Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1913-08-08
FARMERS MUST. COOPERATE
Business Men Take Crops and Handle
Them Through Organization Until
Consumer 10 Reached.

Practically every business interest
in the commercial world co-operates
to greater or less extent except the
farming interests. 1t is true that in
isolated instances farmers do cooper
ate In certain directions but as a
whole the farmer faces the business
world as an individual. In addressing
the Tri-State meeting, Mr.. r. A. Wiki
inson brought out many good points
on the subject OF cooperation among
farmers. In part he said:
In olden times everything was pro-
duced on the farm, but the change in
conditions when machinery was intro
duced, made it possible to produce
more food than was needed on the
farms. To make a market for this
manufacturing was encouraged. This
manufacturing became organized and
demanded protection, which it received
through the tariff, which it received
self for the purpose of protecting the
profits. In considering the selling
price the cost of production was con-
sidered and to this q sum was added
suff1ctent to make a good return on
the investment. The farmer has been
selling his products for what these
organizations and interests were will
ing to pay as modified by supply and
demand. There has been no considera-
ton of the cost of production and
profits In setting the price on farm
products. and why not? Why should
not the farm products bring enough
to cover cost Of production, plus a
fair margin Of profit? Wheat, for in
stance, in the last five years varied as
much as soc bushel. while the bread
which is made from it has commanded
the same price regardless Of the farm.
er's return. The cost of production on
the farm has not varied to this ex-
tent
The way to bring about this better
condition is for the farmer to con-
slider his farm as a business PROPOSE
ton, that he consider the cost of pro-
duction, which will bring him to a
study Of farm management-conside
alton Of details. 1t would also mean
that marketing will be given as much
attention as producing. At present
what the farmer receives bears but lit
tie relation to what the consumer
pays. The businessmen who take the
crop from the farmer and handle it
until 1t reaches the hands OF the con-
sumner are organized to pay as little
as possible and to charge as much as
traffic will bear.
For the farmer to go up against
this organization single handed shows
a most colossal self conceit. The only
way to meet this combination is
through combination; that is for the
farmers to combine, or in other words
cooperate.
The politics Of the steel trust is
steel; the politics of the railroads is
railroading; the politics of the farmer
should be farming. To do this, they
must organize. In North Dakota the
farmer pays seventh-ninths of the tax
es and exerts less than seven-hun-
dredths of the power in government.
In the legislative policy of the country
the farmer is never considered No
matter how much the legislation af-
fects the interests of the farmer, he is
not called into the council When any
measure is brought up that affects the
manufacturer or the transportation
agency or the commercial interests
they are consulted-their interests are
considered.
THE president of Cornell university
in recent address contended the day
Of the ordinary farmer Is passing
that the tendency is for the larger
corporations to take up land and that
these will be running the farms in
large estates and under scientific man.
agement, much as their large corpor-
ations, and that the farmer of today
will be the hired man of these big
concerns. The farmers are about the
only all-round men that we have in
the United States. The men who are
engaged in industry are each working
in very narrow sphere. We need
this all-round man, his home his
children who are furnishing the new
blood, that furnishes the brains that
is taking the leadership in our COM
merce and industry.
THE only way for the farmer, as
we know him today, to maintain his
position is for him to cooperate in
the producing and the marketing the
products of the farm and in demand