The Mena weekly star., 1918-08-01
Farmers Should co-operate.

Farmers should So-operate- To the Editor of The Star:
 Dear Sir: Why should farmers CO., operate?
 The subject of cooperation is subject of vast importance, not only to the farmer, but to the human race as a whole.
 First, let us see what the definition for cooperation is. It is the working together of a body of people that they they might obtain benefits for the common good, ond then co-opera- tion is the reverse of selfish purposes, is it not?
 Let us, as farmers, study this sub iect of cooperation and view the con- ditions that would exist by so doing, and if we were united by the cooper ation and bringing together of the different community clubs could we not at the present time do a greater service, not only to ourselves, but to our country?
 By our turning out to these com -munity clubs we can, by our presence, help bring all the farmers together because. when we'll organized in the different communities, there could be a number of clubs brought together, enough to establish a market and this being done ali over the United States the farmers of our land would be united, but someone says Farm CTS are the hardest class of people on che face of the earth to get together, and the only way that they viii be- come united is thru the government" Some of us don't seem to realize, even at this late date that the government is now taking steps to bring our unity about by creating community clubs, that we might meet together and tell our experiences with differ ent kinds of crops and discuss the difficult problems which arise in farm life.
 If we were united we could get bet ter prices for our produce and could produce more and with greater ease. l believe in cutting out the middle man completely. think if cotton is worth from 5 cents to 15 cents more on the pound, the one who goes up and down the weary row and culti- yates that cotton is the one who should have it. Don't you? We all know that we don't obtain the highest price for hardly anything of the pro- duce we have to sell. And what is the reason? It is because of the middle 1 man. We sell to him for what we can get for it and he in turn sells it for what it is worth. Of course the farm CTS should not, after becoming organ ized and getting the power of con trolling the market price for his pro- duce, charge exhorbitant prices, but | only get what it is worth to the con- sumer, and this would cut out the | middleman and put many of them in the fields to producing, where they are so badly needed at present. And let's all turn out to the community | clubs and help bring about the condi- tions that will exist by so doing and produce better and larger crops that We might win this war, the cause of which must not be lost.
 The corn, truck and cotton farmers are about the only class of people that are not organized. The great wheat growers of the Western United States are united and cooperating together in greater or less degree. the cattlemen over our country, the miners, the great fruit growers, and the people of the different profes- sions, and in fact all of the people except those in the first named class, and will we not be benefited by keep ing pace with the world?
 Marcus Miller
 Board Camp, Ark.