Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-29

that each is strengthened by unity WV
his fellows. There must be no improper
Discrimination against any man oeeaus'
of his choice to work by nimseh.
will always be plenty OF posiuohs
which individualistic work IS oes'-' %
! more and more we shall find that nor
mally men can do best by WORKING i"
combination with one another ms
especially applies to the farmer. IL -
tslow process to learn. Much mas pee"
done among the farmers In certain PARIS
| Of Europe along the line OF cooperation
Incorporation in marketing their prod
ucts: cooperation even in purchasing
what they need. and co-opera tion III
more than one matter of home manage
ment. The state should encourage such
corporation. and where necessary eau
! tiously supplement it by, governmental
action. Standing as separate unit the
! farmer cannot completely hold his own
and get his full and proper reward for
his work, in the face Of great business
/ CO 1cerns. But cooperating organiza-
. tons of farmers if wisely handled. and
jif they ara willing to accept and to
pay for the proper leadership, can hold
, their own with any OF the great bust
ness concerns with which they have to
deal. can eliminate such middlemen as
are unnecessary, and can use the
services of those middlemen who fill 4
great and useful function in such man
ner as to be OF benefit to both. and OF
benefit to the public at large. Every
such powerful organization OF farmers.
like every other Organization of our cftl
zens, must while safeguarding their owl
interest never forget their duty to stand
with disip terested and InseIHsh loyalty
by the whole commonwealth. The one
union to which all Of US belong. and to
which cur paramount allegiance is ow-
ing, is that union which is known as
! the American republic.
The Biggest Fact
Let us steadily keep in mind the one
great fact that nothing must be sl:owea
to interfere with ample production.
There must be no limitation of produc-
, ton. This means that there must be no
fixing which shall result 10 the detr,-
lnent of the farmer ANY experiment
, in price-fiXing. and especially IN maxi
mum price-fixing should be entered into
only most cautiously, and only when
there has been such thorough canvass of
the situation as to enable US to guar
,.antee that good and not harm will re-
"a Inv
ment during the past year has worked
nothing but mischief 1t has slowed w
production: it has aggravated existing
Inequalities by making some prices to.
high and some prices too low. In the
winter. that has just closed we have
seen great suffering, especially among
| the poor, on account of coal famine
which was in part caused by very inju-
dicious and improper price fixing. A
year ago our government should have
undertaken to put premium upon the
! greatest possible production pv the
| farmer. 1t failed to do so and some of
It's actions positively tended TO reduce
production. Such limitation OF produc-
ton is an invitation to calamity. This
war means shortage Of food every
where. and it is worse than folly. both
for our own sakes and for the sakes OF
our allies. IL we fail in every wav IA
stimulate farm production land all other
production necessary for winning the
war as welD at this time. The farm,
ers OF this country. the men who have
for years earned their livelihood by till
ing the soil. and who are not merely
enthusiastic amateurs in the matter. ara
/ those to whom we must look for the
immense bulk Of production from the
soil. 1t is they who must grow the
foodstu1s upon which the rest OF liz de.
pend. Everything should be done to aid
them. Most certainly no obstacle should
me put in their way by the government
and the government should not nerni,
any other person to put obsta cles in
their way.
Business and Labor
The question of business and labo,
| cannot be considered wholly apart
II IN one another. Unless business is
prosperous Vt is out of the ouestic
tba. the country can prosper and
therefore. out of tie question tina,
LABOR can prosper. On the other hand
III IS no less true that the prosperity
may come in altogether imprope,
proportion to business men at the ex.
pense of those whom they serve ard
INC Sc who work for them. We nav,
TO avoid equally the foolish creature
who fails to see that unless business
piosi ors there cannot ne general pros-
perity, and the equally foolish crea
lure who fails to see that it is our
! duty collectively TO take such steps ~
are necessary i'll order that the pros
| perity may be Iassed around with
reasona BILE equity.
Our aim must be to help business
not TO hamper business. The Sher-
man law at first did good for il
stopped the uncontrolled riot Of the
big business men who wished TO he =
law unto themselves and to absorl
all business. and it definitely estab
lished the supremacy of the ma tiondl
government over them. But for the
! Last 10 years it has done serious mis-.
chief, far moro mischief than il has
Gone good. 1t is foolish to object ia
large scale business The telegram
and telephone, steam and electricity
have rendered large scale business an
absolute necessity, if this country is