The Monroe journal., 1922-11-07
tom Broom Runs Across Some
More Good Coop. Literature

elared that the cooperative law gives
SPECIAL privileges and special advan-
tages 20 the farmer as compared with
other classes Of citizens, these attor-
neys went on 10 say:
"As an illustration of the power
and danger which will result from
the formation of associations under
the act aforesaid, this defendant
shows that if the plaintiff association
had been in existence in 1919, 1920,
and 1921. il could have compelled the
producers of all tobacco in the State
OF North Carolina. had all joined the
plaintiff association, TO deliver TO It
+ the crops of tobacco made in the three
wears, which would have amounted
l TO approximately loss, 100000 pounds
of leaf tobacco, which was sold for
approximately $500. 100000. and by
withholding the same from the mar.
ket and manipulating the same. could
have absolutely controlled the price
of leaf tobacco. and thereby made
itself monopoly. controlling within
/ the short space of three years not
only an enormous sum of money. but
an enormous amount of leaf tobacco,
to the detriment of the public in gem
eral: and that like associations could
be formed under the said act which
could control all the agricultural pro
ducts in the State of North Carolina,
the annual value cf which amounts to
more than half a billion dollars, and
that such assoc ations by making con-
traces and agreements with their
o her Ike associations formed in 9TH
er States, as they are authorized by
the said act to do. could ultimately
get unie their control such an enor-
nous amount Of property and wealth,
as would the State of North Caro-
lima, but 10 the United States Of
America"
The cat is ont of the bag. The mask
is off of the deceiver. The Sleeps
clothing is torn off the wolf. The op-
ponents of cooperative marketing
have been forced to admit that they
are fighting for their lives because
they know cooperative marketing
will give the farmer power and
wealth and advantages he has never
before enjoyed.
What need have we Of any further
witness?
In the face of these fac.s, what
farmer will henceforth be deceived by
charges that cooperative marketing
is an impotant thing and can never
give him real strength and power?
At last the road is so plain that the
wayfaring man, though fool, need
not err therein.
Another Scheme 10 Fool Cotton Far
merS
And now there is a new scheme TO
fool the cotton farmer, Here is the
proposition as made to the unsuSpect-
!ng grower in some sections: Give
us your cotton and we will advance
YOU 90 to so per cent of its present
value and let you sell TO us any time
I'you wish between now and next May
l." And yet one simple editor says
that this beats cooperative market
ingi
As a matter of fact, il is the very
opposite of cooperative marketing.
Cooperative marketing keeps cotton
Nl Il NiuNutu oild ~ ppNSNS
prices. This scheme feeds cotton to
already glutted markets and so keeps
down cotton prices. Under this scheme
the cotton which the farmer delivers
is turned over to the cotton manufac-
turers who spin it up as fast as they
need it. In this way they are prevent
ed from any necessity for going out
into the market to buy cotton; they
have the cotton already. In other
words the foolish farmer who bites
al tn $ bait simply helps kill all cot
ton-factory competition in buying cot
ton-and it is of course just this COM
petition that is needed to boost cotton
prices!
No surer scheme for holding down
cotton prices has yet been proposed
than this one and we cannot believe
that many farmers will be fooled by
it The farmers only here to get bet
ter prices for his cotton 5 by stimuli
aing competition among buyers while
this scheme most effectively chloro-
forms competition.