The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-12-23
STATE GRANGE IS
FOR COOPERATION
BUT WOULD NOT DISPENSE WITH
THE MIDDLE MAN.
ORUDGERY TO BE ELIMINATED
Present System Of Marketing Could
be Improved but No New Sys-
tenn is Needed. Live and Let
Live is Policy.

Ottumwa, Dec. 20.-The following
resolutions on cooperation were adopt
ed by the members of the state grange
in session here:
There is no great good done for
the betterment of the human family
except through cooperation of some
kind.
I'VE have cooperation in our Chris.
tian work through our churches and
many other organizations.
I'VE have cooperated in politics
through our different parties.
From my observation and expert
ence we learn that grange cooperation
gives the best results when conducted
along social lines, with a large por-
ton of the time taken up along the
lines of mental and educational de-
velopment. Our line of study should
follow along closely to our daily work.
Do Away With Drudgery.
while it is absolutely necessary
that we do something to bring larger
results from our labors, it Is also nee
essary that We devise some means
whereby much of our drudgery may
be removed from our work and more
of pleasure added. Just enough OF
each to balance the ration so to speak
and make life truly worth while. That
to my mind is the greatest mission OF
the grange.
Wholesale Buying Discouraged.
THE great rock upon which our
grange of former years has always
failed has been the attempted whole
sale buying and selling with COM
plete elimination of the middle man.
II have come to the conclusion that
| the middle man is indispensable to
the farmer because no two farmers
interests are the same.
when we must sell, your wants are
not such as make you ready to dis
pose Of your product. When your
needs compel you to buy there is no
necessity for my spending money as
there is nothing in which we care to
invest. So there we must both resort
to the handy middle man, who buys
always and sells always, who is al.
ways in the market and who Is always
hunting for a market for your goods
II am firmly convinced that the nearer
home we can find the middle man the
better. The one in our home town is
acquaintance of ours, we know him
he is our friend. If we eliminate ouI
home man, our next nearest middle
man is at Chicago or some other
large city, who knows us not and al
ways plays the farmer for sucker
'and we bite
Middieman a Good Fellow.
"Our middle man buys all our farm
Iproduce at a price that will not justi
fly us in shipping to distant markets
And waits a year on us for the rest oil
our store bill and is thankful If he
gets it then He is the first on the list
for church subscriptions. He pays his
taxes in our community and is the
first sought after in all charitable
work
= at is impossible for US to get to the
intimate consumer without establish
ling an organization similar to the one
now in operation.
For instance, we have a company
in Keokuk which feeds and fatteni
chickens for the market at London
England. So you see it Is long way
from the Iowa producer to the Lon
don consumer. Now, l suggest tina
our efforts at grange work be alont
lines that will best control the middle
+ man with whom we have to deal. lie
r US grant him a fair profit for his la
' Dor and investment.
a Produce More is Slogan.
"On the ether hand, let us work to
gether to produce better and NOR
farm products than we have hereto
: fore
+ Let us aim to obtain such legisla
. ton as will give us rate of interes
. commensurate with the kind of sc
! curity we have to offer. That is lan'
which is best on earth.
Our land tile system should be cor
rected and simplified.
r These are some of the things TO
: which we should work and the accom-
; lplishment of which will be of grea
benefit to all.
James Parsons, Chairman
2 G. H. Guthrie.
w r Smith