The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-07-10
The following is an extract from
letter from an esteemed cores
pondent in Memphis:


a letter from an esteemed CORES
pondent in Memphis:
u am to a certain extent as rood
Granger as anybody, but as there are son
ultra views promulgated By many of II
Order whose zeal9lead them beyond ii;
erection don't, to use trite expression
go the whole hog Co operation | b
iIeve to be indispensable, the key to suece
IN all departments Of trade or bushes
but when operated to shut out cornpetitio
and thereby foster monopoly it then b,
comes curse instead of a blessing. If
prescription you drive capital from til
avenues of trade who is to consume III
surplus products of the farms wher
Will you find market for your butte
eggs, pigs, poultry, vegetables, fruits an
every other surplus of the farm9 1t an
pears to me that there is a mutuality &
interest between the town and the country
the farmer and the tradesman buy you
butter and eggs, and in exchange sell yo,
your sugar and coffee. 1t is conceded tina
States and nations prosper through thei
Inter-commefce, one making a specialit,
tor which they exchange for the products
OF another, thus keeping the wheels o
commerce in notion"
There ought to be mutually oil
interests between the town and
the country, the farmer and the
tradesman, but under the business
system that controls in this country
and which we will call the mer-
chants system, there is no mutually
whatever: the benefits and advant
ages of the trading between the
town and the country are all on the
side of the former. The simple fact
that the towns and cities are grow
ing rapidly, their merchants and
bankers and capitalists of all kind
are prospecting, revelling in wealth
and splendor, and the country is
steadily drained of its substance. the
producers systematically robbed of
the proceeds of their toll and con-
tInually growing poorer, shows that
there is something wrong. The
merchants, indeed, buy the pro-
duce OF the farmer and sell the
farmer his supplies, but the rules
and regulations under which these
transactions are conducted were es-
tablished and are enforced by the
merchants. The farmer has no
word IN the matter; he was abso.
lutely powerless to enforce his
rights and protect his interests until
the Grange appeared, indeed, he
had suffered under this oppressive
system so long that he had begun
to doubt whether he had any rights
at all that any body was bound to
respect. The merchants system
is based and conducted upon the
principle of "heads win, tails you
lose"
The merchants system has built
up the towns and cities at the ex.
pense of the country, and to the
detriment of the best interests of all
classes and to all healthful progress.
That competitive system has made
trading and banking and litigation
the leading and controlling branches
OF the business of the country, and
under their blighting effects agri.
culture and manufacture have lam
guished. 1t has made hundreds of
millionaires and millions of paupers;
1t has stimulated speculation and
gambling. from the effects of which
the country is writhing IN bank
ruptcy and ruin, the fearful results
OF which have only been stayed and
mltlgated by the wealth produced
by the strong arms of the sturdy
farmers of the land.
The political press of the towns
and cities have always advised the
farmers to diversity their crops, as
the panacea for hard times. The
towns and cities would do we'll to
diversity their business. IF two
thirds of the stores and banks were
converted into factories of some
kind, and the thousands of delicate
young men who are growing up
behind counters to become burdens
upon the producers of the country
were put to learning trades or sent
to the country, all would be bene-
fitted by it, and the times would
improve.
This is what cooperation in bus
slness will accomplish: 1t will lessen
the number of middlenien and
stores; it will bring the producer
and consumer together, and enable .
them to exchange their commodities
at their real value and at the.least
possible expense, and to enjoy the
profits arising from the exchange
instead of its all going into the
pockets OF an army of middlemen. 8
who are banded together to get the !.
products of the farm at the lowest >
'rice and to sell them to the con- r
umer at the highest. = =
The merchants system is not
in fba fruo coueo &c IL r