The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1906-06-15

lHE-
CORPORATIONS SUBJECT TO
PUBLIC CONTROL.
WH6B yea 90 beyond this field o
cooperation, you reach a field whicl
Il now largely occupied by large cor
Dorafs0nn which are exercising a pub
tic Isse and TOR tbat reason subject 4
public control.
believe that eventually the public
ownership Of ali public utilities is In
avitable 10 this country; but l an
not a 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 mum.
cipal integrity mag be greater evil
than corporate ownership, land the
than the first. !"
/ believe that political honesty must
come before public ownership, and
that tine only way we will ever get
political honesty is to restore the
great majority OF our people to the
land, where they will live close to
nature, and learn the obligations of
man to his fellow men, and the i'm
perative need of public integrity, by
learning to unite together to do things
for themselves.
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-
lions 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 20 1t 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-operar
ton which will finally warp our ship
OF state off the rocks, and draw 1t to
q 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 crisis threatening greater
danger than when the cloud of dis
union swept up from the south and the
nation was drenched IN the blood of n
civil war.
The cancer of corruption following
ln 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 a
patriotic purpose just as noble as
though you had enlisted as a soldier
to shoulder your arms and march to
The front and lay down your life, If
need be, In repelling the army of a
foreign invader.
We are spending millions for forts
and navies and to maintain an army to
protect ourselves against the other
nations of the earth.
Our greatest danger is not from
foreign nations. 1t Is in our midst.
It is at the very heart of our political +
and social life.
And you who are here to-day are
pioneers In the great campaign which /
win result In overthrowing the cohorts T
IF corruption which will otherwise 4
destroy us.
OPPOSITION A STIMULANT.
have been told that your move
nent meets with opposition. Those
who oppose Ii are most unwise. 1t Is
he lesson OF all periods of the history
II our race that reform movements,
for the betterment of man
lind, even movements which merely
,urport to be for human betterment, 4
nd are of questionable character, have
,cen strengthened and built up and
by opposition and per-
Iecution.
No greater stimulus to the growth of
rour movement could exist than to
lave 1t Systematically opposed. Such
opposition rouscs the cOmbativeness
md aggressiveness which IL in every
mans being, stimulates him to greater
fort, and encourages him to persevere
Until obstacles have been overcome
which would otherwise have caused
allure.
STRENGTH COMES FROM
- STRUGGLE.
It is another law of nature that
trength comes from strenuous strug
lie. The strong arm Is the arm chat
! used. The strong mind is the mind
hat thinks. The strong man is the
aan who has developed every fibre of
is physical vigor by use. The strong
aces of the earth are those which
ave survived oppression and over
ONE great obstacles in their develop
aent.
BE not discouraged by any condition
hat may confront you.
Be not discouraged even by temper
nv failure. 1t Is the history Of all
Movements that failure must at times
e part of their record.
But as the wise saying has It:
Failures are but the pillars Of sue
ess.'
OF SUCCESSFUL
C0-OPERA1 ON.
What others have done. you can do.
Z you want successful Illustrations of
cooperation among producers. go to
a fffnrnfn and qfrdv fhe WORKINGS at