Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-06-22

When you 20 beyond this field OF
cooperation, yOu reach a field which
Is now largely occupied by large cor
poratlOns, which are exercising a pub
lie use and for that reason subject TO
public control.
believe that eventually the public
ownership Of all public utilities Is in
oyltable in this country; but l am
not believer In the theory that we
are ready to-day for municipal owner
ship In all our cities or for the govern
ment ownership of all our railroads.
Municipal ownership without muni-
cpal Integrity may be a greater evil
than corporate ownership, "and the
last condition of that man be worse
than the first"
believe that political honesty must
come before public ownership and
that the only way we viii ever get
political honesty is to restore the
great majority Of our people to the
land, where they win live close to
nature, and learn the obligations of
man to his fellow men, and the inn
perative need of public integrity, by
learning to unite together to do things
for themselves.
y HONESTY THE CORNERSTONE
OF COOPERATION.
Man is the product Of his environ
ment. Man win be what he Is trained
to be. And cooperation will train
men to be honest with each other and
with the public, because honesty and
integrity in the discharge Of obliga-
tions to ones fellow men Is the
corner stone Of cooperation.
Without It cooperation is a house
built upon the sands.
With such integrity, cooperation Is
a house built upon the eternal rocks
as a foundation.
And so it Is that your movement for
the formation of farmers associations,
in order that you may transact for
yourself the business of selling your
own soil products, is but a single
thread In the great cable Of co-Opera-
ton which win finally warp our ship
Of state off the rocks, and draw it to
a safe anchorage.
The profits that you will make for
yourself in the formation of these CO.
operative associations, and their man
agement, is the least of the reasons
which should impel you onward in the
movement.
A CRISIS IN OUR HISTORY.
We have reached crisis in our
country's history.
1t is a crisis threatening greater
danger than when the cloud of dis
e,,,ro,.A -. f,so,,a tho cntIfb and fhp
nation was drenched In the blood OF a
civil war.
The cancer of corruption following
in the wake of great wealth is eating
out the vitals of our country.
l have shown you that there is but
one cure, and it is to men of your class
that we must look for this cure.
In training yourselves to cooperate
together to do things for yourselves
that one man cannot do for himself
you are engaged in carrying out d
patriotic purpose just as noble as
though you had enlisted as a soldier
to shoulder your arms and march t.
the front and lay down your life, II
need be- in repelling the army of
foreign invader.
WE uIG bDEAuiAlS AlAAAlOhH IVA ANAN
and navies and to maintain an army t
protect ourselves against the othe
nations of the earth.
Our. greatest danger Is not iron
foreign nations. 1t is in our midst
1t is at the very heart Of our polltica
and social life.
And you who are here to-day ar
pioneers in the great campaign whic
will result in overthrowing the cohort
of corruption which will otherwis
destroy us.
OPPOSITION A STIMULANT.
l have been told that your move
ment meets with opposition. Thos
who oppose it are most unwise. 1t
the lesson of all periods Of the histor
Of our race that reform movements
movements for the betterment of mar
kind, even movements which merel
nurport to be for human bettermen
and are of questionable character, hav
been strengthened and built up an
perpetuated by opposition and PEI
secution.
No greater stimulus to the growth
your movement could exist than
have it Systematically opposed. Sue
oDposition rouses the combatiyenes
and aggressiveness which is in ever
mans being, stimulates him to create
effort, and encourages him to persevel
until obstacles have been overcon
which would otherwise have cause
failure.
STRENGTH COMES FROM
STRUGGLE.
It is another law Of nature TIL
strength comes from strenuous stru
gle. The strong arm is the arm tn
is used. The strong mind is the mil
that thinks. The strong man is Il
man who has developed every fibre
his physical vigor by use. The strol
races of the earth are those Whl'
have survived oppression and owe
come great obstacles in their deYelo
ment.
Be not discouraged by any conditi'
that may confront you.
Be not discouraged even by tempo
ary failure. 1t is the history OF
movements that failure must at tim
he a part of their record.
But as the wise saying has
"Failures are but the pillars OF 81
ILLUSTRATIONS OF SUCCESSFI
CO-OPERA1 -ON.
What Others have done, you can
:. - -, - -,,,ooasSf11t Illustrations