Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-11-27
Cooperative Experiments.

Cooperation is one day, says the
Chicago Republican, to be the fundamental
principle Of trade and commerce. 1t is
the fairest and ~justest principle which can
be brought to bear upon the business Of
the world, and strange as 1t may appear
to the old school of political economists,
it will be found also to be the most
profitable in the end, both to capital and
labor.
At present these two masters of society
are apt to be enemies, and are often found
desperately fighting for the sovereignty.
In these cases they do not see what riches
lie for them in friendship and harmonious
action. The one can not do without the
other, and yet they will not agree, but
live a cat and dog life without any appar-
ent hope of a final adjustment. This
comes Of ignorance-which, indeed, is the
root of much evil, and so long as it exists
will breed continual discords between en-
ployers and employed, and continual trade
strikes, which last are not only suicidal,
even when they seem to be most just and
necessary, but kill capital as well as labor,
and provoke the worst passions of human
nature. .s
There is no remedy for this wild, scram-
bling condition of things, but cooperation
capital and labor working together for a
mutual benefit and a common object. Com
petition has had a long trial and a long
rule, even from the beginning of history ;
and we know the results. 1t is a system Of
atheistic selfshness, and strikes at the root
of all nobility, both of feeling and action.
1t puts q veto upon the nobler and gentlcr
aspirations and attributes Of the soul,
and laughs alike at morality and re-
ligion. Every one for himself and the
devil take the hindmost," is the legend
of its heraldry. 1t knows neither love,
pity, compassion, nor friendship. 1t is es-
sentially selfish, and is to blame for nine
tenths of the w~ickedness that testers in
the heart of society. There will be no
millennium and reign of Christ on the
earth, we may rest assured until all men
agree to kill and hurry it out Of sight ;
for it is one of the deadliest foes that
Christianity, as a scheme of spiritual life
and secular morals. has ever had to en-
counter. For two centuries, indeed, the
early Christians lived in a cooperative
stute of society and had all things in
common" But times and circumstances
have changed since then, though the truth
of the cooperative principle remains. We
do not, indeed, desire to see all things
in common but we should like very
-... 100 =, .onnI oAl humane ppo
TEN Of cooperation introduced, which
should give the workers an equal share,
according to their skill and industry, in
the profits Of the common labor and
capital.
This has been done in England with
more or less success, especially in the
manufacturing districts. Manufactures
have been established, in the profits of
which the whole of the workmen are par
Elephants, and the moral have been as re-
markable as the social and pecuniary re-
suits. Those who but a short time before
were lost to m~anliness and self-respect,
suddenly become reputable and respect
able, their houses converted into abodes
Of comfort and peace, and their families
partaking of the sudden improvement, and
showing it in their dress, manners, and
bearing.
1t is not long ago, for example, that the
great carpet mandatory Of the Messrs.
Crossley, of Halifax, took the form of u
cooperative proprietary and more lately
still, Henry Briggs, Son s Co., the we'll
known owners of a vast system of collier
les, at Wildwood and Methley Junction,
Yorkshire, placed their enormous business
upon a similar foundation of management.
The capital of these collieries consisted of
El35,OOO, in 5000 shares of els each.
The purpose of the experiment was CON-
fessedly 10 improve the relations Of capital
and labor, and prevent, in future, those
strikes which had previously so paralyzed
that important trade. The following I'M
portant clause occurs in the prospectus
that first announced this great and radical
change:
lin order to associate capital and labor
still moro intimately, the founders of the
company will recommend TO the sharehold-
ers, that whenever the profit accruing from
the business shall (after the usual redemp-
ton of capital and other allowances) ex-
coed 10 per cent. on the capital embarked
all those employed by the company,
whether as managers or agents, at fixed
salaries or as work-people, shall receive
one-half Of such excess profit, as a bonus,
to be distributed among them, in proper
ton to their respective earnings during the
year in which such profit has accrued"
This is the first time in the history OF
European manufacture that such a pro-
posal has been made by employers to their
workmen. and we are glad to say that, so
far, it has been entirely successful; and
we date from this fact a new epoch in the
human efforts.