Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-01-30

here could not pay cash for what they
bought. They had to get goods on
credit. Once a farmer got into debt
to these retail dealers he seldom got
free from the big mans clutches.
While he was in this state he was no
better than a slave. He was charged
tremendous prices and had to pay big
interest. | myself have been charged
interest on what l bought on credit
at the rate of IA per cent. per annum.
Ny father had this sort of interest to
pay while he was bringing up his fam
lily. That is where the three pounds
went that it took me six months TO
earn when | started to work.
What Cooperation Is Doing.
But Notwithstanding the smallness
of the holdings, and the poor soil, con-
ditions in Dunglow are improving.
never knew an organization to do so
much for a community as the Temple
crone Cooperative Agricultural soci-
ETY. is doing for Dunglow. The So
ciety started in little one-room cot
tage on a farm where lived. We be-
gan by buying manures and later
few groceries. We had fierce opposi-
ton at first from the gombeen man
and traders, as fierce as any communi-
ty ever had Some of the members
were in debt to the gombeen men and
had to come into the cooperative quar-
ters at night and over the back walks
in order TO conceal from the gombeen
man that they were members. If
the gombeen men found out that any
one trading with them was trading
with us they refused him credit and
issued a writ if he owed them"
A Little Democracy.
I'VE wish no one any ill. We do
not do business that way. We have
simply demanded the right to attend
to our own little affairs. We meet in
our little parliament here to discuss
our business. We have given some
entertainments which have brought
the people nearer together and given
them good time. This year we or
gained an industrial show in which
we exhibited everything which we pro-
duced here, including lace and knit
goods, as we'll as some of our farm
products. We did this to encourage
others to make these things. Now
we are looking around to get some /
little local industry started. We need /
of the kind badly so that
more money can come into the COM
Lace making. knitting and /
work of that kind is important, too,
'or every little helps here. We are .
willing to work when we can.
On the UPGRADE.
"The boys are learning to farm bet
.er than their fathers farmed. We F.
ire raising better cows, and pigs and
chickens. and producing better eggs,
poultry and meat than We ever did
before. Through our little co-opera-
i've society we have steady market
1t good prices for all we can raise.
We are not rich, for this is not
ich country, and never can be. There
re too many stones and Dogs in Don
gal for that. But we are doing our
rest, and we are going to reach a
,oint soon where every man can go
ID and down Dunglow and say that
Ie owes no man anything. Co-opera-
ion has brought us together, and we
re all good friends. We are not
ghting with each other any more.
We are helping each other. We are
till doing business on a very small
Gale. of course. We are poor people,
nd we must always be that. There
) no chance for wealth in a five or
ix-acre farm. We raise little patch
f oats for oatmeal for our family.
lost of US get enough potatoes on
ur little places to last us through the
ear. We couldn't live without pota-
pes. You know the great famine of {
S4S, when so many died in Ireland, ,
as caused wholly by potato blight.
he children around here are almost ,
rought up on potatoes. They get ,
lashed potatoes. with little milk in z
, before they are weaned. They grow 3
p on it and sometimes have little I
Ise. Cooperation has helped us to I
I'll what we have, and we are doing I
rst rate.
Cost of Living. +
"By purchasing goods direct from a
riginal sources, this society has made O
possible for the poorest farmer to $
.rtilize his potato patch and In Fl
the crop which he raises. The 4