The National Co-Operator (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 29, 1906 Page: 1 of 8
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Vol. 2.
MINEOLA, TEXAS. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29. 1906.
No. 84
ISSUES A CALL.
Co-Operative Congress in Topeka,
Oct |i.—Western and South-
ern States to be Repre-
sented.
TO AGREE ON A PLAN.
Purpose to Make Union of Co-Op-
erative Organizations.
A Farmers' Co-Operative Bus-
iness Congress is hereby called
to meet at Topeka, Kansas, Mon-
day, October 22, 1906, in the au-
ditorium, at 10 o'clock a. m., for
the following purposes:
To adopt for recommendation
uniform Co-Operative Corpora-
tion laws and plead for their
adoption by the various State
Legislatures;
To prepare and adopt for rec-
ommendation the most practical
plan for incorporating co-opera-
tive telephone companies with
suitable by-laws for the same,
and recommend them to all far-
mer?' companies organized in the
future and to those already or-
ganized,
To prepa e in like manner and
adopt for recommendation plans
and by-laws for
Co Operative Exchanges,
Co-Operative Clearinghouses,
Co-Operative Warehouses,
Co-Operative Cotton Gins,
Co-Operative Commission
Houses.
Co-Operative Creameries,
Co-Operative Insurance,
Co-Operative Terminal Mar-
kets.
Co-Operative Flour Miils,
Co-Operative Factories,
Co-Operative Elevators, local
and Terminal,
Co-Operative Packing Houses,
And to adopt such other meas-
ures as the Congress may deem
essential to the advancement of
the co-operative movement, and
to put method, system and har-
mony in co-operative enterprises,
and to unite the <■ ntire system in
a way that will give it strength
and power to execute its plans
and carry out its pu poses.
There are today hundreds of
co-operative elevator companies,
and numerous co-operative tele-
phone companies, co-operative
creameries, co-operative exchan-
ges, clearing-houses and cotton
gins that are owned and opera-
ted by farmers, in a slip-shod,
hap-hazard way, without method,
system or uniform plans. They
are all doing the best they can
under such conditions.
Co-Operation on an equitable
basis will give service for ser-
vice and enable producers to con-
duct their business transactions
in a way that will render to each
the full value of their product or
service.
It will prevent the few from
controlling for their own profit
what all men must use. It will
eliminate extortion in profits and
give greater reward to home in-
dustry.
It means the collective owner-
ship and control of the instru-
ments of production and distri-
bution, in the interest of the pro-
ducers, that is now owned and
operated by capitalist, who use
them to plunder the producer and
pile up immense fortunes for
themselves.
We, therefore, call a Farmers'
Co-Operative Business Congress
to meet in session at Topeka,
Kansas, October 22, 1906, and
remain in session the 22, 23, 24,
25, 26 and 27, or long enough to
carefully consider and act upon
the objects contained in this call.
We invite all Farmers' Co-Op-
erative Corporations, Associa-
tions or Companies, who are now
transacting business in any of
the lines above named in this
call, in the states of Kansas, Ne-
braska, Iowa, Minnesota, North
and South Dakota, Wisconsin,
Missouri, Colarado, New Mexi-
co, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas,
Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi,
Florida ai:d Georgia to send del-
egates to this Congress.
Each of these Farmers' Co-Op-
erative Corporations, companies
or Farmers' Unions engaged in
business transactions are entitled
to one delegate. Farmers' Un-
ions, where there is no such bus-
iness transacted in the county,
will be entitled to one delegate
from each regularly organized
County Union. Farmers' Line
Elevator Companies will be enti-
tled only to representatives elect-
ed by the local stockholders at
each point where an elevator is
operated.
All delegates must be selected
by the stockholders or actual
members of these various organ-
izations at a regular meeting, or
a meeting called for this purpose,
and given regular credentials.
All such organizations are re-
quested to select only their best
men who are the most devoted
to the principles of co-operation.
