The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1911-10-12

as best best he can. The less he
raises the better market there will be
for what we raise. These kindly farm
ers however never thought of taking
any such cold blooded view of the
matter. The probability is that they
hadn't given it much thought as an
economic problem. Here was brother
man in trouble and they wanted to
help him out just as they knew
he would be willing to help
them if any of them were in trouble
and he were we'll. But they were in a
small way illustrating the superiority
of cooperation over competition just
the same.
have heard a good many speakers
announce that the correct theory of
society was to give every man an even
show and then let him hustle for him
self If that rule were literally carried
out it would be better than what the
world has had through the ages because
society has operated on the theory of
giving the strong the advantage of the
weak, but it is not enough.
Suppose 10 boys were stationed on a
road and 500 yards IN advance of them
were put 10 silver dollars, dollar for
each boy, then at given signal the
boys started toward the prize. The
road might be perfectly smooth and
each lad so far as opportunity is con-
concerned, would have as fair chance
as any other but you know what would
be the result.
One boy in all probility would be
able to run so much faster than any of
the others that he would get to the end
and gather up all of the dollars before
any other boy got there, or possibility
there might be two or three boys out
of the 10 of about equal ability as
runners and the two Or three would
divide the money between them while
the other seven or eight no matter
how hard they tried would get nothing.
It could be said in that case that
there was an equality of opportunity,
but the natural and inevitable result
was that few got all and the large
majority got nothing.
1t is the growth of the cooperative
idea that will bring permanet peace and
prosperity to the country. The old
idea that competition is the life of trade
is an error. Unrestricted competition
inevitably means the destruction of the
weak and monopoly of wealth in the
hands of the few. The growth of the
cooperative idea is the hope of the
nation. It will bring permanent in
dustrial peace and prosperity.
This is I think as clear as an axiom
in mathematics. The farmers who
cooperate to help the neighbor in di-
streets know that it is agood thing from
purely selfish standpoint for it is
good thing for all of that community
to have every farmer prosperous. If CO.
operation is a good thing in small
way, for the nation is made up of small
communities, and what is true of each
OF the parts is true of the whole.
Great industrial panics grow out of
the competitive theory in every in
stance. Investors in stocks and other
forms of property become alarmed. All
at once they want to sell what they
have Why? Because they fear that it
will become worthless and they want
to load it off onto some of their fellow
men before that time comes.
Of course if their fear is we'll found
ed the man to whom they sell will lose
what he pays, but they say let him
look out for himself. What I want is
to save myself at the expense of some
body else.
Often they are mistaken and the man
who buys gets the best of the
deal in the end. In fact he is just
as selfish as the man who sold him the
stuff for he believes that he is getting
the advantage of the other fellow fears
or necessities.
A story is told of nan who had