The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
M3 
A Primer of Economics 
By John J. Dillon 
Part VII 
The people of the world have always 
formed their governments, whether polit¬ 
ical, social or commercial, on one or the 
other of two general plans. One of these 
plans places all power in -a centralized 
authority or crowned head. The other re¬ 
serves all sovereign powers for the people. 
The first is centralized, autocratic and 
imperial. It dispenses power and author¬ 
ity from the top downwards. It was this 
form of government that developed the 
theory of the divine right of kings, which 
in this country ended with the American 
Revolution. The second form is decen¬ 
tralized, democratic government, in which 
the supreme power is in the hands of the 
people. 
The merits of these two forms of gov¬ 
ernment have always been a subject of 
dispute between men. Each form has its 
own friends and champions. After the 
American Revolution, in which the Amer¬ 
ican colonies threw off the yoke of the 
British Empire, the form of government 
to be adopted here became a subject of 
long and bitter dispute. The advocates 
of a strong centralized authority—of a 
kingdom—in fact—were led by Alexander 
Hamilton. The cause of a democratic 
form of government was championed by 
Thomas Jefferson and George Washing¬ 
ton, and their view prevailed after Wash¬ 
ington had refused to assume the sover¬ 
eign power as king. In all the history 
of the world monarchs have ruled for the 
benefit of a few at the expense of the 
many. Even in the exceptional cases, 
when the ruler personally showed a kind¬ 
ly and sympathetic feeling for the masses, 
he was always beset by custom, tradi¬ 
tions, and a bureaucratic environment 
that nullified any compassion he may 
have entertained for the masses of his 
subjects. At the same time, men in all 
positions love authority and power, and 
even when placed at the head of demo 
cratic forms of government they often de¬ 
velop autocratic notions, and for the 
time being the democracy becomes a vir¬ 
tual monarchy. The saving clause in the 
democracy is that the official tenure of the 
ruler is limited, while in the kingdom it 
is for life, hereditary and perpetual. 
In the commercial organization under 
the capitalistic system, "capital is the sov¬ 
ereign power and the supreme ruler. Men 
are used simply as a means to give ex¬ 
pression to the latent power of capital. 
Capital is the sovereign and imperial power 
in the commercial stock company. It is 
against this autocratic power of capital 
that labor complains. It is against it 
that the producers of raw materials and 
of food products complain. It is in pro¬ 
test against this imperial power of capital 
that co-operation had its inception and 
its development. Capital seeks to control 
the implements of production, and the 
equipments of distribution, and through 
these powers over industry, it is able to 
appropriate to itself the rewards of indus¬ 
try above the maintenance of the laborer 
and of the producer of raw materials in 
food and other products. Co-operation 
seeks to remedy this injustice through a 
system in which the capital is provided 
by the men who furnish the labor and 
the raw materials and conduct the enter¬ 
prise for their mutual benefit. In this 
system the power and authority is in the 
individuals who compose the organiza¬ 
tion or community. Co-operation is, 
then, democratic. It is a form of com¬ 
mercial government in which tile supreme 
power is in the members. Unless the or¬ 
ganization has this quality it is not co¬ 
operative, and to call it so is a misnomer, 
if not a deception. There have always j 
been men who fared well on the favors of 
autocratic government, and pleaded for 
it; and others who fought and died for 
the principles of democracy. The differ¬ 
ence between the two forms of organiza¬ 
tion are fundamental. They are oppo¬ 
sites. They differ from each other as 
darkness differs from light, or as error 
differs from truth. It seems impossible 
to mistake one for the other, yet men 
operate organizations with autocratic au¬ 
thority and call it co-operation. At¬ 
tempts have been made to restrict this 
practice by legal provision; but they have 
not been successful. The abuse continues. 
Friends of true co-operation have a right 
to protest against the misuse of the name, 
because selfishness and failures by the 
counterfeiters discredit co-operation and 
discourage the development of it. We 
can have a sort of shivering respect for 
an autocrat or a tyrant when openly and 
boldly proclaiming his own principles, 
and parading his authority and power in 
the face of the people he exploits, but it is 
impossible to feel admiration for those 
who practice autocracy and tyranny iu 
the name of democracy and co-operation. 
