Michigan Farmers’ Candidate For Governor 
A Plain, Hard-Headed Statement of Their Needs 
B EGINNING AT HOME.—Based upon the as¬ 
sumption that while the United States is sus¬ 
ceptible to far greater industrial development than 
has been accomplished, such development cannot 
come unless agriculture first is placed upon an 
indisputably prosperous plane, because without pros¬ 
perous agriculture sufficient food cannot he produced 
to supply the workingmen required by expanded 
industries. Michigan fanners have taken a fiver in 
politics as the first step toward the ends sought. 
While they realize that the activities of a single 
State cannot accomplish very much toward a national 
object, they take the stand that reform, like charity, 
must begin at home. Hence their initiative. 
AX EDUCATIONAL POLICY.—In embarking on 
this venture they are not emulating the Non-Partisan 
League of North Dakota. Their policy is to be one 
of education and development. Politics as now pur¬ 
sued. the leaders maintain, has a ten¬ 
dency adverse to the prosperity of 
agriculture, not through any wilful 
mendacity of statesmen or politicians, 
capital or labor, but because urban 
business has not awakened to the fact 
that the much complained of shortage 
of food is due to the draining of the 
country labor market by city industries. 
Farmers believe it is easier to educate 
from the inside than from the outside, 
by example of accomplishment rather 
than by theory expounded. So they 
have decided to get on the inside. 
Their only step thus far has been to 
decide among themselves upon a man 
whom they would like to support as a 
candidate for Governor. They now are 
planning ways and means tit get him 
nominated. They have several months 
to accomplish this, for the nominations 
are made the last week in August. The 
leader they have chosen is Milo n. 
Campbell, president of the National 
Association of Milk Producers and 
chairman of the general hoard of the 
National Bureau of Farm Organiza¬ 
tions. and nationally known through 
his activities in behalf of agricultural 
interests. 
SOME OBJECTS SOUGHT. — The 
farmers are not seeking legislation cal¬ 
culated to advance their interests at 
the expense of others, but only to pre¬ 
sent adverse legislation which is aimed 
at agriculture periodically by self- 
seeking city interests. The acid test of 
the tentative program which lias come 
before the committee selected to take 
the initiative in the farmers’ campaign 
B whether any measure suggested will 
,,e f " advantage of the public at 
huge. The hypothesis ’is that what is 
good for the public is good for the 
t'an tiers, and vice versa. For instance, 
a state beef inspection law, it is held. 
'V ’ U,<1 u ‘ oet thaf requirement. At present Hie larger 
( hit> in tpp siate enact local ordinances with re- 
finirements which heavily handicap stock-raisers, the 
principal pur|lose of which seems to be to add a 
hiU 1 1 \enue to the city coffers through fees and 
I" Mippi.v jobs for local politicians. The slaughter- 
ll .’ ,,MS ,,lu * markets which have to pay these fees, 
1)1 course, take them out of the farmers or the eus- 
nil "' ls ’ ,l10 unscrupulous ones take the toll 
,0lh emls - ’mving a good excuse, laying away 
. 11,1 * ,|n ^ b»r themselves. This is becoming a verv 
Part I. 
portion of the doubled taxes with which they have 
been burdened in the last few years, by taking a 
just toll from the inflated incomes of city million¬ 
aires. 
OTIIEIl OBJECTS SOUGHT.—A pure seed law 
which will prevent impure seed being sold in the 
state. Tt is believed that the state lias authority 
in tliis matter equal to its authority to quarantine 
against disease. A tariff on beans which will keep 
out the cheap Japanese product that now threatens 
to kill bean farming in the United States. (This, 
however, is a measure on which there is question of 
its benefit to the public at large. It undoubtedly 
would he to the advantage of bean farmers, but it 
would tend to increase the price of beans to the 
consumer). A prevention of further extension of 
THE RADICAL 
'AaU-L-.. . 
This popular cartoon has hern widely printed. The farmer is less likely to quit 
I'OHtiuff than any other o'orknian. lie* -trill find other -trays It* make the drones 
do their share. 
This is taken from the Canadian Crain Cromer and is called “The Ke a stone of 
the Arch rri - ' . J -.— — - - - — - 
on 
an 
The Canadians are working out our popular slogan, “lFe hare got 
to do it ourselres. n 
the home rule for cities program. Several cities 
have taken advantage of home rule laws to enact 
local laws discriminating against farmers. It is held 
that State laws should he enacted on all important 
matters which should take precedence over local 
ordinances. 
