The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-12-24

II uoaOa uNu
Blackout Got Us.
OF Its Own Kind.
A Future Dilemma.
Teach Cooperation.
For Years to Come.
What was hte best and most en-
thusiastic meeting of the farmer
stockholders of the Farmers Union
Grain Terminal Association this week
sustained publicity black-out. Some
thing that happened over in Hawaii the
Sunday before the meeting of the
stockholders of the three business &C
ivities of the Farmers Union in St
Paul. took the spotlight of public at
tention That was to be expected,
for when the territory over which the
Flag flies is attacked by "the heather
in his blindness" it is time to stop
and take notice, even to partial neg
lect of our immediate business. Yet
not one farmer of the four or five
thousand present at st. Paul felt that
this attention to our country's destiny
was anything but right and proper
Cooperation is inclusive. When men
and women work with and for each
other in the pursuits of peace, they
instinctively work together for their
country and its people in war.
Under other circumstances the
newspapers would have felt it incum-
bent upon them to take notice of the
remarkable increase in attendance
and interest during this week of meet
ings 1t was pity that more mo-
mentous matters obscured meetings
that would have attracted the atten-
ton of the entire country. This be-
cause of three things: The increased
and interest of the farmer
stockholders; the amazing growth of
these cooperative business activities
as shown by the annual reports for
the past yaer; the program which in
cluded some of the finest speeches,
as well as dinners and entertainments
almost every evening of the week.
No other business organization equals
or approaches the record made by the
enterprises in this regard
It is "sui generis" and if you don't
like that phrase, the dictionary says
unique, of it's own kind"
This column may be leading with
its chin" when it suggests that the
Farmers Union business activities,
the Grain Terminal Asso-
citation, face dilemma for the future.
A Scotch presbytery is credited with
posing to candidates for the ministry
he question: How many horns has
dilemma and distinguish one from the
)ther?" Here is case in point: One
norm is to retard the growth of the
J. T. A. and restrict it's activities, so
hat the attendance at these annual
meetings will come within handling
capacity The other horn is to hire
In auditorium big enough to provide
or ever-increasing crowds. The big
banquet room at the hotel, normally |
zig enough, was entirely inadequate
when NJ W. Thatcher gave his main
address Wednesday afternoon. An
overflow crowd milled around the |
doorway and out on the ratings of
he mezzanine floor, doing the best it
;ould to catch a word on the loud
peaker.
Naturally there is more compact |
nd one-family feeling when the meet
ng is held in small room. The
anger room makes for remoteness
nd less neighborliness "a distinct
eature of these meetings But, if the
inners and banquets of this year are
epeated, the smaller groups can get
ogether and rub elbows as of yore
nd all can meet in the bigger hall
or the important speeches. Our
MEMBERS need the inspiration these
peeches give, but so do those who
ave little or no concept of what
u6 cooperative lued is - ana LQey
hould be let in on an occasion when
is expounded. After all, /
be loaves and fishes of cooperative
eaching are not reserved only for
hose who follow those principles.
Some Gloomy Gus" columnist has
reelected that this will be the last !
hristmas on the American standard
nat we shall see. War will so reduce
S economically and financially by
raining our resources-he says-that
ur Holiday Season may no longer be
} lavish in gifts or expenditures. A
ing war might hurt us, but the
nited States has what it takes and
i'll recover, particularly with the i'm
etus of the cooperative movement
eveloped as it is. That is why this
'lumn wishes every reader Merry
hristmas this year and has the as
rance of long line of Merry
on down through the Z
ears that are to come.