment. These four farmers were, W. C. <- 

 Good, Col. J. Z. Fraser, J. J. Morrison and E. C. 

 Drury. They had expected to meet in the 

 office of The Weekly Sun, their one journalistic 

 friend, but being rural folk, accustomed to 

 work six days in the week, and a part of the 

 seventh, they had reckoned without knowledge 

 of the city man's habit of taking Saturday 

 afternoon off. They found the Sun office 

 closed and deserted. They were much dis- 

 appointed, it is true, for they had expected not 

 only a sheltering roof, but comfort and counsel 

 from their friend, the editor. They had, how- 

 ever, come long distances, at a considerable 

 sacrifice. They could not afford to go home 

 without something accomplished. They walked 

 from the deserted office of the Sun to the Kirby 

 House on Queen Street West, secured a room, 

 and held their conference, going back to their 

 farms the same evening. The result of that 

 conference was, a few months later, the birth of 

 the United Farmers of Ontario. 



