The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-09-01
Dr. Z. f. Ladd's
Weekly Letter
WASHINGTON. % e. AUG. 26.

Washington, d C. Aug. 26.
In answer to the many inquiries a,
to why there is needed legislation fol
the farmers cooperative movement
suffice it to say that existing legisla
tioh affords protection to corporations
and that the joining Of the farmers il
cooperative movements are looked up
on by the interested middlemen ant
spectators the same as would be tht
joining together of corporations thai
might control a monopoly. The coop
erative associations correspond more
clearly to single corporations but there
is no law under which they can organ
ize or be protected from being con
stantly hauled into Court on trivia
excuses. National legislation is need
led to afford the farmer an opportun'
/ ity to market his products in an or.
derly and business like fashion, thu
same as any other big business plant
1 is permitted to do when capital is con
centrated as q corporation to permit
Of economies, to lessen overhead ex.
pense and to enable the producer tt
furnish his products at less expense
to the consumer.
What the farmer wants is to be put
on an equal footing with other lines
Of business. He needs nor asks fol
no special privilege or protection
Three men may form partnership
and be protected under the. law. Ter
men or more may come together and
form corporation, take out charter
to do business and be protected. They
may in fact at times create a monop-
oily and be fully protected under the
law. Now, ten farmers come together
say dairynen, for example, and decide
to form an organization or association
possibly through cooperation, decide
to employ a man to look after the
business and of the milk and dairy
business that they may lessen the mid
dleman's expenses, secure for them
selves a living wage and even sell the
milk at lower price to the consumer.
These ten men may now be hauled
into courts as forming a trust.or being
in violation of the Sherman-Anti-
Trust Act and be harrassed if not
convicted.
One group Of ten men as a corpora
ton is protected even though they
may be and are at times a menace to
society. The other group Of ten men
as producers are trying to cooperate
to better conditions, lessen the cost OF
production and marketing, reduce the
price to the consumer that they may
receive for themselves fair wage and
they are now treated in the eyes OF
the law as criminals even though
they are public benefactors. u.
This is no fairy tale. It is what has
actually happened more than once
during the past three years. New York
dairymen and Chicago dairymen have
been hauled into court under just such
conditions. All the farmer asks is that
he be afforded fair degree Of pro-
lection with no special privilege, but
even if it were special privilege it
would be no more than we are now
trying to grant to certain public util-
tiles right here in Washington or than
has been granted to other bodies.
\ But it is no sepcial privilege but
rather an honest protection for a
more economic method of doing bust
ness. Even as collective buying and
selling it is no more than the right
Of collective buying and bargaining
granted to labor or as followed by
some railroads such, for example, as
the Northern Pacific, the Great North
ern and Burlington systems which
have benefited the public and as pub.
lie utilities need to be regulated.
If there are good and bad trusts
good lnonopolies and bad monopolies
why proceed to place the farmers with
our great basic industry Of agricul.
ture before they have even had al
opportunity to organize in the cate.
CORY of bad trusts or combinations "
restraint of trade unless we desire *
further entrench privilege in an i'm
|pregnable position 50 as to force farm
ers to become industrial slaves i
place Of their former high position ..
Yoemen who form the very backbone
Of the greatest nation on earth /?