Agriculture -- Canada; Agriculture -- Canada -- Societies, etc.
"I have an abiding faith that the organized farmers will receive that
strength, not selfishly but unselfishly in the defence of the rights of
all and for the spoliation of none. The highest ambition I have for
our organization is that it may develop along the lines of safety and
sanity, that we may hold to a steady determination to go forward
unwaveringly in our efforts till the door of hope and opportunity is as
wide open to the farmers as to any class in the world, that we may
zealously cultivate unselfish co-operation and learn to treat fairly
and justly every man and every class that is giving a useful service to
society."
And this from the Presidential address of R. C. Henders at the last
Manitoba Grain Growers' convention:
"In order to have legislation that will be equitable to the different
interests concerned, all of these interests should be somewhat equally
represented in the passing of such legislation. We do not desire to
minimize in any way the great commercial interests of our people, yet
we feel that the work of our associations is educational and
legislative in its character. Democratic rule requires that the
average citizen be an active, instructed and intelligent ruler of his
country and therefore the success of democracy depends upon the
education of the people along two principal lines--first, political
knowledge; second, and what is of far more importance, political
morality. Ideal government is found when we have righteous rulers
governing a people of character and intelligence. Right education is
right thinking and right thinking can only come through accurate
information."
Now, is all this preaching of the men who are leading the farmers just
so much talk?--chaff?--prairie wind?
If not, what lies back of it? The farmers have an organization which
meets every so-often to harmonize and crystallize the thought among
their various associations and business units. It is that same
Canadian Council of Agriculture which has been mentioned already. It
consists of the executive committees of eight farmers' co-operative,
business and educational institutions, to wit: The United Farmers of
Ontario, The United Farmers' Co-Operative Company of Ontario, The Grain
Growers' Association of Manitoba, United Grain Growers (of the entire
West), The Grain Growers' Association of Saskatchewan, The Saskatchewan
Co-Operative Elevator Company, The United Farmers of Alberta, and the
_Grain Growers' Guide_, the official organ of the whole movement.
At a meeting of this influential body in Winnipeg in December,
1916--representing an affiliation of 60,000 farmers--a "National
Political Platform" was adopted to embrace economic, political and
social reforms not alone in the interests of the farmers but of
Canada's citizens generally. The farmers are looking for the support
of all who live in cities and towns as well as the rural districts; of
organized Labor as well as organized farmers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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