Deming graphic., 1920-01-20
PRoPOsD COOPERATIVE STORE


predatory interests the Graphic Is
taking chances on n few gratuitous re
marks ON the proposal Of the Mimbres
Valley Farmers Association to place
cooperative store in Deming, the
idea being 10 reduce the cost of neces
sit,,s to the farmers No one can
blame them for wanting To reduce
the cost of living we all would like
to- and would he glad TO be in on any
feasible project which would accom-
plish such an object. But
1st. will u cooperative store lower
the cost Of living appreciably over a
period Of time to make the enterprise
really profitablel
2nd. II the first question can be
answered in the affirmative, will the
harm caused by substracting from 10
cal business make II a paying activity
in the long run?
Those Of socialistic tendencies will
answer yes to both propositions right
of the bat, because they hold our en-
lire social and business structure TO
Doe wrong in theory and harmful In
practice and are willing TO take chances
un most any other kind Of an organiZn-
ton. But those Of more conservative
bent of mind will hesitate about unset
Ting the basis of business without
seriously thinking out just where IL
viii lead We can Safcly let the ad-
vantagcs of II cooperative store be em-
phaSized by those of liberal leanings-.
and there are many arguments in fav-
In
uf the failures that have been register
ed. We will confne our investigations
To the possibility Of disadvantages.
In the first place Deming and the
MimhreS Valley Is Il community in the
making ana IL has been demonstrated
that we can look to nobody's help but
our own in the building Of our small
empire In the desert. The farmers
who have stuck to their job to do this
certainly deserve great consideration
and no one can blame them for feeling
that they have not already gotten the
cooI GRAFTON out Of the business men
that is due. our social organization
is far from perfect and we don't get
the cooperation from every member
we should and probably never will, but
there Is no reason 10 be discouraged
pcause of this fact We have to keep
trying.
Your radical liberal, OF course, will
reny that the retailer jobber or whole.
,ller is entitled TO make profits be-
,Iuse merchandise passes through
{ tleir hands. We can eliminate the
pbber and wholesaler from considera-
ON as they do not concern the matter
ia hand. II is certain that we will
cep right 0n paying tribute TO the
wholesaler and jobber whether or not
,-c like IT, But the retailer is a mem
Ter of our community. He buys
.ainst our future needs and has on
D. inds what we want when we want
it If he is Justified at all, he Is justi-
fed in charging for his service. He
,'ill be with us in one form or another
Jntil our present social fabric is de-
troyed.
Really, the retailer Is the goat and
tle butt Of the most Of the anti-profi-
ering activity. We can't very well
Dycott the manufacturer or the whole
,ller or. for that matter, the mail or
Jer merchant, because he lives far
from MS and we can't walk into his
lace of business and tell him what a
ipbber he is. But we can make IL aw-
lllly warm for the corner grocer and
we do. Sometimes he is guilty, no
doubt, hut after II careful eXamina-
lion by the department Of justice here
if was found that our merchants are
,hargng only prices that are justified
hy the present market. one or two in
stances were cited where UNJUST
prices were charged. but there was lit
orally nothing on which charges Of
prufiteering could be based under the
law. Almost every grocer and dry
goods merchant. in the city has his
prices marked in plain figures and
anybody Is welcome to know what he
paid and what his margin Is. None OF
them are getting rich at the present
wholesale prices and with merchan-
disc hard TO get at any price. III we
hnd to go into the present demoralized
market to do our own selecting and
buying we would quickly understand
The service which the retailer at the
present time Is performing In fighting
for the merchandise which we demand.
Prices are high, there is no denying,
and they are still on the upward trend.
But we must remember that we get
what would have been fabulous prices
for the service or commodity which
we have TO sell. We're all In on the
game. And the sad part is, as the bu-
reau Of labor recently pointed out, that
II there were to fall In answer to our
prayers IL would multiply our Difficult
ties ten-fOld IL doesn't matter what a
thing costs. The question Is whether
or not we have the big round iron men
to pay for It,
Deming has wonderful stores for its
size and they are possible because our
citizens patronize them. The logical
end 10 cooperative storekeeping would
he the destruction Of all retail mer-
What would farm be
worth near Deming II Deming consist
ed of n station. school. and a post
office? Our social life would be bank
rupt and people would go where they
rould enjoy the advantages demanded
by a race that Is admittedly gregarious
In instinct. TO the extent that we inn
pair the business Of our city 30 that