Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-09
OKLAHOMA LEADERS
PUT BAN ON POLITICS
IN ORGANIZING POOL
Continued from Page u


opment Of the cooperative
movement.
There are men in Oklahoma
today-lots of them-WhO feel
confident that the farmers in the
organization will not stick.
MANY of the members won't
stick through another year, even
though they have signed a con-
tract covering their crop for a
period of years." it has been
suggested to me.
Being neither prophet nor
the son of a prophet, it is, of
what the membership of the
Oklahoma association will do
next year. Officers in Oklahoma
City are not apprehensive. On
the contrary, they confidently
expect to enroll thousands of adj
ditional memberS-enron them
on the actual accomplishments
of the associations first year.
"Visit us a little later and we
will show you a membership
campaign that will open your
eyes," said Secretary Stealey.
1--WE feel that we are out of the
woods. We know that we have
demonstrated the practicability
of cooperative marketing. We
know, too, that our members
have Jared better than non
members, and we expect that
these things will help wonder
fully in the campaign we aye
going to put on for new mem
bers.'
The, doubt that some of the
members won't stick another
year isn't we'll founded, it seems
to me, and PROCEEDS from igno-
rance as to the terms of the con-
tract and it's legality. The best
legal talent in Oklahoma and
other states in the southwest,
where cotton is grown, have
given opinions that the contract
is legally binding and actually
enforceable.
AS matter of fact, title to
all the cotton produced by a
member passes to the associa-
ton the minute it is picked and
ginned, and this applies, in Okla
homa, to all of the cotton pro-
duced for a period of seven
years.
Legally Binding Contract
1t must be obvious that the
banks Of the state and the war
finance corporation would not
willingly advance millions of
dollars to an organization, Sc
cured by a commodity, unless
the title to the commodity was
vested legally in the organiza-
ton. Neither the bankers nor
the federal government is put
ting out money except on the
very best security.
The second clause of the Okla
homa contract makes it clear
enough that the members will
stick, even though they don't
fancy sticking. 1t reads:
1.-THE association agrees to BUY
and the grower agrees to SELL
and deliver to the association all
of the cotton produced or &C
quired ty him CT for him IN Okla
homa, during the years 1921,
1922, 1928, 1924, 1925, 1926 and
1921"
1t is short, plain, simple and
very much to the point.
AS Fred Wilmarth, the pub
licity director, pointed out in a
recent article in the Canadian
Countryman:
1.-THE Oklahoma cotton grow
ers have signed legally binding
contract to market all of their
cotton through the association
for a period of seven years. This
contract has teeth. 1t is en-
forceable in court. At a glance
it looked like a one-sided propo-
sition to some of the growers,
but as one man very aptly put
it, in trying to sell his neighbor
on the plan, Surely it makes you
stick-tight' There are only
three ways for you to get away
to quit growing cotton, move
out of the state or to die. But
while it is making you stick,
isn't it making the rest stick,
too'?"
Mr.. Wilmarth declares that
the long time contract-its stick
ability, if you please-was one of
the strongest and most per-
suasive appeals with the farm
ers of Oklahoma. He thinks that
it was the most popular fea-
ture of the membership cam
paign, and influenced more
farmers to sign up than any
other.
1.-The cotton growers" he de-
clares," realize that the big diff
ficulty heretofore experienced in
attempting to organize the farm
ers has been the seeming impos-
sibility of getting them to stick
together on any definite plan or