Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-12
ASKS COOPERATION
TRIAL BYFARMERS
Council Head Hits Surplus
Handling and Juggling of
Tariff as Useless.

By the Associated Press.
Only in cooperative marketing, and
not in tariff Juggling or Federal han
dIinS of crop surpluSeS, lies solution
of the farmers problems, the National
Council of Farmers Cooperative Mar
keting Associations was told today by
its chairman, Robert w. Bingham of
Louisville.
The council. in annual session while
committees of Congress were debat-
ing various farm relief proposals,
heard Mr.. Bingham appeal for thor
ough trial of cooperative marketing
by growers, with Government support
but not interference.
Relating that the joint marketing
movement had reached its present
stage only after long fight, Mr.. BinS-
ham declared the leader of the move
ment in this country now sits in the
White House: and we who have
dreamed and hoped for this day-we
must now follow that leader"
The most important development in
cooperative marketing during the
year. he said. was the ''unreserved
recognition of the movement by
President Coolidge and Secretary Jar
dine.
Beginning of Accomplishments.
Crediting cotton and hurley tobacco
marketing associations with great sue
CeSSes during the past, Mr. Bingham
admitted that what the movement Is
actually going to accomplish with the
great national products, we cannot
now speak with assurance. w e are
Just at the threshold of the real aC-
complShmentS of cooperative mar
keting," he added. and we are learn
ing from our failures to make our
new efforts promise great success.
Commenting on demands from the
corn and wheat belts for Governments
controlled export corporations and re-
cent attacks on the tariff, the speaker
declared that Canadian wheat grow
ers. selling three -fourths of their crop
in the world market. with no Govern
ment surplus corporation or tariff to
help, We're receiving greater returns
than were American growers.
The Canadians are organized" he
said. Only a small part of our grow
ers has learned organization. 1t is
not the tariff which counts. it is or
ganization which alone can enable the
farmers of this country to get the
benefit of their own good wheat either
in the face of tariff or i'll the absence
of a tariff
He described corn as essentially n
domestic problem, yet some farm
leaders, caught by words and phrases
and not by thoughts and facts" are
demanding an export corporation. The
surplus problem cannot be written
into legislation until we recognize
what surplus means. Crop SURPRISES
are inevitable in some line or an
other
Referring again to Canada, MIR.
Bingham said growers there looked
over the line and saw what was being
done by cooperation in America.
They had courage enough and vision
enough to organize on American lines
for the handling of their great world
product. They are solving their prob
lem out of their own strength and
their own coura ge, While we III
America still falter before our own
picked remedy. We kick it aside and
run down to Washington to ask the
great father to hold our little feet
IN the path of prosperity.
II shall never favor the interference
Of Government in the marketing of !
farm crops until cooperative market |
ing has had a fair trial on a large /
scale and has proved failure. Before
| urge men to become peaSa mt minded. (
TO ask some one else to work out for
them what they can do for themselves
/ must first exhaust every opportu-
nifty to keep them independent Ameri-
can farmers"