The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-02-01
SOLUTION C FARM PROBLEM
To Avoid ntralIzation Of Farming
Business Cooperative Move
ment Must Prevail.

tralization of the farming business in
the hands Of large land owners, and
the introduction Of tenantry farming.
Farming cannot escape the action OF
the natural laws Of business that have
compelled the formation Of the social
ed trusts The time may be far off
when farming will be highly central
lied, but the current sets In that di-
rection, and the only alternative to
the big farm privately owned and run
by tenants or hired men is the big
farm owned by men in common, put
ting into operation the same effec-
tive labor-saving methods, says the
Farm, Stock and Home. The time to
set up the counter-cuFrent that will
enable the small farmer to maintain
his independence under the increasing
value of land and cost Of production
is now. rather than after that indie
pendence has once been lost, as has
been the case in Denmark and Ireland.
Cooperation offers efficiency and
larger net returns in exchange for q
fancied personal independence. This
Is well illustrated by the case of the
ereameries VS.. the home butter max
er. A neighborhood can join together
and make a product of even quality,
can market that product with larger
profit, and can gain in other ways by
giving up something of its individual
rights. And wherever this can be
done, wherever the neighborhood unit
is more effective than the family unit,
cooperation has field Of usefulness,
and should be entered into as mat
ter of business sense.
The field for such effective organt-
cation is large. It covers all the
ranges of production, including both
grain and live stock. Seed testing as
sociations, Improvement societies,
shippers associations all have their
place, and a highly profitable one OF
the business is handled in Il proper
manner. In all probability we shall
in future expand the sphere Of co.
operative effort within the neighbor-
hood circle to include many other
things still held jealously In the
home, though not with good business
reason. such as baking, washing, and
the like. 1t is not likely that we shall
find it profitable to go outside the
lines Of farming, and as farmers try
to run stores, and banks. and lumber
yards. Isolated cases Of success may
be cited, but when the farmer leaves
his direct line of business, even
though he may succeed, he is not ad-
vancing the interests Of agriculture.
The place where cooperation seems
MOTT likely to fail is in not recognize
ing this limitation, and in trying to
accomplish an Industrial monopoly be
fore 1t has mastered the possibilities
/ OF the agricultural field. sach az
teznpts. havin as ! aeiz Inarne late an.
ject the ousting from business OF
some man IN the community. are I'M
worthy the name they bear, and be
ing based on prejudice and revenge
rather than upon the underlying prin-
ciples of business and social need that
makes real cooperation possible. they
are bound to fail, sooner or later.
In order to make the best use of the
cooperative movement we should
study it's purpose, and carefully at
tempt only those things that may be
done without injury to other men.
Nor will it profit one organization to
attempt several things at the same
time. The old adage about too many
irons in the fire applies to the coop
erative organization as well as the in
dividual. Do one thing and do 1t we'll.
If another thing need doing better
than the individuals in the neighbor-
hood can accomplish it, acting alone,
let those interested organize and do
that thing comparatively. Keep the
closest possible working union be-
tween the various cooperative bodies,
and let them act if possible under a
general organization. but do not at
tempt to carry dead weight In the
form of men not interested in the
movement.
Cooperation will solve our business
and social troubles to the extent that
we accept it as new way Of doing
things. and give over to it our old IN
dividual outworn ways. It's failure or
its success to accomplish for US bet
ter things than we have accomplished
for ourselves depends upon us as far
mers. Properly used it will profit ra
in more ways than the financial. And
bys starting the cooperative neighbor-
hood in our time we are laying, deep
and solid and secure, the foundation
upon which our children may build
institutions OF social democracy that
the passing of time and the coming
of new forces into the business and
agricultural world will leave I'M
shaken.