The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1913-06-28

His threshing equipment cost him
about $4,000 He lives within a mile
and half. Our next neighbor on the
other side lives within a mile. He is
my schoolmate, one of the dearest
friends ! ever had. His threshing
cost him about $1,000, Here
is $4,000 tied up in threshing equip
ment that could easily be replaced by
$1,000, provided we would be willing
to cooperate. OF. course it would be
absolutely necessary to 1) hustle like
the mischief so as to get the benefit of
every spare moment, (2) take all pos
sible pains with the machinery while
each was using it, with an eye to hay
ing it in perfect condition for the next
man, and (3) then hurry it to him, as
fast as possible, if necessary helping
with our laborers as we'll as machinery.
In the North or West four such places
as ours would have one threshing out
fit The man who used it first this
year would use it last next, and so on,
but here from the absence of the spirit
of cooperation, though we nave less
money than anywhere else, we have to
tie up more of it in idleness.
Take the problem of transportation,
which of course, we have not time to
discuss at any length in this paper.
You can go nowhere in the South that
you do not find furious complaints
against the railroads. If you attempt
to learn the cause of the trouble and
to seek remedy, you will ascertain
that no one has even discussed the sub
ject with any of the general officers of
the railroad, or the railroad commits
sion in fact no one seems to have a
speaking acquaintance with any of
these. They have done great deal Of
complaining to the conductor, to the
flagman, and to the engineer, ard may
be to the local agent. The local agent
thoroughly realizes that the complain
ant has worked all the anger out of his
system and is not going to the trouble
to take 1t any further The other men,
of course, have nothing to do with
complaints. Now. the basis of all cam
merce is compromise and agreement.
The two parties of every trade are in
Numerically antagonistic positions,
but by mutual discussion, analysis,
concession, and agreement, they man
age to arrive at a figure that is salts
factory and generally profitable to both
A railroad has transportation to sell,
and in this respect it does not differ
from any other man who has goods to
dispose of for the public. Many of the
railroad rates in the South are merely
tentative They have been put in by
the railroad management without any
discussion with the shippers whatever
or with any person who represents the
shippers. Many of them were not Sc.
riously intended to remain. Over the
North and West we find such rates re-
peatedly, but as soon as a station is
built and an agent is located there, we
take the matter up with the general
officers of the railroad, calling their at
tention to the tentative rates, and they
are soon put on a satisfactory basis,
being reduced rs, 80, and sometimes
even so per cent. By our lack of the
spirit of cooperation in the South we
lose all the benefit of such adjust
ments.
We were requested to discuss coop
GRAFTON before this meeting and not
necessarily all the advantages that
would come within our reach if we
should adopt it, and therefore we pre-
sent only sufficient examples to define
our argument and shall not take up
time to discuss the results of co-opera-
ton in religion, politics, finance, COM
merce or mutual education, most of
which are so obvious that they are
readily to be comprehended without
any discussion, but we have said
enough to indicate:
First. The agricultural opportunities
of the South;
Second. Some of the benefits that
would accrue to us from applying the
principle of cooperation frankly, sim
cerely and earnestly, and we have in
timated and pointed to many others
that would be just as sure to come;
Third. We have tried to define CO.
operation so clearly that even he who
runs may read.
Now that only leaves for the present
L. r