The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-08-11

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Very many intelligent workingmen a,
not understand Cooperation. Like Lift
Insurance much older, and far NOR
popular thing, which has never received VI
thoughtful attention Of perhaps not a thirt
OF the working clssses-C operation is a
vet comparatively unknown. Even quarterly
reviewers, with great pretensi0nS to wisdom
and with the best opportunities Of acquiring
information, publish the oldest judgment,
of IT, Thoughtful writers in less notable
quarters, editors of great trade organs, and
respectable merchants, the very grey beard,
Ot commerce. ere continually publishing
pamphlets on 'kochdale FaHacies," and 81
forth. No wonder, then, that workingmen
should be what Mr.. R0ebuck said once in
the House Of Commons that the late Sn
George Cornewal Lewis wac not--"obfus
Gated as 20 Cooperation. No wonder il
many who think there is something in il, dC
not know " bat that something is, and others
suspect ii altogether.
Cooperation is one Of the new socia
forces Of the age. Il is without doubt a new
power OF industry. II enables a man 4
save money without working for ito grow
rich, or, al least, attain to competence, with
out using any portion Of his wages. This i
a secret worth mastering; and, strange u
say, although the secret has been published
pretty extensively, d very small number Of
towns are an possession Of H. The number
Of great Cooperative Societies is very few
The number OF important towns wthouta any
society al an y considerable Few sOcial
facts are more curious than to contemplate
the towns where Cooperation succeeds, and
where il fails or langushes. Towns shan
az Sheffield, robust as Birmingham, critica
rs Glasgow, ambitious as Edinburgh, in
structed a7 London, find the problem too
much iOr them, while IN a hundred likely
towns and cities IL has not even been at
tempted Yet, i'll third-rate, improbabl,
places, tIiumphs have been achieved which
have altered the character, changed for tn,
better The fortunes Of the whole population
and raised TN character Of England for in
dustrial tact and social wit beyond any ma
ton Of the earth.
This IS no extravagaDt thing 10 say
though it sounds like IT, 1t is an unexag
geTated statement Of facts. Statesmen, poi
teal economists, statistiCians, and other IN
quirers 81 eminence, anxious to assure them
selves Of the reality of the new phenomenoT
entitled Cooperation, have paid visits 70 tn,
town Of which the late Mr. Golden was th'
representative Nor has the curiosity beer
confined to our own country. Professor:
from Germany, political economists from
Paris, even'from Russia, from Anne ga, ar,
from India, students OF social scie &c, hay,
come, attracted by the fame Of Lancashire
Co-operators. There must be something u
So -aL yf f~lttEtvfal agf4Cu NO
fame is bruited so far For a time il wa.
admitted that this new discovery, or resusci
tation, to speak historically, "might answer
for time, as all new things, which affair
popularity, do but it had yet to be tried
The day Of trade adversely would come, anc
then the world would see how IT would stanC
the trial" The evil days did come Fol
four years tie industry Of the great manu-
featuring centre Of England was paralys ed
when, to Che qualification q its friends, anc
surprise to the public, Cooperation in it,
double fonu-as applied TO provison-stort
keeping and to manuactures-nOto only VITA
stood the storm, Int struck its roots deeper
in the ground than ever. This new power
is, therefore, an established fact" ard ar
titled 70 be dealt with accordingly. As ye
it is in its infancy. It's uses are unknown
in their totahty. its new applications are
TO use a phrase NJ Dickens does not like
Cropping up" n places unexpectedly, W,
might almost say daily. And yet organised
bodies Of work men, As trades unionists, hav,
not commenced 10 use il; although thei
combination IL ostensibly intended to secur,
the prosperity and independence Of theil
CIDER. The applications the wealthy may
n,ske Of Cooperation is greater far than tn
industrious classes have yet been able to az
complish.
Eight years have elapsed since the history
Of the Rochlale store was closed. Sine,
that date remarkable historic progress has
been madr. Also there mas arisen, with
suddenness as remarkable as the growth ot
the iron city Of the Observation-Disclosures
on-Tees--the great Industrial Society Of
Halifax, whose history IS as full Of interest
as il is repete with instruction.
The Journalism OF Cooperation has beer
-ery earnest, but it has not been Of an ex-
haustive character. The department Of sug
gestion has been little cultivated, and scope
has been left wide enough for very diff rem
certainly, additional and, we hope, usefu
treatment.
Ao-blcidAipn - SCnttiic All WHICH Ill VIII
Join in the work share the profits. It's OBJ
iect is to enable, as far as possible, all who
contribute by labor or skill-by Judgment OF
ingerr,ty--to a successful working scheme
to become common particpators Of the com
mon profits The simplest form in which
this principle is applied, is that in which 3
number Of people Of small means Join to
gether TO open and conduct Provision
Store. This form Of Cooperation was frs
adopted, because small capital will ylelC
an immediate return and since all the mem
hers are eaters, and the poorest commonl,
the greatest, every member can become
dealer at the store, and help to increase thi
general profits. Indeed, man with arg,
family is more valuable member Of a Co
operative Society Of this kind than mar
with small one, since he must purchas,
more provisions and the more he purchases
the more profit he makes to the society. Al
hrst, very cheap room is rented for tn,
store. axe members buy such articles a