South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-01-19
THE COUNTY FARM MOVEMENT

THE COUNTY FARM MOVEMENT.
The significance of the farm move
ment in 81. Joseph county is cohesion,
cooperation between related inter
ests COR the common good in place Of
the time honored policy of every fell
low for himself and the devil take the
hindmost." This is in no sense com
munistic OF socialistic. II is simply
cooperative.
The idea is distinguished from that
Of communism by the requirements Of
the latter which contemplate a theory
OF government and social order ac-
cording 10 whioh property is held as
a common trust and the profits arising
from ali labor devoted to the general
good Communism is defined as a
phase OF extreme socialism, shading
into anarchy, and was best exempli-
fled IN France after the overthrow Of
the Napoleonic dynasty in 1870. Nor
is it socialistic in the sense that it
seeks a more equal distribution Of
wealth. through the public collective
ownership OF land and capital, as dis
tinguished from property. and the
public collective management of ali
industries.
The movement is however, socialis-
tic in thS& higher sense which contem-
plates mutual interest and helpful
ness, which is not only warranted but
demanded by the conditions under
which the agricultural industry of the
country is conducted.
The occasion for competition be-
tween the farmers Of the United States
has been eliminated by their failure
10 meet the demand of home con-
sumption and the consequent cOmpe-
titiOn that has sprung up from other
sources. The point is Illustrated by
Bro. LeO's statement before the meet
ing OF farmers on Saturday that
when a country as large as ours and
as thinly populated accepts aid from
a country as small as Argentine, which
every year is sending millions of
bushels OF wheat and corn to the Unit
ed States it is time some step was
taken to remedy conditions"
There is no reason why the farmers
should not combine their forces for
the better development Of their in
dustry and every reason that they
should The time may come when
agriculture will be so far advanced in
the United States that it can produce
enough to feed its own people, but
that time is now exceedingly remote
and must remain so for a long period
10 come however rapid the advance
in agriculture may be.
The increase in population IS so
much more rapid than the growth Of
agriculture, through gravitation away
from the farm and the primitive
methods Of crop raising in vogue that
il will take home production a long
time to catch up with nome consump-
ton. This is the opportunity for not
only the man who owns a farm but
the man who should own one.
The plan Of the present cooperative
movement contemplates many ways
in which farmers may be mutually
helpful. which Will in a large de-
gree abolish the isolation in which
they live. lend individuality TO their
personality and their homes and give
the man of small means the chance
his poorly rewarded unaided strug-
giles merit.
If developed as anticipated the plan
will solve for the farmer the problem
Of capitalization. the rock on which
so many founder. and give him an
efficiency in the conduct of his work
and business he has never known be-
fore.