THE ECONOMIC PROTEST 229 



idea of cooperation. "Agricultural Cooperation," 

 says one of our most thoughtful journalists, "means 

 simply that the farmer must take control of all 

 phases of his business the business of growing and 

 delivery to the world its food and the raw material 

 for its clothing. If the farmer is to insure to him- 

 self his share of the consumer's dollar, he must en- 

 large his conception of cooperation and make it 

 include all aspects of the field. Cooperative mar- 

 keting is only one aspect of this whole situation. 

 The others include cooperation in buying supplies, 

 cooperation in production, cooperation in agricul- 

 tural manufacturing processes, and cooperation in 

 rural credit and crop insurance. Some advance has 

 been made in these directions. But the next step 

 in agrarianism should be a balanced program of 

 unified effort that will give symmetry and propor- 

 tion to every aspect of rural cooperation.'' 



The cooperative movement in marketing farm 

 products represents the most advanced step yet 

 taken by the farmers of the country in the solution 

 of their economic problems. A good standard of 

 living for those who live in the open country is the 

 only means of saving the American farmer from 

 peasantry. Economic independence is the funda- 

 mental safeguard of this whole situation. It is the 

 duty not only of our farmers but of people of all 

 other vocations to encourage every movement that 

 promises to improve the economic status of our 

 farm population. Cooperative marketing gives us 



