Montana labor news., 1945-01-25

boast is true, that there are already at
least eleven votes against you when 1t
comes to cooperative issues. That is
because this Congressman is in favor of
shifting the tax load 50 that you can
carry a bigger part of it. And vet there
are people who stil say that cooperatives
should keep out OF politics; that labor
and progressive organizations and farm
groups should keep out of politics. The
fact is that the people should be up to
their ears in politics. The cooperatives
have no other choice but to go into
politics. They have been driven into
politics to protect themselves.
Today the cooperatives are on the
threshold Of their greatest development
Since 1887 the dollar volume Of goods
and services has more than doubled.
Membership is up more than so per cent
After all, what is the reason for this
growth, profit or service? The farmers
cooperatives are not new They began
in the 1840s, hundred years ago. They
had their greatest growth after the end
Of the first world war. Why? Because
that was when the prices of your farm
products hit rock bottom. But the prices
of farm supplies stayed up. The farm
ers thought that they had every right
to go into business for themselves. They
thought that they had a right to make
savings and distribute these savings back
to themselves. That is why the co-0ps
have grown. They have filled a need;
they continue to render a service. 1t IS
any wonder that more and more farm
ers look to the cooperative way as one
means of meeting many Of their post
war marketing and distribution prob
lens.
Last week nearly all of the coopera-
tives in the United States were in Chi
cago to discuss this propaganda attack
on them. There was not just one but
many meetings. All shades of political
faith were there and all types of CO.
operatives. There was the Cooperative
League of America and the National
Council of Cooperatives and the Ma
tional Association of Cooperatives ane
the National Federation Of Grain Cooper.
atives-just to name a few. Every pro.
gressive regional cooperative from thC
Middle West was represented in ONT
way or another The National Associa.
ton of Cooperatives, for instance, wa
organized just for the purpose Of meet
Z ing the propaganda attack now beinl
waged against all cooperatives. 1t i
prepared to go to every community an,
/ tell the real coop story. once you havl
. told the people your story and havl
5 them on your side you cannot lose. s.
it is matter of informatin and educa
ton Not only cooperatives but farm
/ organizations viii help to do this job.
Z The National Federation Of Grain Co
operatives also is moving into action
That is an organization which is mad
{ up of grain cooperatives that represen
more than 100000 grain farmers righ
/ down the Mississippi valley and out a
Z far west as the Pacific coast. You
Farmers Union GTA was represented a
these meetings by its general manager
5 M w. Thatcher. He is president Of tn
? Grain Federation and a member of tn
executive committee Of the National AS
sociation Of Cooperatives. He said tina
the cooperatives have two jobs-two i'm
portant jobs to do One is to preserv
and expand economic democracy, fre
cooperative enterprie. The other is Il
/ sustain an economy which will make
possible to produce and distribute farm
products in abundance when the war
: over The one ties in with the other.
: is a job that must be done through edu
cation, legislation and cooperation.
In a free economy coOperatives ar
showing the way to a better and NOR
abundant life. They are giving tn
farmer a real voice in the marketin
; and distribution Of his products. The
? are giving the consumer an Opportunit
3 to share in the abundance which agri
culture wants to share with the world.
50 remember that
s C3TA is the coon WaV