Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1874-05-01
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE CO.
OPERATION PROBLEM.
BY A PATRON.

BY A PATRON.
In all great forces there lie great
dangers. Fire, steam, gas and other
material forces and products, good in
themselves, many of them essential to
life and civilization, become eminently
dangerous when uncontrolled or mis-
managed.
When, from any cause, a portion Of
society becomes reduced to its cOndi-
ton Of individualism, it loses all ef.
fectual power and is easily appropriate
ed by another body more adhesive in
itself. The silician rocks when disin-
tegrated become sand that can be
shifted and changed by every wind,
and not only he in itself nonproductive,
but become the dreadful desert or
dangerous sca-beach; but, united by
the proper fiux, the isolated sand par
ticles become the beautiful glass SO
essential to civilized life, withal SO
brittle and with cutting powers 50
keen; but the glass, if mismanaged,
becomes master ponderous, crushing
and utterly intractable.
Feelings, analogous to those OF sns.
pi.ion Of donger, arise in the mind
when extensive combinations and indi-
viduals suddenly present themselves,
the excuses of former times, when
large bodies of people let loose their
united but ill-directed force, and de-
struction alone marked their course
So there are many who cannot take
time to think out the problems of the
Farmers Movement; who can see moth
ing but communism, agrarianism, un-
der the form of cooperation with alarm,
and are ready to help in keeping it
down. With view to present
COOPERATION IN ITS TRUE LIGHT,
we present few considerations from
the standpoint of a Patron. Co-ope-
ration is fundamental law OF life. In
many Of the lower animals the co-ope-
rative principle is strikingly develop
ell as in the cases of beaver, the honey
bee, SC. Cooperation is the funda-
mental principle Of civilized soc;eet ty !,
and the browning, pure God demon
strating inf:::cc:., &C uf christianity, with
out which all is as sounding brass
and tinkliDg symbal.1 Surely, then,
such God implanted principle can
not be dangerous to civilized socitey.
Many outside of the Grange, and
not few inside, can see nothing in
cooperation but the starting of an
opposition grocery and provision store,
and cutting down all others by the
sheer power of numbers. And some
may, even in such movements see a
method Of Sinking more severe toll
A few facts present themselves to the
rejecting mind. Stores have been
run to very largely by the farmers,
and their sons and daughters, because
labor on the farm was irksOme, profit
less, and thought to be degrading
They arc victims to q false state of
things as well as those remaining on
the farms. And, as the Patrons make
it the chief corner stone of their struc-
ture to render home delightful, farm
ing profitable, and labor respected,
they will bring hundreds from stores
and cities to the pure enjoyment of
rural life. However far apart our
ways they are our brothers yet
The grand motto of the Patrons is de-
velopment, not destruction.
PATRONS AIM AT CREATING NEW IN
DUSTRIES AND NEW MARKETS
for their products. They would not
tear up or destroy q mile of railroad,
or quietly SEQ II done. They feel the
weight of transportation, and
try to Tighten it by bringing the mark
ct to their own door; thus saving the
cost Of transportation and avoiding its
necessity.
A large proportion Of the farmers
are in debt, and that at the stores
They cannot as true Patrons invest
cash in new stores. "DO JUSTIFY can
not be safely separated from glove
SO as to be able to "walk
humbly with thy God,n which is the
acime of actual life.
The establishment of these new in
lustries will bring a new class of con-
sumers of the raw products and Of the
articles as well. The re-
lief of the farmer will be the blessing
Of the community.