The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-08-11
Mr.. President and Fellow Tobacco

the Efficiency of Organization.
Mr.. President and Fellow Tobacco
Growers:
am glad to be with you to-day, to
see if we can not, by taking common
council, work out some plan or policy
that will benefit the man who by his
toll or investment in land produces
white hurley tobacco. l feel honored
by being asked by your president and
committee for an expression of opin-
ion. AS you have other speakers OF
greater practical experience upon this
very complex subject than myself, l
will be brief and to the point with
my remarks, which you will under
stand are tentative and in the way Of
suggestions.
Necessity for Cooperation.
AS I look into the strong, earnest
faces of you men, who for years have
given of your thought, vitality and
substance for the betterment of your
own and your neighbors' condition, a
realizing sense of the sacrifice you
have made comes over me.
appointments, the heart burnings and
bitternesses engendered in mutual mis-
understandings and evidences of ap-
parent bad faith on many sides. But
we must never lose sight of the fact
that the bigger the undertaking, the
greater the resistance, which makes
for friction both in the domain of ma
ture and the affairs of men. Scien-
lists and astronomers tell us that the
flame of the blazing meteors we see
shooting through the heavens is
caused by the friction those metallic
bodies make in their resistance
against the air. This proposition we
are undertaking to work out inpresses
me as the biggest and most difficult
OF any that l have ever known. The
mere bulk, or literal bigness of it is
almost enough to discourage us at the
outset. Then when we get into it we
discover many whirlpools of conflict
ing interests, which must be avoided
and safely passed before success is
possible. We have not only disturbing
factors from within to be dealt with
amongst ourselves and to be recon
ciled, but we have a most powerfully
equipped enemy with brains and
money, watching and waiting for US on
the outside. So, if animosities. hard
feelings and antagonisms have been
stirred up amongst ourselves from
within, solemnly urge and warn you
that they must be suppressed and con
trolled or all our past. toll and sacri
fee is lost and our cause hopeless
Remember also that every good gen
eral knows that there are several ways
of capturing a fortress besides by open
storm and assault. The easiest way is
by sowing seeds of discord and dissen
ton within.
So, when we feel particularly irri
tated against a friend or neighbor
bear this in mind, and be patient and
steadfast, and hold only in view the
goal we aspire to reach. Be encour
aged by the thought and the fact that
We have made a good start. For the
full and satisfactory transaction of oul
own business we need huge ware
houses properly planned and located
We have them in abundance; we are
dominant stockholders in a large pei
cent of them. 1t is also a good thing
to have our own manufacturing plant
which we have anticipated and pro
vide for In fact, as 1 see it, we have
practically all the material equipment
necessary for a successful and pros
porous management of our own bus
mess, if through passion and intoler
ance we do not throw it away. We
need in this great business of our:
every man and every corporation o.
our own, all working together, in
spired by the same view and purpose
Let this thought sink into your mind!
and souls, it is hopeless failure if W.
do not work together for the good O
one and all. Do you realize that We
are here to talk cooperation? W.
should discuss that and the practica
methods to foster and promote oul
needful and legitimate ends, at thi,
meeting to-day, and nothing else.
we indulge in abuse, we cripple our
selves. Let us refresh our memories
by repeating a time-old. fable on thii
subject of cooperation, which we havt
heard and doubtless forgotten for thu
time. In the long ago, wise old mai
lay dying. He was possessed of yer,
large estate. He also had a large fam
lily of boys, now grown to manhood
who were strong in body, mentally Wig
orous, yet each was self-Yilled and in
clined to act alone for, and by, him
self. Now this wise old man lay think
ing hard, on his dying bed, deeply dis
tressed in mind, because he loved hi
boys and he feared and well knew
that at his death their splendid inner
litance would not last them long b.
Irna nf hni nf Of
tion, and that they would in time SUI
fer want. So he told them to gathe
him some slender sticks or fagots. H
then said. tie them together in bur
die. When that was done he called
them all around him and said he woult
leave all his property to the one VIII
could break the bundle of sticks II
twain. He gave it first to the oldes
son, who was the biggest, stronges
and most domineering. He strained
and struggled and finally gave it w
The rest all tried to break it, but will
the same result The old man thel
ordered the bundle to be united and il
his own feeble old hands broke eacl
separate stick. He said, my children
this was merely to show you that
you are all bound together (as wer.
these sticks) by the ties of unselfish
ness, brotherly love and intelligent CO
operation and consideration of one TO
another in managing this fine prop
erty, can pass on with an easy mind
for know the disintegrating forces OIL
the outside can not break you. Breth
rem, so 1t is with US. To succeed II
the accomplishment of this great plal
we must tie ourselves together.
j remind myself somewhat of tn
newly-elected Congressman who wa