Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-03
AGRICULTURAL.
xArTER PREPARED SPECIALLY POE
TIE RECORD UBIoE."
Cooperation and Incorporation for the
Farmers-Advantage OF Associa-
tion-Want Of Confidence

For many reasons the farmers l-bor under
peculiar disadvantages in a bu.iuess light.
The farmers occupation Is the original occu-
patton of man. The cultivation Of the soil
and the production % food Tor man IL IN
doubtedly the first thing that occupied the
primitive human beiugs. Perhaps man
passed through numerous stages OF
development and Improvement before
he had risen above the methods
of the brute creation Tor obtaining living.
Centuries may have ELAPSED before man oc-
cupied position il the srale ct animal eS-
is.sucs above that occupied today by the
monkey. E.oluticu and improvement are
written Oh every page OF natural history as
far back as we can gain any knowledge OF
that history. The natural history Of man Is
undoubtedly much older than mis- civic his
tory. bu. his civic history carries US back to
acivilizatfon that begins very low down-next
to the brute creation. From the beginning
experience has been the teacher and civliizer
Of the human race As mankind have become
more and more civilized their mutual de-
pendence one upon the other has come more
and mora to the front. In state Of nature
the individual is comparatively independent
of his fellows, and individual rights
have not been given up or surrendered
for the purpose of securing those
benefits that come from association and
cooperation. The association OF two or
three individuals for specific purpose, how
ever limited az to time or object, Is the hrst
step towards modern civilization. When
two or more of the primitive members OF the
human race were attacked by wild beasts,
aud united in their efforts for sell protection
and formutual protection against such attack:
then in this act Of association Is to be found
the first principles of c0-operation-the hrst
stem towards civilization and civil improve
mept.
The institution OF marriage and the forma-
ton Of the family circle is step In the same
direction The msn and wife and members
of the family by mutual consent cooperate
with each other for the benefit OF the mem,
bers of the fRmily-for maintaining the good
name of each member and the good name OF
the whole family circle. The family Is one OF
the first cooperative associations known in the
history Of mankind. The principles which
hold the family together-thst call upon man
TO love cherish and protect his wife and chill
dreu, and that call upon woman to love, cher
ish and protect her husband and Children
comprehend and embrace all the principles
tn Il enter into every cooperative association
known TO civil society and to the civil laws.
Recommendations, county, State and ma
tional governments-are but extensive and
complicated forms of cooperative associa-
ton Every partnership for business
purposes. every Incorporation for the
conduct and management OF any particular
business, or of business in general, as the
mercantile business, manufacturing, steam
boating, railroading, insurance, incorpora-
lions for any purpose, are but particular
forms Of cooperation. The laws authorizing
interpretations ana regulating them are sim
ply rules and regulations TO encourage and
protect these forms Of co.operation-the
same as the laws authorizing marriage and
regulating the marriage relations are rules
and regulations to encourage the formation Of
families, and to protect these forms OF CO.
operation. There has grown up in tue pub
lie mind an unwarTautcd and mlschlevous
distinction between the term cooperation
and its true meaning snd purpose and the
term incorporation and its meaning and pur-
pose.
The term cooperation, as we have seen,
has very broad and general meaning. 1t
embraces all sorts of associations by or
through which mankind unite fer mutual
benefit or mutual aid. II simply means help
ing one another i'll its broadcast sense. All |
civilization is the result of cooperation. All |
religious denominations are cooperative asso- |
Citations. All charitable institutions are CO.
operative associations. All educational sys- |
TENS are cooperative associations. All |
missionary enterprises are cooperative asso-
Citations. The Grange is a cooperative assc- |
citation. The organizations Of Free Masons |
and Odd Fellows and Red Men and |
United Workmen and Chosen Friends |
and Good Templars are all CO.
operative associations. Cooperation is |
indeed at the root of all modern i'm
provement and civilization. Now for the
meaning of incorporation. The term has a
Latin origin, and is from corpus, meaning. |
body, and in-and when united to form the
English term incorporate, means to unite or
put into one body. Several parties or per-
sons desiring to cooperate with each
other in the management OF any !
business, or in gaining Of information.
or in spreading religious sentiments, or IN
ding any lawful thing or carrying out any
purpose, by complying with certain rules !,
and forms may Incorporate or unite in one
boiy-become in law one person, an incorpo-
ration. When Incorporated the law regards
them or the corporation into which they are
formed as an individual person. Incorpora-
the cooperation of a few or many
individuals for any purpose may be
accomplished. Incorporation Is simply
union for cooperation. 1t is the legal form
or mode of cooperation. Corporations are
of two uds under the Incorporation witl
stock and without stock. Stock corporations
are those in which individuals take shares
and put in money. As for instance, when
ten or more men desire to carry on wheat
growing, grspe.growing, or wine-maklng on
a scale so large that anyone of them has not
the money to carry on The business with,
they may unite their capital or money
and place the business under certain OF their
number who may be selected to carry 1t on.
So where ten or more or less individuals de-
sire to open up mines and carry on mining
business, or manufacturing, or merchandising,
or steamboating, or any other kind OF business
on a scale too extensive for any one OF them,
they may incorporate and unite their energies
and means. Incorporation is an invention
20 assist and facilitate civilization, to enable
the most extensive cooperation. The greater
facilities for carrying on commercial opera.
tiuns the world ever possessed by mankind
of to-day, or those possessed by the people
of one hundred years ago, are principally due
to the laws authorizing and regulating incor-
porations. Nearly all the clipper and steam
ship lines that traverse the oceans and bring
the continents together, anu nearly Oil Oio
railroad and telegraph lines that span the
continents and bring the oceans together, are
operated by interpretations.
Individual means and individual capacity
and enterprise are unequal to the demands oil
civilization Associated minds and assocl-
ated capital through corporations are doing
for the world what eau be done In no other
way, and what but yesterday was considered
impossible. Without incorporated capital
the world would never have been encircled
with telegraph and ocean. cable wire, to trans
NIT news frolh every commercial center
to every other business point on
the earth, thus virtually annihiating |
time and space. Without associated capital
the continents would never have been covered
with networks of raj roads, bringing all |
PEG pies and all products together. Co-opera-
ton is the spirit of the times, and those who |
do not take advantage Of cooperation must
fall behind in the race for success. OF all
classes of people on the earth the farmers
have been behind in availing themselves /
of the advantages of association |