44 ^ JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



of powers may be considered here. First, those which relate to the 

 abiUty of the individual to make his own way unaided — ^to stand on his 

 own feet — or self-reliance. American life has been preeminent in the 

 development of these valuable qualities, and we should carefully avoid 

 any method of organization which destroys these powers. The one- 

 big-company idea which has been forced on some industries by the 

 Sherman anti-trust law, is destructive of the liberty of the individual 

 to a certain extent and we should not, in my judgment, adopt in the 

 lumber industry such a method of complete surrender of individual 

 liberty. Neither are individual lumbermen ready for such a method 

 of organization. 



Important as are these individual qualities of self-reliance and 

 initiative the ability of the individual to cooperate with his fellows is 

 no less so, especially under the American system of voluntary coopera- 

 tion. This, then, should be the principle on which organization should 

 be based, voluntary cooperation of units which conduct most of their 

 operations independently, but cooperate to attain those ends which the 

 small unit cannot obtain unaided. The plan of organization then, 

 should, in my judgment, be a federation of existing industrial units. 



H. D. Langille, at the Forest Industry Conference at Portland, 

 Oregon, October 25 last, submitted such a plan which goes as far as 

 present legal limitations wiU permit. ^^ The only criticism of this plan 

 is the limitations necessary by reason of these legal requirements. 

 Under the present attitude of the public as expressed in the statutes 

 the result is that a certain heavy handicap is put on industry which is 

 then told to work out its own destiny. 



At its origin, this pubHc attitude was probably justified, but its 

 results have alike fallen on the just and the unjust. It would, without 

 doubt, be a mistake to throw the whole system of prohibition of restraint 

 of trade overboard. There are certain hateful combinations of middle- 

 men which arise from time to time and it may be combinations of 

 producers who have complete monopoly of limited natural resources. 



It is not too much, however, to expect that the time has arrived 

 when each industry should be dealt with by the government on its 

 merits. If no harm can come to the public through complete liberty to 

 cooperate within a given industry that industry should be given the right 

 of cooperation. In other cases, some limitations may be necessary in 

 these grants. What I desire to affirm is that, having established definite 



See Lumber World Review, November 10, 1916. 



