The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1963-03-15

tives. 1t does not take much discern
ment to note a. concerted effort b.
these particular business forces tt
drive co-operatives to the wall. A.
an objective observer of this attack
| must honestly report that the propa
ganda efforts of these business force:
have been extremely successful. Wit
ness, for example, how the American
Legion reflects this propaganda. Il
is an amazing commentary of the
American scene, that in the year 1868
co-operatives must argue their legiti.
macy before the public. We might
expect that new group must first
PROVE its legitimacy; must first earn
the public stamp of approval. But it
is unbelievable that co-operatives-
more than century old, and as
American as apple pie-must prove
their legitimacy in 1868.
FOUR SPURIOUS CHARGES
"Four spurious charges have been
leveled against co-operatives:
"G) That co-operatives are
against American individualism,
and destroy our precious heritage
of individualism;
"(2) That co-operatives are rad
ical undertakings supported by left
list unions, wild-eyed liberals, and
smack of the New Deal and Fair
Deal;
"(3) That co-operatives are real
ly communistic;
"(4) That co-operatives are op-
posed to the theory and practice of
American free enterprise.
Concerning the first point, DIR.
Borden had the following to say:
''There is we'll founded historical
myth about American individualtsm
being fostered by the hardy pointer,
the sturdy yeoman, the brave and
courageous frontiersman. There in
the wilderness, close to nature, he
is pictured standing alone battling
indians, carving out a homestead,
developing those mental traits of in
1ividualism which he passed down
20 later generations. The Daniel
Boones of the 18th Century are sup
posed to have passed on to future
generations type of character re-
BORN in the Henry Fords and John
}. Rockefellers a century later. And |
he rugged individualism of the Rob- |
,er Barons, in turn, obtained scholar
Y justification through Darwin's bio
ogical theories about the survival
# the fittest.
''Thus, co-operatives seem to be
because they work
gainst the competitive individualism
'orn of the frontier, justified by
biological science, and embedded in
he American mind.
PIONEER NEVER
! LONE WOLF
''This entire Interpretation is part
lyth, part fallacy. The western pio-
eer was never lone wolf. He came
rest in group; when he built a
ONE or harvested a crop, he did so
/ cooperation with others. And when
astern financiers and middlemen
lueezed the farmer, and reaped the
rofits Quoting Darwin for moral
it was most natural,
nd it was completely within the
merican tradition, for the farmers
, form co-operatives.
"Yet this romantic myth about the
'ontier persists. 1t is buttressed by
theory in biology illogically applied
} economies; and wrapped up in
retty Madison Avenue words, it is
vallowed whole by too many people.
However, if America is becom-
ing less individualistic and more
DIR. Borden said, "the
fault is not with co-operatives. /
Rather, this development is the
result of (a) the increasing COM
,lexity of modern society, and (b) t
he super patriots of the, radical t
light distrust of diversity. S
''The super patriots" said DIR. Bor-
IN, "do to Americans what Com
unists do to Russians. They, and
vt co-operatives, destroy individual
H."