We recommend, where special
meetings are called, that they be
held on Saturday, October 6t.h,
1906, and request that names of
all delegates when selected be at
once sent to James Butler, acting
secretary, Topeka, Kansas.
The calling of this Congress
has been indorsed by the follow-
ing prominent workers in co-op-
erative lines and many others:
R. H. McCullough, Beebe, Ark.
National Secretary of the Farm-
ers' Educational and Co-Opera-
tive Union of America; Camp-
bell Russell, Member of the Na-
tional Executive Committee of
the F. E. and C. U. of A.; S. O.
Daws, President of Farmers' Ed-
ucational and Co-Operative Union
of Indiahoma, Shawnee, Okla;
C. W. Peckham, President of the
Farmers' Independent Grain
Dealers of Kansas, Preston, Kan-
sas; E. M. Black, Secretary of
the Farmers' Independent Grain
Dealers of Kansas,Preston,Kan.;
C. Vincent, General Manager of
the Farmers' Grain Company of
Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.; J.
H. Bearrup, President of Co-Op-
erative Woolen Mills at Albu-
querque, New Mexico, Albu-
querque, N. M.; E. J.Cook, Sec-
retary-Treasurer of the Farmers'
Educational and Co - Operative
Union of Alabama, Pell City,
Ala.; L. T. Barringer, Director
and Member of the Executive
committe of Farmers Grain Deal-
ers' Asscciation, State of Iowa,
Ruthven, Iowa.; J. W. Hagan,
Vice-President of Farmers Grain
Dealers Association of Iowa, Bar-
num, Iowa; B. F. Chapman, Sec-
retary of the Farmers' Educa-
tional and Co-Operative Union of
Texas, Dallas, Texas; L. N.
Holmes, President of the Farm-
ers' Educational and Co-Opera-
tive Union of Louisiana, Bernice,
La. James Butler,
Acting Secretary.
Topeka, Kansas.
BUTLER HAS A SCHEnE.
Wants to Hold Co-Operative Con-
gress in the West.
James Butler, the Kansas Co-
Operative man, and formerly
secretary of the Kansas Co-Op-
erative Shippers Association, is
trying to start a co-operative
congress to be held at some place
in Kansas or Missouri on Octo-
ber 22. The congress will prob-
ably be held in Topeka, Wichita,
Kansas City or St. Joseph. Mr.
Butler says:
"There are hundreds of co-op-
erative telephone companies, in-
surance companies and elevators
owned by farmers, and we ex-
pect to unite on a plan which
will permit all of these compa-
to work in harmony. There are
in Kansas, alone any number of
telephone companies owned and
operated in the rural districts.
The farmers don't work together
enough to have these connected
with telephones to terminal mar-
kets, and we can unite such in-
terests with other interests of
the farmers in a way that we
make them all pay. If we can
get the reports of these compa-
nies in the north and the reports
of the cotton gins and warehous-
es in the South, and the exchange
and clearing house reports from
all parts of the country together,
we can select committees com-
posed of t he representatives of
each interest and have them
agree upon a plan for the co op-
eration of all the interests.
"If we could do no more than
get the farmers of Minnesota,
South Dakota and Kansas to hold
their wheat for a good price, we
could tave them millions. These
states raise as much wheat as the
country expor's each year and
the farmers could get a better
price for their grain than they
do. The farmers are now doing
the best they can at organization
in a hap-hazard and slip-shod
way, without method, system,
experience or well defined uni-
form plans. A co-operative con-
gress, consisting of hundreds ex-
perienced representatives in ses-
sion for a week or longer with
experienced committees in the
definite lines would no doubt for-
mulate from the many plans pre-
sented a splendid plan for future
work in each line. There is no
way to estimate the value of such
action to the co-operative move-
ment.
"It, therefore seemed to me
that we could expedite matters
by holding a farmers co-opera-
tive congress in which all these
interests could be represented,
and it appears to me to be the
proper thir.g to do. The co-op-
erative elevators in the grain
states are following the same
system, generally speaking, but
no uniform terminal market plan
has as yet been adopted by any
considerable number of them.