INDUSTRIAL CONTROVERSIES.—A State in¬ 
dustrial court with power to adjudicate all labor 
disputes. It is held that if courts can decide the 
legality of contracts involving millions of dollars, 
and the rights of men. even affecting their life or 
import-ml f • . ‘ ol even aueciiug uieir me 
other Si- i <IU ° f ! 0U i ." Michlgan ’ nml Presumably in death, they can decide what is a just procedure to 
•i is. OI similar reasons, which arc that the take in an industrial controversy, after a thorough 
inquiry, made in a judicial manner. If the whole 
I s . men owning from SO to 200 acres power of the government backs up the present con- 
into stituted courts, it also could hack up an industrial 
court. This would put an end to public privations 
. ^ ** * »» iiik II cl 1 l liltll 
• O' age of labor is compelling thousands of small 
farmers, tha 
I’ 1 lim ' 1, to ln,t a targe part of their holding . 
•:r- "l* u they feed young stock through 
,llu ^ turn it oft in the Fall because tliev 
•umot get enough feed 
''inter. 
to take it through the 
stnti. • 1 t-AW.—The farmers want a 
be t-i lllCl>lue ,:lx law. so drawn that farmers will 
recei.n' net inC0lue instead of tlieir gross 
muvorHhi r°' V lll>U1 that such a tax, minus the 
tax hw J e ;‘ tUres of the Present Federal income 
’ Uould relieve farm lands of at least a 
through strikes. 
PRICE-FIX I N< i ANT > GRADIN'! L—Precautionary 
steps against the price-fixing propaganda which is 
calculated to force down the prices of farm products 
by some such means as was accomplished in 
the war-time fixing of the price of wheat. In time 
the scarcity of food in cities will drive men back to 
the farms and prices will be high enough to permit 
farmers to pay city wages. Laws assuring fair 
grading of potatoes, wheat and beans. The present 
regulations are very disadvantageous to farmers, but 
give the consumers no benefit from what the farmers 
lose. 
OTHER LEGAL MATTERS.—Modifications of 
game laws which will relieve tlie farmers of the 
stigma of crime when they find it necessary to pro¬ 
tect their poultry and produce from predatory ani¬ 
mals and birds. Opposition is expressed toward tlie 
proposed state police law. public utilities commis¬ 
sion law, new dog law. which is designed to protect 
sheep raisers and to the proposition to enact a State 
daylight-saving law. Most of these matters are 
believed to be of of as great importance in other 
States as in Michigan, and therefore would take 
rank as national issues should the farmers of Michi¬ 
gan succeed in their own State and extend their 
campaign elsewhere. So much produce is shipped 
out of the State that State laws alone 
would fail of their purpose. Govern¬ 
ment ownership of railways is opposed. 
FARMERS TX POLITICS. — T h e 
movement among farmers to turn t<» 
politics as a means of attaining ends 
essential to the preservation of agri¬ 
culture began more than a year ago. 
when the Michigan State Grange, the 
Ancient Order of Gleaners and the 
State Association of Farmers’ Clubs 
appointed committees to act jointly in 
studying the problems of farmers of 
the State and devising a plan to solve 
them. This joint committee has held 
many conferences in the last 12 months. 
J die position taken by these orders was 
that the farmers did not want a can¬ 
didate for Governor who would repre¬ 
sent only fanners, but one who had 
had business experience as well as 
agricultural experience, and preferably 
one who had some knowledge of State 
affairs and statecraft. They decided 
that Mr. Campbell filled the bill better 
than any other man in the State. Be¬ 
sides a Governor, the farmers desire at 
least a fair apportionment of other 
State officers and a greater representa¬ 
tion in tlie Legislature, though in Mich¬ 
igan no Legislature has been without 
a good proportion of farmers. The 
three organizations which have initi¬ 
ated the move in politics are pledged 
to get hack of tlie joint committee’s 
program and do their best to put it 
through. They have high hopes of suc¬ 
cess. for in spite of the fact that 
Detroit now has a population of more 
than a million, and several other cities 
are approaching the point where they 
can lie called large, the agricultural 
vote in the State still is a powerful 
factor. 
CLASS LEGISLATION.—The joint 
committee which selected Air. Campbell 
for the farmer candidate for Governor said in its 
pronouncement: “There must, lie no class legisla¬ 
tion. and what we oppose in others we cannot and 
do not ask for ourselves.” This is not aimed at 
Michigan alone. It is intended for the ears of other 
commonwealths. Farmers have looked with misgiv¬ 
ings upon concessions which Congress has made to 
the demands of organized labor in the last few years, 
which they regard as class legislation. They blame 
such acts for the increase in wage scales which have 
robbed them of farm help. They wish to forestall 
any other such moves. The pronouncement further 
says : 
e believe that in the present period of under¬ 
production and industrial unrest there is no room 
for a single-track administration, but that business. 
Agriculture, labor and all classes of good citizens 
should sit in the councils of state.” This also is 
aimed at tlie nation instead of only Michigan. 
1IIE FARM CANDIDATE.—Mr. Campbell was 
selected as tlie candidate for Governor because, 
while his principal interests are agricultural, he also 
lias business interests and has had some experience 
in public life. He was born on a farm in Branch 
County, in ISot, has lived in that county all his life 
and now owns two dairy and grain farms mereiu. 
