The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-08-14
The Grange and the
Farmers Problems
THE EUROPEAN COOPERATIVE
SYSTEMS
By h. l. Loueks

The farmers do not depend on IN.
bankers 10 supply them with none,
needed for purchase. deyeiopment. O
production. They organize and co
operate - help themselves, and bein,
a part Of their respective
not so fully as We are, theoretically
but more so practically, because O, III,
solidarity Of class organization. the,
demand from their respective govern
ment with commerce and industry
and secure it
After a careful study of the oues
ton / believe il 10 be a historical fact
that the farmers Of no nation. or r,ar-
Of a nation, have ever yet thoroughly
organized for practical cooperation
and mutual self-protection, until power
ty compelled them to. Denmark now
the queen of co-operators waited until
despoiled and impoverished by her war
with Prussia, and the farmers began 70
organize, and with education along eco
nomic lines to cooperate, and now
manufacture their farm products into
food products and follow % the con.
sumer through their own agents, and
as a result are prospering.
1t required ten years Of agricultural
depression TO compel the German
farmers TO organize and cooperate,
and they have set the pace for the
other European nations to follow.
II required fourteen years of agri.
cultural depression to compel the
farmers OF F-ance to organize and CO.
operate and now in several espects
they are in advance of Germany in
their encouragement of agriculture.
and so in every nation so far as |
know, you may clearly trace the rise
OF organization and cooperation of the
farmers to agricultural depression.
That is the secret of successful CO.
operation in Europe.
1t is also the reason why 1t is 50
difficult to organize our American
farmers. They have never suffered
such periods of depression. When
they have lost their farms in the east,
or in Europe, there has always been a
vast area Of un~developed, rich, fertile
land a little farther west, where they
could start life anew, and grow in
wealth with the development of the
country.
Our farmers are as vet too pros.
to realize the necessity of or
yanization and cooperation, but the
generation is beginning to
understand. that there Is no longer a
lew west to exploit, that they had
better meet the issue here and now,
'efore being compelled to.
Again the agricultural credit associa.
ions OF Europe were organized by
men of n class, n nationality and
me religion who we're in dire distress
They did not organize so much to
make money as to save money.
Officers and managers serving free,
'r for very small compensation. No
COMMISSIONS on loans and no pro-
Its intended; Ambassador Herrick
touches for the fact that they have
lever lost a dollar.
The European associations are uni
ormly organized on the system of "un-
United, legal, collective and several
liability"
This is comparatively easy In an old
veil settled country where the associa-
ions are limited in area, and compos-
ID OF the same nationality and religion,
'ut would be impossible in a new coun-
ry settled by many different nation
'dties, and religious beliefs, and wide
y scattered. There are very few CON-
in the northwest where such
organizations could be successfully or 1
'anized yet. The organization into so !
'ial centers by such organizations as I
grange; the personal acquaintance, I
md education along practical, eco &
ionic lines will hasten cooperation. II
A careful study OF the European sys- d
EN- would indicate two lines Of CO. T
'peration that would be applicable to
ur needs here. y
First encourage the organization Of I
zeal agricultural credit associations, p
'here the farmer could deposit his slr- '
ius money. to be loaned to the farmer c
{ the minimum Of expense, which in v
EUROPE Is less than one-half Of one X
cent. n
The other is to provide for the issue
{ federal aid to assist the farmer who h
eeds 1t, to produce his crop. and to I.
and market same In compliance n
the natural law OF consumptive n
emand. and 40 in Germany and n
rance through agricultural associa- h
ons organized for that special pur. q
-. entirely distinct from the com-e 9,
'srciai banking system. In states 81
3 South Dakota, where the state Tia
~ loans direct to the farmer, We .,
ocid need no other medium. ForIls
= mt tina IN our history the secrs-tfr
- q che treasury II trying % msst x