The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-05-06

new oRocuOn- Vne enorI 10
- hammer down the prices OF
corn, caulihower. and cranberries
through devastating the monopolies of
the middlenen Is to be supplemented
by attempts to strengthen the re-
sources OF the farmer IN order to In
crease his production, lower his ex-
penses and to simplify the present
methods OF distributing and market
ing food supplies II the farmer can
produce more food. cheaper food. and
the swollen profits now demanded by
the middleman can be squeezed out,
the American wife may yet find an
other topic of conversation for the
dinner table besides the high cost of
living.
According TO the new plan the
farmer is to be made q banker, a
wholesale buyer and distributor. The
plan is based upon the principle Of CO.
operation. BY combining groups OF
farmers, first into banking societies,
and then into buying and selling agen-
cies. 1t In declared that the methods
of food production and distribution In
.he United States viii be revolution
d. In several sections of the coun-
~, chiefly among the fruit growers
ana the QEAAI yInGn OA TIC AOAtA O1AA-
trail states, the practice of cooperative
distribution has already been placed
ia operation. The other two features
~ the plan, those of cooperative
banking and buying, have been per-
fected in many Of the countries OF
Europe.
An investigation Is about to be made
the European systems. 1t will be
of the biggest and most costly
estigations ever undertaken even
his age and country of investiga-
nal mania A commission of one
.ardred Americans has just set OF
upon a trip through fourteen coun-
tries of Europe. from Russia to Ire
land. from Italy to Norway, to study
at first hand the details of these sys-
TENS.
The apostles of the cause OF 'tagri-
cultural cooperation" declare that
there is nothing theoretical In their
scheme. AS to the banking side OF 1t,
which would seem. perhaps. the most
difficult of realization, they point out
that there are today some 1000 such
cooperative banks In Germany en-
trusted with considerably over $780,
00o, 900 of deposits and that the mort
gage credit institutions OF the German
farmers have secured some $4,000
100000 In loans for German land
holders. Moreover, experience has
shown these institutions to be even
more dependable than the commercial
banking Institutions Eminent Ameri-
can bankers who have investigated the
question have declared the theory of
the plan sound from the banking
standpoint
The American Commission Is an or
ganization of federal and state dele
gates gathered together under the aus
pices of the Southern Commercial
gress. 1t is by no means a ready
i.lade commission, but has grown bit
by bit and as II stands today is the
result Of two years incessant effort.
Heading the Commission are seven
federal commissioners bearing the Gre
dentiais of President Wilson and Sec
rotary OF State Bryan. These oon-
mfssioners are Senator Fletcher, of
Florida, Chairman; Senator Gore, of
Oklahoma. Chairman Of the Senate
Committee on Agriculture: Represent
alive Moss. OF Indiana, Chairman of
the House Committee on Expenditures
II the Department OF Agriculture: Col.
1arvfe Jordan. OF Georgia, President
ef the Southern Cotton Growers AS
-ociation: John Lee Coulter, OF Mime
Ia. the Governm entss expert on agri-
cultural statistics; Kenyon L. Butter
field. OF Massachusetts,. President of
Amherst College. and DIR. Clarence J.
Owens. Of Maryland. Managing Dr.
rector OF the Southern Commercial
Congress Congress appropriated
$4,000 for the compilation of a re-
port upon the subject and also passed
joint resolution endorsing the Com
mission and requesting Secretary
Bryan to bespeak for 1t the diplomatic
courtesies OF the foreign Governments
Accordingly, Secretary Bryan has
placed the diplomatic officers at its
service.
The Southern Commercial Congress
became interested in the question of
agricultural cooperation through its
efforts to ind some relief for the
Southern farmers from the evils of
the store lien system. It is q common
practice In many Southern States for
the farmers to purchase their goods
of the local merchant on credit piedg-
ing their future crops as security for
the debt. When the crops are har-
vested, the farmer is bound to sell
them through the merchant at the
latter's prices. No part of the Union
is more dependent upon the farmers
for a healthy development than the
South, and 1t is easily understood that
the farmers could not be reused to
their best efforts so long as the local
continued to exact this
pound OF flesh from every harvest. A
study Of the question, however, early
made 1t clear that the farmers of the
South were not the only ones handi-
capped by lack of financial resources,
The annual tightness of money IN the
crop moving season proved to be a
perfect demonstration of the need of
an adequate agricultural credit sys-
tenn. The American mortgage system
proved to be an antiquated affair
thrown aside by European countries
a century ago. So the work was taken
up as a national undertaking.
David Lubin, founder and American
delegate to the International Institute
or Agriculture at Rome. had for years
been unsuccessfully endeavoring to get
q hearing for his hobby of agricul-