The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1916-03-11
Herrick Opens Senatorial Campaign

hefrlCk "opens Senat0rlal Campaign
CONTINUED from page ~
food and wear be obtained at the lowest
ing troubles would be largely, if not en-
trely, removed by a more extensive
economic and financial organization of
the farmers. And to have slch organ
ization, it is important that the laws be
made such as to permit the farmers to
organize. Joint stock companies and
partnerships are not fitted to their needs
The association seems to be the form
best adapted to this end.
I'VE have fine examples of successfu full
credit organization in existing banks,
both State and national, which have
done good service in their fields The
time has now come when we should fur
ther extend that service in agriculture
especially i'll view of present conditions
in Europe, which require us to feed a
larger proportion of the people of the
world than ever before. And yet we
were barely feeding our own people be-
fore the war began.
ShOrt-Timc Credits.
Speaking now of the methods for
/ -
and by that | mean for periods from
three months to year; it has long SEEM
ed to me that if Our American farmers
were organized like the farmers in many
European countries. this problem OF
shorttime credit would be solved, and
also other problems incidentally. There
should be in each county one local rural
cooperative bank, and financed by that
|
tions as might be necessary for manu-
! featuring and marketing their products
and for buying their supplies These
county groups should be combined into
twenty or thirty unions. Around each
union would be a regional bank and reg
ional associations. The unions should
be combined into federation, and under
the federation should be a central agri-
cultural cooperative bank and assoca-
tions for large scale industries
But this organization or system of
cooperative organizations and banks
cannot be created by beginning at the
top and depending on outside aid. Gov
crnment aid, or charity, or artificial sup
plies of cheap money would ruin it, nor
is such assistance necessary. The farm
ers of this country own perhaps fifty
billion dollars in property, and have an
aggregate annual income of twelve mil
lion dollars, which, if organized and
modified, would be adequate to all their
needs.
TO Mobilize Credit.
"Co-opcrativc associations are not in
tended only for small affairs, or for per-
sons that are poor or in distress. There
is nothing altrustic about them. Their
purpose, when applied to agriculture, is
TO mobilize the credit and resources of
groups of farmers with a view of
Strengthening their purchasing and sell
ing power, SO that they may dispose OF
their products and obtain their supplies
at better prices. and borrow money on
more equitable terms than if they were
standing alone. One twig may be weak
but a bunch of twigs is hard to break :;
and there lies the principle of co-opcra-
tion.
BENEFITS of Cooperation.
Nor are the benefits of cooperation
only financial, but it has positive intel
IcctuaI and social advantages, resulting
from the working together in associa-
tions-advantageS that always result
from the working Of people together for
a common end.
1T IS essential to bear III mind that
the rural population Of America is en-
tircly different from that Of Europe,
where in some instances the patcrna as
sistancc Of the State has been found
necessary. There the farming class is
not comparable for average intelligence
to the city dwelcrS, and the brains Of the
city man and the paternal assistance of
the government have been needed for
the farmer. But with us the farms are
the breeding ground for brains. We are
comparatively a new country, and the
large majority of men in public life or
prominent in business life. have come
from the farms.
81 have not pretended to make any
further investigation of rural problems
than this one Of credit, but | do know
that this one involves something which
is as necessary for the farmer AS n track