The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-08-17

pIylhS lhtO youl oA ASA PNA
haps, exactly up to the merchant any
more than it is up to the farmer to
start something" along the line of CO.
operation, but the merchant is really
in a better position to start something
than the farmer and he ought to do it.
| think every retailer ought to W a
Ford U don't get a commission for
this) or some other cheap car. and go
out into the country occasionally to
visit with his farmer friends. Know
what they are doing-what they are
up against-what problems are con-
fronting them. Know-don't guess or
Just think. Some sit and think, you
know, how | guess too many just sit.
Then, if some agency or unseen force
can bring this idealistic thing about,
| believe the farmer ought to sit down
and tell the merchant frankly just how
he is situated-just what he thinks
about this or that-just what he likes
and what he doesn't like about his
community, for instance-and so on
down the line. Thus We will arrive
at an understanding from that end.
Now it seems a bit more difficult
to give the farmer such an insight in
to the merchants business that he can
really understand the difference be-
tween profit and robbery-that he can
honestly appreciate the problems that
confront the retail distributor every
day-and that he might better know
the reason for the existence or such
an animal as a retail merchant, n
the service which he renders and all
that sort of thing. There has, UNI.
fortunately, emanated from sources
that ought to be reliable, countless col
umns of unfOunded criticism and ruth
less charges against the retailer as a
whole, and all this has bred a distrust
in the craft which it will take long to
overcome. For these reasons, there is
a natural tendency to take with a
grain of salt anything which the re-
taller might say on his own behalf,
and that is not to be wondered at.
1t is, nevertheless, up to the retailer
to lay his cards on the table face up, If
he hopes to foster confidence and de-
velop a spirit of cooperation with those
with whom he would cooperate. If he
is suspected on the one hand Of deal
ing falsely with his trade, he must ex-
pect the same people to suspect him OF
some secret motive or some Interior
design if he proposes that they CO.
operate with him in any venture
whatsoever.
| am sometimes inclined to believe
that most community projects are
sprinkled with a lot of this kind OF
salt. We lack confidence.
1t has been my privilege, as the re-
preventative of the retailers of South
Dakota, to cooperate with several
farmer organizations in n way or
another during the past two years.
This little bit of cooperation on our
part has been inspired by an honest
desire to bring about mutual benefits.
| want you to believe me when say
that we were sincere in the small eff
forts we were able to put forth. You
can we'll imagine how | felt when the
secretary of one of the organizations
with whom we had cooperated to some
extent wrote me AID suggested that
we had better make no mention or the
exchange of information we had a
in order to bring about the kind OF
understanding necessary to consistent
and successful cooperation. In the
most sincere and friendly manner, he
said he was afraid some of the memb-
ers of his organization would miscon-
strue and misapply the relationship
which we were building, and in effect
suggested that while we know III
intentions are honest, our members
won't, and they will misunderstand.'
That was indeed brutally frank, but it
reflected a situation which we must
overcome. Because we two secretar-
les understood each other, we were
privileged to work together in a
number Of ways for the mutual bene-
fit of our members. But it was al
most q case Oh SoCTelly COOpcl dllhS pC-
cause under the circumstances l
couldn't very we'll tell u own mem
bers about it lest some one would
spill the beans" But perhaps this
was an overdrawn illustration.
Now l have gotten somewhat into
theory. | want to close that portion
of my discourse by repeating the es-
sentials upon which cooperation must
be builded:
First: There must be something in
common. In this case we are eliminat-
ing the merchant who isn't a real mer-
chant, because he isn't a thinker or a
doer. And we are eliminating the
farmer who doesn't farm but simply
harvests what might grow between the
weeds. Those two fellows are too
near hopeless. To carry them along
is only to carry around a milestone.
We are selecting those who are bus
mess men-thinkers, planners n
doors.
Second:-We must understand each
other and each others business or
needs or whatever other factors might