The Green Forest tribune., 1910-02-25

every man carries a gun to protect himself against it. Society is com pelled to organize In self-defense. This is the primary reason and sufficient justification for men combining. Business advantage is another req son why individuals do and ought to combine. Cooperation in buying and selling, in inspecting, packing and shipping, in storing and holding has prevented glutted markets, has i'm proved the quality and appearance of products, has lessened expense, and has increased profits. Fertilizers, seeds, implements and well-bred ami mals are items respecting which CO., operation in purchasing is practiced with advantage. Cooperation in han ding, sorting, holding and selling fruit, cotton, grain and tobacco has now be- come so common as to excite no re- mark and has been of great advan- tage to producers of these important crops.
 Self-improvement is third reason why country people particularly should combine. Population in the country is scattered and rarely meet except at church or the country store. The telephone and the rural mail de- livery have relieved rural life of two great inconvenience. Neither, how ever, can take the place of personal contact through the neighborhood meeting at which questions of inter- +o II, hIr experts and where free exchange of opinion can be had respecting the To- cal problems that country people have to meet.
 These are advantages the direct re- suit of combination and are of benefit chiefly to the individual. Fully as great benefits from associated effort come to the country at large, to the state and to the nation. While it is true that whatever renders the indi- vidual more efficient or betters his condition is indirectly of advantage to the state, yet combination of the right kind and properly directed pro notes the public good directly by en. couraging peace and by strengthening the civil, moral and religious forces of the state, enabling these interests to act freely and unitedly in promoting any great movement, for the better ment of society. Commerce, although made up of many units. is in its large sense only an aggregation of business interests which the state or nation as a whole utilizes in trading with other states and nations. Boards of trade, combinations of capital, the con- modity called labor, public corpora tions as railroads, telegraph and tele- phone companies, express companies, and similar organizations affect di- rectly the nation as a whole, in it's wealth, it's progress and political in t1uence. Government itself is simply a great organization established and conducted for the general good. The great forces in society are organized forces and as such they in large meas ure control government, indicate it's policy, direct it's legislation, and sup. port and enforce it's laws Although farming people in this country con- pose over one-third of our population iuISlSStS ldI greater than those of any other class, they have for the most part remained un- organized and consequently have had less influence in the administration of public affairs than any other class of citizens
 Organization, therefore, just now, if not their most important need, is onrto ink ho son that without it the machinery of rural business must continue to be unassembled, wheel here, frame there, all of the parts scattered and of little practical value until prop erly combined and fitted to work to- gether.