The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-01-17
Editorial
of the Day
COOPERATIVE MARKETING AM
ANTITRUST LAWS
(From Dallas News

one Of the four items in the legis-
lative program formulated by tho rep
resentatives Of certain farmers organ
i2atons at Austin calls for The enact
ment OF "a rural Incorporation law
authorizing the formation OF co-opera-
tive marketing associations" Tha' the
farmers Of this state do not now have
adequate facilities FOR organizing such
associations, which is to be Inferred
from uhe making OF this proposal,
speaks baclwardness in our laws re-
latng to the agricultural Industry
much greater than many of Us prob
ably imagined to exist
There is more fundamental and
sovereign solution of the problem
that occasions this proposal THAN CO.
operative marketing ~ is in the a.
tanment of that economic indepcnd-
once which would enable the individ-
ual farmer 10 put his nonpcrish5ble
products into his own barn, bin, cellar
ana smokcnouse when the prices Of
fcrcd FOR them did not invite him 20
take hem 10 market But we are a
long way from the achievement Of the
conditions which make that ideal So
luton of the problem practicable.
Pending ;h1t achievement we shall
have TO have recourse to cooperative
marketing If the farmers are to escape
the ruin which the destructive COM
petition Of present methods expose
them TO- Perhaps cooperative marke-
ing win prove to be the means OF tho
farmers attaining that state of in
lividuul independence, and in that
case it will have. by rendering itself
surcrtluous, given the highes proof OF
i,s wisdom that any artificial contri-
vance can offer
Doubtless one OF the reasons our
laws have withhold facilities for co.
/ operative marketing lrolh our flrm-
ors is that we mve been unable to
reconcile that me nod with those econ
omic principles which find expression
/ IN our antitrust laws. In thc thcorc-
. iical sense. at least, no rocoucilemon.
Is possible. such agreements as CO.
operative marketing rcquirea are, IN
cple of free uni unrcstrlincd compe-
/ tilon There is potential monopoly
I'm every cooperative marketing
/ scheme. and Il IS only an ndulgcnt
/ fancy which could cnduw the farmers
with that restrained sctehncss wach
could make their possession OF mono
poly power tolornblc Given the pow
err Of monopoly, and the farmers would
probably not uec It less Justify thln
would any Other class.
Bn lt Is only potentially that there
is % monopoly. or any approximation
of a monopoly, In farmers cooperative
organizations. There may be- n few
specialized pursuits of the soil enough
loclli1od as to area and enough re-
s.ricted as to the numbers engaged In
them to make monopoly uie natural
evolution OF cooperation. But lhose
cases are exceptional il in fact here
are any. At best they but emphasize
the larger fact that industries which
are founded upon the cultivation of
the soil are conditioned IN ways which
at erly preclude anything like thai
degree OF integratlon necessary for the
creation of a monopoly power The
archilecs of tho Tower Of Babel were
not moro surely doomed 20 disastrous
failure than would be those who un-
deriook to create an orga lization de-
signed 10 give monopoly power or