Agriculture -- Canada; Agriculture -- Canada -- Societies, etc.
If there is doubt as to the sincerity of the organized farmers, why did
their pioneer business agency spend its substance in educational
directions instead of solely along the straight commercial lines of the
concerns with which it was in competition? The very mould into which it
poured its energies shaped special difficulties, generated special
antagonisms and every possible obstruction to its progress. Its cash
grants to the Associations in the West, to the official organ of the
movement, even to the Ontario farmers, run over the
hundred-thousand-dollar mark.
Or, take the case of the Grain Growers at Virden, Manitoba, who proposed
to bring into the district a large shipment of binder twine to supply
their members. When the local merchant who had been handling this
necessity learned of the plan he raised his voice, thus:
"If you fellows are going to do that then I go out of binder twine this
season. I won't handle a pound of it."
"Not even to supply the farmers who don't belong to our Association?"
"That's what I said. You're going to make a convenience of me when you
rob me of all my cash business. The only business I could do would be
with farmers who wanted credit."
Did the Grain Growers say: "That's their lookout, then. Let them join us
or go twineless"? No. They decided to bring in their co-operative
shipment as planned, but to allow the merchant to handle it on commission
in order to prevent any injustice to the other farmers.
Incidents like that can be recorded from all over the country. It does
not take very many of them to compel the honest conviction that equity of
citizenship for all the people in every walk of life means more to these
farmers than a high-sounding shibboleth. That being so, it becomes
difficult to accept the slur of utter selfishness--the idea that the
farmers are auto-intoxicated, a pig-headed lot who cause trouble for
nothing. It is very hard to believe that Everybody Else is good and kind
and sincere and true, affectionate one to another with brotherly love,
not slothful in business; for one knows that the best of us need the
prayers of our mothers!
When these Grain Growers started out they did not know very much about
what was going on. They had their suspicions; but that was all. To-day
they know. Their business activities have taught them many things while
providing the resources for the fight that is shaping unless the whole
monopolistic system lets go its stranglehold.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account