Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-12-24
Letters from the Pesple.


es, and belize it still climbs to some good
Will towards them, 1 propose, in a few, san
fences, to show as well as i am able the reason
i9r tne failure Of Cooperative Stores in the
The plan of cooperation 10 something more
tnan twenty years old, and has been pursued
wto VARYING degrees of success in many parts
OF the world. The Rochdale Society, tie no.
neer enterprise of the world, has &C hieved a
success that is truly wonderful. From au i1-
sIgnlncant commencement with scarcely "A
hundred dollars capital, il has grown to enor.
nous proportions and now mum bers its men,
oers by tens of thousands, and It's capital by
millions.
In the United States the success that has A.
tended thuse enterprises has, a rule, been
very Indifferent. But one of any magnitude
mas been able TO carry on a business with any
tnlng like permanent success. The others, aud
they have been numerous, have lived along 4
slckly existence OF a few months and then mis-
erably died out. There are various reasons
why this state of things is so, some of which
purpose noucing before / finish this article.
Notwithstanding the failure of most of those
inaugurated in TINS country it is evident 10 any
one who has thought upon the matter IN II tue
principle III terrifying the system Of co-opera-
ton Is correc
Local and other causes perhaps have pre-
vent the successful carrying OUT of the plan,
but Tor this OF course the plan itself Is not re-
sponsible.
Let us look for a moment at some of the more
prominent associations of this kind tina. ave
existed in this country within 4 few years.
The Cnarlestown Association, OF Charles
the pup Sc OF trading in gro 'rrirs prov sion-,
wood, coII &c They began opera 'ons wIth
capi'al stock OF les tuau sven hu DIR ii dot
lars, which, up 10 the present time. m
creased u nearly fifteen thousand. The prin-
cipai IDEA here vas the same that ac,uIiei the
RUChfatr society, Nlz. IDaf tins thu D-.t
INV, stmen poor man could MAKE at his
money. IL was not contemplated thai fhIs
should De society thai would furnish O..
mem hers and the pubic win goods, msrchan-
disc, sc. ~ he lowest possible price tina,
a. he
business, hut ~ was Intended IA a regular CON
merclal enterprise in which money could b.
invested as a means OF securing "a sufficient and
remuLsraiIye retuTn. Its success has ban all
thar could be desired; while hose that have
deViated from this principle have almost In-
yaIIatly been forced TO suspend their opera
lions alter short and usually expensive eN-
isteI &c.
tn Manhattan Cooperative Association OF
New DIRK, that recently suspended operations
after years trial. was one of those organ tZad
upon the plan of furnishing its patrons At the
lowest possible price that would pay the ex-
penses of conducting the business II began
with capital about the same as that which the
OharIestown society commenced, aud with
every promise OF success, but Its elemeu OF
dissolution were sown at its birth. Instead OF
conducting business upon strictly cash prIu-
ciple7, and at an expense not above absolute
necessity, 1t gave credit, and employed force
equal 10 the discharge of double the amount OF
business that could be done so small a cap
ital and IN such limited quarters. Its daily
expenses were sufficient TO rum 1t unless il
possessed a trade more than double that which
Il ever did enjoy. But to come nearer home
The Washin gton Cooperate We Association was
organized in this city In August let7, urder
more favorable auspices than greeted any OF its
predecessors. 1t opened its doors with q cap
ital OF nearly twelve hundred dollars. or about
double that possessed by any that ever started
before II. The trade that flowed in upon IL
during the first three months OF its existence
was truly. remarkable. Everybody seemed
pleased with the - C. Operative store" and ac.
eording 10 the report of the 4" board of d,r-c-
tors January, i~6S, ii did the enormous busi-
ness Of nearly six thousand dollars per month
on less than twelve hundred dollars capifr
This. like Its New York prototype. wa fJrmtc
upon the plan of furnishing its patrons IT tn
lowest possible cash price, but unlike IN II il did
not, rnder any circumstances give credit.
