72 THE THIRD POWER 



the same laws govern both. It has been insisted, too, 

 that unorganized power has little chance in the world 

 at the present time, and that unity of action is neces- 

 sary to make power felt. Yet some may ask whether 

 it may not be possible, admitting that organization 

 is desirable, for the farmers to better their condi- 

 tion, in the ways indicated, by their own individual 

 efforts. This, at least, raises the question as to the 

 scope of organization, for few will maintain that 

 anything could be done without some combination. 

 How extensive should it be? If you will stop to 

 think about the matter you will see that if the farm- 

 ers of one county, or even of one state or section 

 should agree to market only at a fair price they not 

 only would fail to accomplish much, but they would 

 put themselves in great peril. What would it profit 

 the Indiana farmers to adopt this course while the 

 farmers of other states were rushing their crops to 

 market to be sold at whatever price was offered? 

 Suppose there were two stores in your county 

 town, and that the proprietor of one of them should 

 make up his mind that the price of dry goods was 

 too low, and that he would not sell to any one except 

 at an advance of fifty per cent., and suppose that the 

 proprietor of the other store should keep on selling 

 at the old price. Obviously the latter man would 

 get all the trade, and the former would have to meet 

 his price or go out of business. If the anthracite 

 coal men were in a combination, would it be possible 

 for any one of them to raise the price of coal as long 



