Evening star., 1925-01-05
PRESIDENT URGES COOPERATION
AS CURE FOR ILLS OF FARMER
Declares Remedy, HOiceuer, Cannot Be Expected
To York Miracles and Success Depends
On agriculture Itself

men in all parts of the country
founded other sections of it. 1t Is
hardly conceivable that any or these
men in the early and formative years
could have visioned the enormous
concentration 70 which their activi-
ties were tending. They were not
thinking of that. They were found
ing the industry in all it's branches
and ramifca tions, in all parts of the
country. in Il vast variety of cor
porate forms. These widely scattered
and seemingly unrelated units at last
were brought together under com
mon control into a unity of manage
ment and policy. But let it be en-
phasiZed again-the industry had TO
he founded before it could be fed
Grated. The units required creation
before they could adopt combination.
1T Will be the same in the develop
ment of a great fabric of marketing
corporations. They must begin with
small things and must have the sim
cere, coura geouS, determined support
of their members. Granted that much,
they can be quite safely relied on to
take care Of themselves. Their
greatest danger is in too ambitious
beginnings, too eager expectations
which breed early disappointment and
diSCoura cement. The record of fail
ures in combiation Is larger than the
record of successes. But so, for that
matter, is the record of failures in
nearly any other field. On the other
side is the impressive showing of
successes, whereby industries, COM
munities. regions, have derived vast
benefits from the development of CO.
operative efforts 1t is not needful
TO enoumerate these eases in this
presence; the men and women are here
who know them better than 1, be-
cause they have contributed of their
talent and courage to make these
accomplishments possible.
VIII Not Work Themselves.
ITO precisely such men and women
as you who are gathered here we
must turn for the kind of agricul-
tural leadership the country needs.
We want combination preached as a
principle, not a panacea. 1t will not
perform miracles. 1t will not accom-
plish the impossible. But it is a
sound, tried, demonstrated principle
that must be introduced at the basis
of our agricultural establishment. It
demands that the individual shall
surrender some part of his complete
independence for his own and for the
general good 1t means that GER
tain authority must be delegated, and
There must be faith, good will, pa
tience. II must be understood that
no very spectacular achievements
will be wrought The cooperative
association, which establishes gradeS
and standards. encourages the good
and eliminates the poor varieties, in
creases the efficiency of production,
provides a unified product adapted to
its market, organizes its distribution,
creates confidence in its products and
its methods-that kind of an associa-
tion is doing the best that co-opera-
tion can do. 1t will serve both the
seller and the buyer. Under wise
leadership it Will succeed. More than
anything else. we need a generation
of farmers trained to cooperation
and to get that we need able, cour-
ageous, determined leadership. and,
most of all, leadership that will not
desert the farmer, but will stay by
him
Believing that you who are as
sembled here today are preculiarly
the representative of that leader
ship I extend to you my greeting
and I commend to your most careful
consideration the supremely impor-
tant set CT problems to which you
have dedicated this occasion and
dedicated your own experience and
talents. AS a last word. let me as
sure you again of the profound sym
pathy which your Government feels
for all your efforts and its eager pur-
pose to help in every practical way
the achievement of the ends you are
seeking"