1t seemed to all that this was the high
road to success. Business was increasing, it
had all 1t could possibly do, and things went
on sTimmiDgly. But from the very first il
was destined to fail The enormous outlay in
the way of salaries was sufficient to kill it, if
there were no other causes. To do business
Of six thousand dollars per month required an
expenditure of over five hundred dJlIars, or
nearly nine per cent. on the entire sales; and as
the directors had decided upon ten per cent as
a tair profit over frs cost, il can readily be
seen that, in ordf1 " pay its way, an average
trade of at least the above amount was neces-
sary every month. In addition TO this. tho-e
conducting the store were not selected on ac-
coGnt OF their Knowledge of the business AMI
thus II labored under difficul which of itself
would ruin any enterprise.
Again, its members were not bound together
by that necessity that eompels the members of
the Rochd0le Society to give tn At their unqual-
flied support As soon as the ''co-oDeriIive"
ST ccesdec il bringing down prices generally
As all will admH it did. lis patrons gan
dropping of one BY and Returned 10 their form
er gTOcers. who would now sell as low as the
.'CO-op-IatIye," and give cr.dit besides In
this way its trade, that Notwithstanding the
high salaries, was once sufficient 10 pay its eX-
pense-, now dUiDdle1 10 two thou sand per
month, ten per cent. of which would not pay
us monthly expenses by quite three hundred
dollars IL now became only auction o,
tne as now long it could keep its DOORS open
Efforts were made 20 r. usci'ate it, but ali u
no avail, and il finally failed, dis lstrously
Jailed. IL Will be seen by this that the e tai.
nres are,aot attributable TO any defect in the
system, but rather To the management, ard this
Will be found 10 be The crse in every instance
IL WAS feared, and Justly too. that after the
experience :hEs far that no other enterprise OF
thlS klrd could ever b. successfully introd sfd
hese. Bat l believe we are destined TO D
agroea6ly disappointed in that.
great o5Jechon TO forming another society
Ike those aire7dy described was that in The
absence vi any act of incorporation, each in.
dIviddal mem Der was respons bic ana liable
for The entire Indebtedness of the associ,tiol
Under these circumstances II Will readily o+
seen, hat no man OF property would become
thus responsible, by becoming member. 10
oDvIate this, league has been formed upon a
plan that offers attractions to mem bers, while
il throws upon them none VI the resp7nsIoili.
ties Of these Associations.
The prime ipes OF the League are, to unit IT,
getEer and make a contract with some rasp1n-
sibe grocer, to furnish all necessary articles At
certain stipulated per cont. over the actual
cost Of tie goods, the grocer to prov ide his
tunos; the League being responsible for no
hing, and accountable to nobody nominal
fee of twenty-five cents is charged those wish
ing to become members, this being necessary to
defray the expenses of the League. One is now
In successful operation in this city, Inaugu-
rated by the employees of the Government
Printing Office and II comprises something
like four hundred members. Co.oPERAT
EDITOR OF THE EVENING SrAR:-If you
have any lingering respect or sympathy for
those benighted ladies who have no desire 10
vote. or be heard in public. and have no wish
TO hange the position, nature and scripture
assigned them, for the dubious hon and hap
piness OF being the equal ~ and rival of man.
Will you evlnce II Dy saying a word in their
behalf TO the President and Directors of the
washington and Georgetown Railroad Com
pany In reference to erecting warm and COM
Portable station at the junction Of their road al
Seventh street and Pa. avenue, or in default OF
this, erasing from their .stransfsr tickets" from
the avenue TO eth street. the words, s.Cfood 0nly
at the Junction.
II is not only cruel, but absolutely barbarous,
TO compel ladies to stand at this point, where
for a whole square there is not so uch as
wall to shelter them from the wind sw eeping
down six streets, and where hack drivers,
news-boys, and organ grinders ''most do con-
greRate."
From eight TO ten minutes seem 10 he the