Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-04-20

taking. You have pooled your cotton.
You have agreed that you will market
your product through your own or
ganization and through agencies which
you have created You have determin-
ed to free yourselves from the clutches
of those interests which have from
time immemorial taken what is right
ly yours. This is splendid
But you have only made a beginning.
The real test of your power to govern
your own business and direct your own
interests is about to be made. You
are going to elect officers; to choose
the men who, under your mandate, will
direct the work of the association.
Don't think that this is either simple
or easy. Don't delude yourself into
the notion that men in abundance are
equipped with the special ability needed
in an organization such as ours. The
truth is they are almost as scarce as
water in Hades, or as peaches at the
North Pole The rarest kind of an
individual in the kingdom of humanity
is he who can successfully lead an or
ganization of farmers. .t
This is not because farmers are any
ilOIe OF ANY lCSS Huilldll tIldh OiiCl
folks. But long experience with I'm
Gle Reuben has taught me that ordi-
nary standards of efficiency are eth
er insufficient or more than Sufficient
for the man who aspires to lead men
| of our calling Ordinary qualificat
lions must be largely or wholly dis
regarded, or at any rate they must be
supplemented by other mental and
spiritual equipment which would be
useless to the head of railway, a
bank or a steel corporation.
You might say that man who is
honest in his dealings with his fellows,
who is an orator of recognized ability,
ought certainly be able to excellent
work as an official of the Georgia Cot
ton Growers Association. l answer
that he may be all of these and yet
prove a dismal and ruinous failure as
the leader of any farm organization.
Indeed he may be qualified to sit in
the United States Senate or to occupy
the chair of Governor of our State. He
may lead great armies to victory or
command with signal and inspiring
success mighty fleets of warships and
come home covered with glory and
yet be unable successfully to lead an
OF ganization of farmers. Armed with
all these qualifications, he may if en-
trusted with the leadership of such
an organization as yours plunge it in
to irreparable disaster
| wilt go further. A man NAV be
chosen President of the United States
by citizenship who believes in his
craftsmanship and in his fidelity to
| 49, - l. l.
command of an organization which
has for its object the cooperative sell
ing of its products.
The path of farm organizations is
strewn with the carcasses of leaders
who through incapacity or infidelity to
the cause have fallen They have car
ried with them in their fall the best
that was in their organizations and
have set back the progress of agricul-
tura1 cooperation 50 often as to cause
some to despair of ever bringing the
farmers together in any effective wav
leadership, weak. arrogant or venal,
is responsible for the fact that farmers
are not organized as they should be.
I know how hard it is to select the
right men for such tasks and I some
tires feel that no such men are avail
able hev are the rarest Of rare birds
And vet if we hope to succeed we
rust have such leaders. You must
comb the State of eGrogia, if necessary
in search of men who can acceDtably
fill the offices to which you will shortly
elect them.
You must have men of courage, of
tcnacity, and of such driving force as
| rel to- oh ht1f
ward and forward through all inter-
vening impediments
But at the same time these men
should be wise enough and patient
enough to recognize and make use of
any asset in the shape of human talents
that may come in their way In other
words they should be ready to do team
work with their associates even tho
among them may be citizens who are
only about ten per cent all right.
| The only way to improve efficiency
among associates Us to make the 1arg-
est use of what talents thew have.
Nothing can be gained by rejecting
aid and cooperation because the men
who offer to aid and cooperate with
the leaders are not up to some recog-
nized or arbitrarily fixed standard
oh, for leaders! The rank and file
is all right, The heart of Georgia Cot
ton Growers Association beats true
and is ready to respond to real leader
ship. But where are we to get the
men who have that special and God
given ability SO necessary in a move
ment Of this character?
Probably many thought when the
cotton was pooled their troubles were
over. They forgot that ninety per cent
OF the value of anything in the way
CT organization is in the administration
OF lis affairs. The organization is the.
means. Administration is what makes
the means effective.
The organization is an instrument
II tie administration is committed
he task of making the instruru Mt
function
All the faithful intensive, loyal work
that hos beer done in organizing this
pool will count for little if you do not
select the men capable of properly US
r:g the instrument you have g'Ycu
| them
Nany persons are quick to recognize
an advantage, but slow to adopt the
means necessary to keep it and make
the best use of it. The Cotton e q,w-
er's Is, ciations has the advantage ri
'ctual existence, but upon the leader
'hr' which you choose will depend
whether it will continue TO be an Ter
getic. 'rsty, progressive body, Or d
1yea.. Iuny. vascillating institution.
rearze that it is much easier for lie
to call your attention to the necessity