Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-15
AMERICAN FARMERS
MUST AID THEMSELVES
Government Assistance Is Rock on
Which Too Many Cooperative
Associations Are Dashed.
HERRICK GIVES HIS VIEWS
Former Ambassador to France Dis
cusses Rural Credits and Tells
What Benefit May Be Derived
From Proper Organization.

HOT SPRINGS, VA, July lin an
address on THE Need Of Rural Credits"
before the National Fertilizer Associa-
ton convention here to-day, Myron T.
Herrick, former amba ssador to France,
urged establishment Of independent CO.
operative organizations OF farmers.
He asserted that not one of the sue
cessful cooperative systems in opera :
ton in this country or Europe owed
It's existence to intervention of the
government, and that agricultural
progress was not Keeping pace with
the expansion OF Industry and nonula
ton. A cooperative system IN he
successful, according to Mr.. Herrick,
must be built up by the farmers them
selves without outside assistance OF
any sort.
Mr. Herrick declared that American
farmers. having availed themselves of
education, had become the most cap
able in the world.
FRAUGHT WITH GRAVE
CONsEQUENCES FOR FUTURE
The troubles OF American agricul-
ture. he continued, ARE not so much
OF pressing. Immediate importance as
omes are lraueht with grave conse-
Gnences for the future. Europe S
problem was to remove troubles which
actually existed; ours Is to prevent
them from occurring. Agricultural
progress here Is not keeping pace with
the expansion Of Industry and the
CROWN OF population. Unless it's prog
ress be accelerated, the shortcoming of
agriculture amidst the rapid advance
OF all things else Will sooner or later
be detrimental TO the country's well
fare.
The causes of these shortcomings
are manifold. The want Of good roads
Is one and the absence Of social pleas
ures is another cause. But the great
est OF all Is, In my opinion, the lack
OF organized selling and purchasing
power.
"Organized sellinE and purchasing
power Is best attained through CO.
operation. Cooperative organization
Of farmers was so remarkably sue
cessful from its start over fifty years
ago in Germany that bankers, mer-
chants. statesmen and students coon
acknowledged its wonderful benefits.
| Cooperation means mutual self-help.
II spurns charity and subsidy, state aid,
special privilege and class Legislation.
II rests entirely upon itself. gives full
play to individual!sm, private initia-
tive and private enterprise, and for this
reason II is the strongest opponent
and the most effective positive program
ever devised against socialism
"Cc-opcration must be built up by
the farmers themselves by starting at
the grass roots and depending on their
own resources and efforts. You, per-
haps, have been led to believe that
these basic, local units are merely lit
tie savings and-loan associations in
which the farmers make small loans
10 one another from their savings
This mistaken notion has been written
into the Massa chusetts, New York
Wisconsin. Texas and other State laws
on the enormously so-called credit
unions and II has made those laws
worthless.
"A rural cooperative bank is eS-
actly what its name signifies, and
something more. because II takes the
place. to some extent. OF the country
store. II devotes its resources ex-
clusively to the agricultural good OF
its immediate neighborhood
FOR INDIVIDUAL GOOD
THROUGH ITS MEMBERS
The real cooperative bank works
for the individual good through the
common good OF its members. The
main use of the funds is TO buy farm
supplies in bulk at wholesale to retail
TO members at a lower price or OH
better terms than they could obtain
for themselves II each were standing
alone.
Government aid Is the rock against
which the rural credits movement has
been dashed. Particularly Is this the
case with land credits. The bills which
have received the most attention in
Congress provide for State aid. tax
exemptions and special privilege to
such a pronounced degree that II any
OF them become a law ii would set
farmers apart as a class by themselves
10 he pampercd and spoon-fed at pub
lie expense, and as consequence u
| would bring down upon them the en-
nifty OF all other classes