The weakest feature of all farm-
ers' past attempts at organiza-
tion was their lack of business
system, business rules, uniform
plans and disciplined methods.
Such a congress, would, in my
judgment, attract the attention
of farmers all over the United
States."
AGAINST REDUCTION.
Texas Farmers' Union Wants No
Lower Minimum Price on
Cotton Crop.
REPORTS ON SITUATION.
These, Which C'«me from Throuich i
Out the South, are Cause of
the Determination.
Reports from the cotton situa-
tion in Texas and throughout the
South have led the Farmers'
Union to decide to stick to its
present minimum price for cot-
ton. It is declared that if any
change is made at the National
meeting in Texarkana it will be
an in. "ease rather than decrease.
Texas left the matter to the
president and the executive
committee, though it was de-
clared that there was opposition
in the convention held at Dallas
to any suggestion of a reduction
of the minimum. Several other
states have acted and it is declar-
ed they have spoken for 10, 11
and 12 cents as the minimum.
No official declaration will be
made until action is taken at the
Texar« ana meeting, which is to
be held on September 5.
President E. A. Calvin of the
Texas Farmers' Union returned
last night from the State meet-
ing at Shawnee. He says the
farmers there had a very enthus-
iastic State meeting and enrolled
a new set of State officers.
Business agent O. H. O'Keefe
has come in from Stamford and
assumed the direction of the af-
fairs of the business department
of the State organization. He
succeeds John T. Garner, who
will leave today for his home at
Gray Rock, on the Winfield R.
F. D., in Franklin County. Mr.
Garner has been State agent for
more than three ytars. The
work began at Point Texas, af-
ter removing to Greenville and
about one year ago to Dallas, the
present headquarters.
National affairs are being ad-
ministered at present from At-
water, Ga , the home of Presi-
dent R. F. Duckworth. Nom-
inally the headquarters is at
Dallas. It is declared that until
a change is made in the charter
and constitution the headquar-
ters must remain within the
State.
great interest in work.
Officers of the State organiza
tion declare that before the State
convention held in Dallas in
March there were some of the
members of the organization who
had grown cold and were expect-
ing the movement to die out in
a short time. The harmony that
prevailed at the Dallas meeting
and the peace and friendship
after the first days of turmoil
had been calmed down and the
compromises made that resulted
in the separation of State and
National organizations has work-
ed out in the membership and in
the number of the locals. The
increase is declared to have been
greater since that time than in
any previous entire year's extent.
In speaking of the organization
yesterday State Organizer and
Lecturer D. J. Neil of Gormon
said: "There are now in Texas
3,840 local unions. In each of
these there is an average mem-
bership of fifty, and the coming
in of the late delinquencies is
declared to be large, and many
new members are being enlisted
regularly.
No one thing has had more to
do with bringing back the men
who had fallen out and in enlist-
ing new members than this con-
certed movement for warehouses
all over the State. There are
more than 150 new ones in Tex-
as which will be ready for the
fall season.
"There are local organizations
in more than sixteen of the
States. State organizations have
been formed in ten. These are
as follows: Arkansas, Alabama,
Georgia, Indian Territory, Louis-
iana, Mississippi, Missouri, Okla-
homa Territory, Tennessee and
Texas. Locals are found in
large numbers in New Mexico,
Kansas, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Virginia, Missouri and
Kentucky. [Several of these will
soon be ready to form State Un-
ions.
"While Texas has taken the
lead in all things, the organiza-
tion having started here, the
principles of the order are spread-!
ing rapidly allover the South and j
into the Central and Western
States.
Texas farmers are in excellent
condition this year and are ready
and able to hold the cotton for a
ten cent minimum. The ware-
house proposition will be afford-
ed what relief may be needed
by the raisers of the cotton.
But the people who handle the
cotton , the raisers of the staple
and the manufacturers of the
goods are glad to know that
there is to be a handling of cot-
ton in a manner that will make
the market last throughout the
year.
crop not too large.
