New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-05-22
COOPERATION LETTERS.
WHAT COOPERATION CAN DO.

the greatest possible aNob VI DcucIl
can be purchased for the sum spent. All rich men
have been careful spenders of money. Not only have
they refrained from purchasing articles which they
did not require but those which they did were pur-
chased in the best market and at the lowest possible
cost once watched, with interest working man
in the North of England. lie long-faced, eau
tious-lOoking fellow and was listeniH with great
attention to the praises quack doctor Was bestow-
ing upon some knOtted root. which, being pounded
aud applied as Ter direction was going to cure
diseases of long and obstinate standing. ms hst-
cner was powerfully affected After few moments
hesitation he chased an odd sXpence into one corner
of his pocket gave it in exchange for some oi ''S
wonderful cure-all. and was going away "hon !
tapped him on the shoulder and asked MN "I'"' o
had purchased it for lie turned Sharply Io,hu ulon
me- and said with look OF simplcl'S 4" 10" :" w
~, ana Bor,o ,ciH in" i replied "Will 1t do you
any GOoDW e
Tbroo ont Of every four of the working men OF
,t &c orr LARGE cities spend money just as unreaS-
onohIv rs this North-cOuntry pitman did Those
,,ho have 70 toll the hardest to obtain money are
,ost grossly in the dark to Its power ana lnnu-
enoe iudging from their actions. If this be true Oh
the useless things which they purchase 1t is no less
true of those necessary things which the working
man allows the capitalist to purchase for him. ana
far the purchasing of which he has to pay a very
heavy price indeed. The division of the world INTO
the two great classes of wealthcreatorS ana wealth.
distributors appears natural that any attempt AT
On alteration would be looked upon as Utopian. 1t
is said that the distributor OF wealth Is as necessary
and asnsefu as the CREATOR that man who weighs
the pound of toa performs as great service as ne
who delyes tho soil OF picks the plant. yield
ready assent to this proposition at the same time
that believe the proportion of those who distribute
Ia those who create greatly in excess rs to nict
upon society the evil of supporting a large number
of men who ought to be in the ranks OF the pro-
ducers and would be if the producers knew the
effect upon the markets of their actions as buyers
and sellers and also knew that wherever these buy
ers and sellers prevail to large extent tie articles
required for subsistence will always sell Tor exces-
sively fictitious values. Large dealers are large
gamblers For, by their action, united and indlVd-
ual nation may produce food in abundance Tor the
whole of its people, and yet the half OF them may
starye for want of the necessaries of life. When
bread was selling in London at Is. I'd. for four
pounds seven shiplOads of grain were cast into the
river Thames rottenwith insects. And when the clergy
of England were lifting up their hands to God to
Elay the famine in poor Ireland her mddlemen had
shipped from her own shores more grain than would
have kept the whole of her people IN plenty work
ingmen these laws which some of our political econo-
mists would have us believe are the necessary and
inevitable laws of the Deity, working in society and
forming an integral part of it, are laws which can be
altered and modified by you when you shall nave
the sense to set about the task and the sooner you
do set about il the better for you and yours. You
arc now living in season of plenty. Your city is at
the maximum Of its prosperity Your merchants are
amassing stupendous fortunes. Thus buildings OF
palatial size and grandeur meet yOH at every corner
Your city is teemng with Injuries The elegance OF
Paris is being OutdOne by you. The solid massive
ness of England is being eclipsed by you. In ma
Chnery all that is curious, rare beautiful ana use
full is 10 be found here Your amusements, your arts,
your literature are all taking an upward tendency.
What are yOu the producers, the toiers, doing for
yourselvesi All this done by and through you for
Others. What are you doing for yourselvesf You
are doing one thing know, and it inspires me with
hope of the future you educating your children
your schools are not exceled by any have come in
contact with not even those of Prussia But there
work for men to do Your political freedom should
give rise to social reforms. YOu were created for
something higher than mere work of hand yon have
subdued the earth-repeuished it, You have now 10
cxalt yourselves. Curtail the hours of labor that
the soul may expand and drink in the inspiration of
some of the external beauties of the universe by
which you are surrounded.
You may say that this is mere rhapsody. You may
answer that in consequence of high rents high prices
Of provisions. and clothing, you find it as much as
you can do to jog along comfortably, even working
al tue hours God sends. This is the very question
wish TO direct your attention TO- Of what use is it
that You toll if others reap the reward of that toll
How is it that you have TO pay such enormous rents
such enormous prices for provisions and clothing
anscer simply IL is because yoa hare inrusted 10 others
The management Of those things you ought 10 hare taken
The MANAGEMENT of yourselves You ought to become
your own landlOrds-your own prOvisiOn-merchants
your own cOthiers. You should step in between
these mddlemen and their monopoly, and say, as we
raid in England IF you will not give article for
a fair market value, we will form our own market
be our own customers. Welcan find our own capital
and we will see whether we cannot find our own
Judgment We do not believe in living in mere fire
traps at the top of houses five or six stories high and
paying as much for them in five years as would
build a cot of our own We do not believe in paying
twice the amount for flour which 1t cost TO produce
it perhaps only 20 miles from the City of New-York.
We are willing to pay fair remuneration for all
necessary labor bestowed upon it; but we cannot
roe why as bread it should cost just double what it
cost as wheat If this increased value due simp
~ to increased value of labor, should not com
plain because we shOuld ourselves be participating
labOrers in the advantages but all know that this
not the case We are therefore led to infer that
has fictitious value placed upon it by those who
distribute it to us-that several mouths have to be
fed before it reaches ours" sincerely believe that
the Cooperative movement had not been started in
England, and 80 successfully worked as to enable
the abOrer to get the full value of his labor emgra
ton from the shores of that benghted country would
have had to be dOubled or revolution would have
been inevitable. Let me tell you what it has done
there. Since 1891 has provided dwelling houses
for nearly 100000 souls 1t divides annually nearly
million of money clear profits among the share