Farmers are human. They share the 
frailties of human nature with all the 
rest of mankind; but as a class they are 
sincere and truthful and honest. They 
may and they do at times tolerate and 
endure deception and fraud in others, but 
they will not stand for it in their own 
affairs or institutions. They cannot en¬ 
dure daily contact with deception. To 
last, their institutions must be inspired 
by worthy purposes and high ideals. In¬ 
tuitively they know what freedom means, 
and they love liberty. The farmer knows 
that his democracy has not been any too 
free from selfishness and deception and 
intrigue; but. such as it is. he prefers it 
to imperial power over him. The prin¬ 
ciples of co-operation fit in with his life, 
his business and his conscience. If it is 
operated in harmony with his ideals of 
right and justice, socialism will disap¬ 
pear. the faults of capitalism will be 
checked, and co-operation will become the 
great corporate system of the farm world. 
Sweet Clover and Lime 
As to your interest in annual Sweet 
clover as a cover crop, there is one point 
I have not seen you discuss. If this 
plant needs as much lime as ordinary 
Sweet clover or Alfalfa, there is very 
little land in South Jersey which will 
grow it. o. p. 
The annual, like the old Sweet clover, 
requires lime to thrive. In sections with 
sour land limestone must be used to get 
the best results from this clover. It will 
pay to use the limestone. One of the 
best things that could happen to the 
farmers of South Jersey would be for 
them to gain the limestone habit. Per¬ 
haps this annual Sweet clover will help 
bring it about. Soy beaus may be grown 
on acid soil, but the annual Sweet clover 
will prove superior as a cover crop. By 
fitting the land for this clover limestone 
will become a source of nitrogen. 
MR. FARMER 
;et % 
IT'S WORTH YOUR WHILE TO GET 
SOME INFORMATION ABOUT 
BARIUM- 
PHOSPHATE 
AN ALKALINE FERTILIZER 
Containing 
42% PHOSPHORIC ACID 
7% BARIUM SULPHIDE 
Write for booklets describing this 
material and its use on various 
crops. Carloads and less. 
NITRATE OF POTASH 
Analysing 
43% ACTUAL POTASH 
14% AMMONIA 
One ton of this material contains as 
much Potash as 1750 lbs. Sulphate 
of Potash and as much Ammonia as 
1650 lbs. of Nitrate of Soda, 3400 lbs. 
of the two combined, and you save 
$30 to $40 per ton. Carloads and less. 
GROUND PHOSPHATE ROCK 
Containing 32% Phosphoric Acid 
NITRATE OF SODA and TANKAGE 
CARLOAD LOTS ONLY 
Get our prices before you order 
your fertilizers this year. 
Witherbee, Sherman & Company 
2 Rector Street, New York City 
Boil TCour Postum 
fully fifteen minutes whenyou use 
Postum Cereal 
Then there results a drink of de¬ 
licious flavor which many prefer 
* to coffee. Postum is more eco¬ 
nomical and healthful than coffee 
Another form, Instant Postum, 
is made by adding hot water to 
a teaspoonful in the cup. The 
drink may- be made strong or 
mild to suit individual taste 
GROCERS EVERYWHERE SELL KINDS 
Made by Postum Cereal Co. Inc., Battle Creek Jiich. 
means-HEAT 
CALORIC is the name of the heating plant that 
heats buildings like the sun heats the earth—by 
natural circulation of air. 
To your family the CaloriC Pipeless Furnace offers; 
June-like warmth in every room (70° guaranteed 
in coldest weather)—fuel bills cut kj to }/%—clean 
rooms—drudgery banished. 
The CaloriC has no pipes and heats old or new 
homes of 18 rooms or less, 
through one register. 
Usually Installed in one day. No altera¬ 
tions, no plumbing, no pipes to freeze. 
Made and guaranteed by the largest manu¬ 
facturer of warm-air furnaces in the world. 
The CaloriC guarantee—vour satisfaction 
or money back. See neajcwddealer or writ® 
today for book giving details. 
THE MONITOR STOVE COMPANY 
(The Monitor Family’) 
102 Years in Business 
127 Woodrow Street - Cincinnati, Ohio 
Branch—Bush Terminal Sales Bid?. 
132 West 42nd Street, New York City 
IN OVER 100.000 HAPPY HOMES 
©r>csx.i«i 
LOR 
r.U R NAG E 
£ 
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