Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-25

raj life Of the South, says that Mr.,
Russell has summed up the whole
situation in a nutshell; that the
country people are in heart and mind
just as progressive as city people bur
haven't the facilities for expressing
the spirit of progress, and that the
~power-belt of organization has not
been attached to the throbbing dyna-
mo of rural aspiration" AS sheep
without a shepherd, you are scatter
ed; you are without a leader, there
fore you have no united voice to raise
when conditions need to be arighted,
and as a result your community il
thirsting for cooperative progress.
AS individuals your voices are so fee
BILE that your cry is unheeded by
those from whom you might, through
cooperation, receive help.
Farmers Feeling Toward City.
If 1 am correctly informed there is
not a thoroughly organized commun-
ity in Henderson county. But it Is
not too late to organize yourselves
into a cooperative neighborhood.
The farmers of other parts of the
country are organizing and so can
you, but IN undertaking this i'm
portant work l hope that you will dis
abuse your minds Of the. belief that
there is nothing greater for you to do
than try to boycott the merchants
and inaugurate some cut-throat price
cutting business. The merchants are
the greatest friends of you farmers.
They buy you products, at prevailing
market prices and sell o merchan-
disc at a small margin of profit. No
doubt if you had the proper Organiza
ton you would be able to control bet
ter prices for your produce and get
your merchandise for less by dealing
in larger quantities. The fault is
yours and not that of the city meI-
chants.
Just one week ago tonight the bus
mess and professional men of the
Greater HendersOnville club, which
has done more than any other agency
to develop Henderson county, were
discussing the needs of you farmers
and your apparent attitude toward
our efforts to help you. 1t was stated
that while some of you are in SYM
pathy with any movement looking to
your advantage. others stand ready
to resent any form of cooperation
offered you. 1t was also stated that
some of the farmers who cannot un-
derstand the difference in the cost Of
operating a business in the city and
a country store where very small or
no rents at all, no light bills and clerk
hire have to be paid, believe that the
city merchant ia becoming rich when
as q matter OF fact his profits are
very. small after paying a number OF
clerks $25 to SIS per month; store
room rent from $25 to 500 per month.
interest on capital invested, high
taxes, light and heat bills and num-
erouS ~incidentals. with which the
average farmer is< not familiar. Mr..
Farmer, you should study this prob
lem more carefully and take into con-
sideration the fact that with this
heavy. expense and the great amount
of competition in all lines Of business,
that the merchants Of He~ndersonville
instead of growing rich are frequent
" forced into bankruptcy.
Local Results; of Cooperation.
II the farmers Of Henderson county
would organize a small exchange or
warehouse 1t could be made profitable
to them as we'll as to others. There
would be a more uniform market for
your produce and far less huctuation
in prices, hence you would not rave
to be guilty of the practice of your SELF
and two or three of your sons going to
town with about three bushels of po-
with one soliciting orders
from house to house. another carrying
the peck measure and the other driv-
ing the team. You will never be a
wealthy, happy and progressive peo-
pie so long as you r guilty or these
time killing methods. You should De
thoroughly organized so hat your
warehouse or exchange would be abb
to give you the tip top market price
for your produce. The many ways
you could profitably cooperate are
too numerous to mention now in de-
tail, but when you farmers wake up
to your possibilities you will be able
to organize and hold township Or
county agricultural and live stock
shows for the advancement of the
farming and stock-raising interests.
Some Things Needed.
One of the things which the farm
ers and housewives of Henderson
county are in greatest need just now
is a public rest room in Henderson
vile where the ladies from the coun-
try may gather for rest and comfort
with their packages, children and
friends, when, as it is, they stand in
pitifu1 numbers on the streets and
sniver from the cold without SO much
as a place to sit down and rest, take
a drink. of water or warm by a stove
other than in some crowded place of
business where all o good women
cannot feel contented when you have
no business transactions in such
places. The merchants of Hender-
vile, or the county and city authori-
ties may some day wake up to the
Importance Of establishing such a
place for the convenience of the far
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