Ill, — 'THE RISE OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE 



one striving for a mean personal advantage at the expense of his fellows 

 and the community in general, there will be very little real and abiding 

 prosperity for anybody. 



There has been circulated a deal of eloquent misinformation as to 

 the supposed identity of interest beuveen various commercial and indus- 

 trial groups — between the farmer and the railroads, for example, or the 

 farmer and the banks, the stockyards and various other corporate inter- 

 ests with which of necessity he must do business. That there is a com- 

 miniity of interest between the farmer and these interests does not admit 

 of a doubt, but that there is an identity of interest does not follow. After 

 the farmer, the railroad, the bank, the commission man, the storekeeper, 

 have worked together for their common advantage as far as they know 

 how in the light of the old ideals, there is still left a twilight zone of 

 opportunity where some men by stealth or craft can still profit at the 

 expense of others. It is this commercial war zone that the spirit of co- 

 operation is gradually encroaching upon. 



The supposition that natural economic law will prevent all illegiti- 

 mate profits is one of the strangest delusions ever harbored in the minds 

 of intelligent men. Despite economic laws, reinforced by man-made 

 laws, the cunning and unscrupulous sometimes gain larger profits than 

 do men who conduct their business in a strictly legitimate way. If a 

 man's controlling ambition in life is to pile up unearned millions regard- 

 less alike of private rights and public welfare, one could not truthfully 

 tell him that the quickest way to the realization of this sordid dream 

 always lies along the paths of legitimate business enterprise. We may as 

 well recognize frankly and fully the wide gulf that yawns between men 

 who are trying to earn money and men who are trying by hook or 

 crook to possess themselves of money that other men have earned. 



The paramount issue before the American people to-day is not the 

 tariflF or corporation control or any of those other political or economic 

 problems which newspapers and politicians discuss glibly; the real issue 

 is not political or even economic. It is moral. 



Is the individual citizen willing to produce all the wealth he acquires 

 and to work and vote to render it impossible henceforth for any one, 

 by any financial hocus-pocus, to acquire wealth that others have pro- 

 duced? That's the issue. . . . 



Regulated competition is unquestionably better than irresponsible 

 and uncontrolled competition. Moreover, by the slow, sure means of ex- 

 perience. Federal and state control of business is becoming at once more 

 elastic and more effective. But no perfecting of the mechanism of such 

 control can ever overcome the inherent limitations of this method of 

 promoting social and economic justice. To realize the higher possibilities 

 of civilization fuller recourse must be had to the principle of co- 

 operation. 



As far back as history goes we find civilization developing as fast 

 as and no faster than men have developed the capacity to work together 

 with their fellow-men to a common end. The day of hybrid, involuntary 

 cooperation by means of slavery, serfdom, or economic exploitation is 

 past. As President Wilson has indicated, the time is ripe for a coopera- 



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