Farmers Voice

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Farm newspaper published in Chicago. Began in 1887 as a 10 X 16 inch, 16 page weekly. The paper was known for its populist editorial stance, and was alone among the major, Midwestern farm newspapers in advocating the formation of a separate, agrarian political party. Even after the populist fervor of the 1880s and 1890s had subsided, the paper continued to advocate organization and cooperation as solutions to the economic problems that plagued farmers, arguing that power in government was politically asymmetrical, and the national economy rigged against the farmer by railroad, commercial, and manufacturing interests. In 1899, it changed its format by decreasing the page size, while doubling the number of pages per issue. Like the Western Rural and Live Stock Weekly, it was shifting from newspaper to magazine format, and taking on more of the "farm and fireside" tone that characterized many of the other, more successful, farm papers. Also like the Western Rural and Live Stock Weekly, it began speculating in real estate development, and promoting "colony" schemes in its pages. Its first colony development was Fruitdale, Alabama. In 1901, the paper switched back to a newspaper format—larger page size, but fewer pages per issue. The paper ceased publication in May, 1913. Subjects: Politics; Book farming; Agri-business; Letters; Editorials; Advertisements; the National Grange (Patrons of Husbandry); Market reports; News; Gardening; Fiction; Poetry; Children's activities; Women's section; Home economics; Children's section; Chess column; Checkers column; Book, catalog, and magazine reviews; County and state fair directories.