"I have no patience with the
declarations that there is to be
too large a crop for the sustain-
ing of the price. Two years ago
there were 191,000,000 spindles.
It is said that there was then a
1,000,000 bale surplus. Since
that that time there has been an
increase of 6,000,000 spindles,
and the manufacturers have de-
clared that the demand for their
goods will be sufficient to utalize
a 14,000,000 bale crop. The
government figures and esti-
mates are for a 12,000,000 bale
crop at the outside. It is silly
to talk of low price as a neces-
sity.
The Texas farmers are deter-
mined, as are the growers in the
other states, and when Texas
makes up her mind to do a thing
it will pretty near be done. As
a boy I can remember that my
people returned in May from the
war. The fields were covered
with briars, logs and fallen tim-
ber. It was too late to remove
the logs, but my father and un-
cles cut the briars and planted a
little corn crop. Many men from
further east in the Confederate
armies were even later in the
summer in getting home ar.d it
was impossible for many of them
to make any crop at all. Those
were starving times. YetTexas
has come out of it and is today
the State of limitless possibilities
and immense accomplishments.
Her farmers are the most pros-
perous in the world. She has
the sort of men who will do
things.
"Nothing shows this better
than Dallas and her prosperity,
a matter of which the whole
State is proud. She has grown
from a little interior town into a
metropolitan city. She is not
content to administer to the in-
terior territory alone. She has
gone into the navigation of the
Trinity so as to make her posi-
tion virtually that of a port.
She was in earnest when other
people laughed and she has al-
most accomplished what she
started to do, that is, to navigate
the Trinity all of the year and to
make it pay. It may have look-
ed foolish to put up that $66,000
for that sort of work, but Dallas
has proved that it was not fool-
ish and that if it were necessary
and just she would put up a (
great deal more.
"This is going to give Dallas
the rates that nothing but un-
just discrimination has kept from
her so long. She will be the
railway center of the Southwest
and will be the base for rates
for all this section. This will
make it absolutely necessary for
her to be a great warehouse center,
and it is a movement in thei
direction that is now unde|
here for a great warehouse.
"Already this has come to be
the trade center of the South-
west. Why, when the farmers
and men generally want the
things they cannot get at the
home dealer's they don't have to
go to St. Louis and Chicago nor
even to send there. They come
to Dallas and they get what they
want. The prosperity of the
city depends on the prosperity
of the farmer."
center,
eri^fit
way
knew dallas in early days.
A. H. O'Keefe, who has come
from Stamford to take charge of
the business department of the
Texas Farmers' Union, is a Tex-
an of long standing. He came
from Illinois with his parents
and landed at Dallas in 1853.
He was then a young man, but
remembers distinctly that there
was nothing of the town but a
few frame buildings near the
court house site. His father ob-
tained an option on a part of the
Cockrell farm, now in the den-
sest section of the citv. He re-
mained here but a short time.
"From Dallas," said Mr. O'-
Keefe, "we went to Bell County
there to engage in the cattle
business. I can remember that
in 1857 and the following year
there was not enough rain in
that county to wet a man with a
coat on. It was impossible then
to do any farming there. Well,
you know that there is now no
better farming land in the State
and there is plenty of rain. It
appears to be a fact that where
men get busy and work God
sends the rain that is needed.
' 'For some seven years I have
resided at Stamford. When I
went there land was plentiful at
50 cents an acre and was consid-
ered as fit for nothing but graz-
ing. It was just as in the times
when there was not a drop of
water in the black land country
between the Brazos and Trinity.
But the farming industry has
developed in this section and the
land at Stamford is selling now
at as high as $40 instead of 50c.
We are not raising much corn
but all other grains are doing
well. And as for cotton we have
the finest in the world."—Dallas
News.
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Pyle, O. P. The National Co-Operator (Mineola, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 34, Ed. 1 Wednesday, August 29, 1906, newspaper, August 29, 1906; Mineola, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth254313/m1/1/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Mineola Memorial Library.