The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-12-20
COOPERATION THE SOLUTION
Only Possible Method Of Heading on
the Rapidly increasing Tendency
Toward Landlordlsm.

All thinking men see and realize
that reform must come from the bot
tom up. Then let US begin at the
bottom, the very foundation OF our
civilization, the American farmer.
Let him search for and demand the
truth, put aside the plausible and mis-
leading arguments of the capitalistic |
press, use reason and by cooperation
use his powers to demand and secure
prosperity, enlightenment and happi- |
ness; for the possession of these safe
guards the prosperity Of every legin-
mate means Of earning a livelihood,
writes P. II. Boothroyd, Jr., in the
Denver Field and Farm. Cooperation
among farmers is the only possible
method of heading off the rapidly IN
creasing tendency toward landlordlsm
and peasantry, toward crowded cities
and neglected farm lands.
1t is the only solution because farm"
ers can no more stand alone and I'M
organized before the organized forces
of every other business, than could
undisciplined and unarmed masses
hope to stand against fully equipped
army. 1t is the only solution, because
the farmers must look out for them
selves as every other class from the
railroad magnates to the hootDlacks
are doing. Study history, think, rea-
son and we can arrive at no other
conclusion. Cooperative banks and
, credit societies in Germany, under
, only one of the three systems in use
in that country, are annually doing a
, business without mortgages and al
, a rate of five per cent. and less Inter
5 est, of over $1,000 100000.
, Co-operative societies among the
Irish farmers have in 20 years raIaed
o them from the dupe of the loan
4 sharks-who charged interest as mgr
d as so and sometimes even loO pei
o cent.-to a position of profitable IN
dependence. Not much over a cen
s fury ago the peasant farmers OF Den
l. mark were pitifully poor. Today o
# families out OF every 100 own thel
e farms and Denmark has more Weai'i
per capita than any European coun
o trv and more evenly distribute
q wealth than any country in the worlC
b. The Wisconsin state board OF puoll
ID affairs investigated these condltloh
ID in Denmark and found them Que I
two things: first, land holdings easll
obtained, not high land values al
second. universal cooperation.
n The farmers of Denmark are III
most thoroughly organized IN u
W. world. They buy, sell, study, mark'
and slaughter stock and pack 'he
meats comparatively. Our FARMER
must not wait until reduced to pea
ng antry to make use of the only success
ng full antidote to corporation. The on
is successful remedy which history !
m, cords or reason dictates is cooper
vs. tion-broader than partisan polltie
eb- broader than class preJudlce' o''
nd riding ali selfishness and greed al
ig- helping and uplifting the TOLL
les armies not only on our farms d.
ers ranches, but also those other tolie
IT; and wealth producers in the shol
nd mines and factories.
res True cooperation has ever lower
to the price to the consumer whiie I'd
he ing it for the producer and hurts OF
of the middlemen whose numbers we
urs more or profits greater than the Sc
ice they performed justified. AREA
Of scattered throughout the country
ave operative enterprises are being op
me- ated to great advantage. We area
to have in this country close to 81
ven farmer elevator companies nav
200 900 members, hundreds OF cot
his warehouses and the numerous
his lucrative stores in the southern sta
Itch are saving the planters millions
ar's dollars annually, while co-operat
the creameries and fruit growers al
hat Citations are operating successfully
UNI MANY of our western sections MO-
ers. saved by buying and selling IN
his load lots is rapidly educating
and farmers of many sections to gree
III things.