The New York herald., 1869-01-19

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rather more progress has been made In several
cities cooperative stores have been opened, with
meagre capital as yet and advancing slowly but stll
maintaining journal Of their own at Genoa-the
Journal Of Che Italian Cooperative Ass0cfa tons
advocating al measures connected with co.opera-
tt0n In It's most extended sense and tending TO I'M
prove the habits OF fe as well as the mnds and for
Even Russia has, since the emancipation OF the
serfs has become ,ul fau dcoonplf awakened to the
Importance Of introducing the cooperative principle
among the laboring class OF that vast emnire.
on the progress Of social science one to the eject
that eminent men from st. Petersburg ana Moscow
fully acqnaintlng themselves with the operation Of
cooperative societies. that they ght transplant the
operative UNIONS termed uteies hsd long existed
he said, tn Russa but the change in the condition
Of the peasantr, has enforced the expedency OF In
Producing the complete system with oil its improves
ments.n
1t should be mentioned here that in Belgium CO
operative societies found better Held ana met with
better success than In France. But there Is pc
cullarity IN regard to the labor question In both
these countries more developed than anywhere else,
and this Is the procurement OF dwellings for
aDorers The Cite Napoleon for instance cost 100000
francs and furnishes habtations for 500 persons and
stock companies formed to build houses for work
| people and sell them at moderate advance with
payment by small weekly and monthly instaments,
the extent Of about onethrd OF their capital out of
llle public treasury. AL this N ENGLAND is done Dy
WorAlugmen themselves by means OF sefhelp.
IN THE UNITED STATES.
II we look over The field in the United States,
where no obstacle or nndance OF any kind IA placed
IN tie way OF the development OF the cooperative
system IL Is surprising u It little avaied or,
and where by chance 1t Is introduced 1t Is so bun
ellnvly done that IL bears the seed OF dissolution
within 1t rom its very inception. Nowhere In the
world has the principle OF association been car
ried into almost every branch Of practical life
as here. Every pubic and private enterprise,
from electing Senator or an Alderman down to
laying out a town road or building ten foot cul
vert over creek, Is sought to be managed by con-
federated body of men; railroads. teiegraphs steam
boats pr0eclei and successfully carried through
by companies, and even large commercial houses
and manufacturing establishments form corpora
tions, ana thus increase ana prosper.
WY |, H. u that M Inc workingnen IN this country
Why are they so slow to comprehend what power
there Is IN association, In cooperation on sound
basis Why do they not recognize as the working.
men OF Europe have done at least In England and
Germany that through this system OF association the
laborer, however poor he be, may become his own
employer and capitalist earning not only the wages
OF his trade, but partakin2, IN proportion TO his
share, OF the proats OF the manufacturer
As an Indication Of what might 0e done In this
direction let us take the financial condition OF the
savings banks. All the savings banks in this State
where the profits earned over and above the interest
paid TO the dep0sitors fow into the pockets OF the
ruary 1857 in round numbers, sIs2, 90 600 as de-
posIts with an excess OF about $4,000 900 belonging
to the stocknolders, being the overplqs Of gains
natural province OF savings bankY 1t collects in
the shape OF deposits, for which pays interest the
which together make, as is seen aDoye, an immense
amount Of capital and throws 1t in large volumes
RECEIVES higher interest than It paws itself. For
this purpose and on large scale the savings bank
takes exactly the same place As the middle man in
commercial transactlOns-a3 the huckSter. for tn
stance, between the farmer and the consumer. The
cooperative store societies in England strive to do
away with the middenan, the huckster and retailer
in the trade in necessaiies Of lie. The cooperative
credit and labor associations In Germany try to get
e. their own SAVINGS bsnS soc
hoders, depostors, and borrowers at the same time.
1t Is not too much too say that more than seventy
i've per cent OF the money in the savings banks
comes FROM our aboring population. The proper
tton TO the whole amount on deposit In this state
ing to worklngmen and their families, and ii but
half OF tnat were invested In operative enter
prlses the whole material aspect o. the country
The deposits In the savings banks OF own city
| foot up over eignty-six million dollars sixty OF
winch undoubtedly come from orktngmen. What
immense amount OF good could be done with half OF
that money were 1t employed in cooperative asso-
his own savings bank his own employer, his own
middlenan between himself as consumer and the
producing and trading world, and between himself
as producer aud the rest Of the world consum-
| ers
Occasional starts have been made even here for
the purpose OF introducing the cooperative system.
or course. 1t Ia not intended TO include here the
"fappItes' In Pennsylvania. the "0wenites" in
Indiana the Shaker communities in different parts In
this and other States. Religious fanaticism pro-
duced social incongruities, aud though materially
prospering, these secluded settlements with their
evidences OF mans eccentricity. much more de-
termined ana widespread attempt at introducing
1913 or 1850 by number Of German societies. under
the leadership or William Weitling. The central
naSsosa was IN Tins cy xseIs 3 then
public Of the Workingmen-and were calling to life
branch societies in every large city in the
society tailor shops, society blacksmith shops,
society society grocery and provision stores, and
Il
thrty-eiglt miles west OF Dubuque. Bnt they al
ultimately failed, because the foundation on which
they reared their structure was essentially wrong. IL
was the principle OF communism which underay
the whole. There was no individual property, no
interest or individual shareholders or participants.
Each member joining dlsrobed himself so to say, OF
his individuality and became but q working tool for
ns Whole o. TINS orgaazed community Without any
earnings belonged not to him. He could not count the
gains OF his industry nor the losses OF lazness. the
LABOR, the property. the profit were owned undyld
edly by the community" without any dstinct ndi-
vidua shares interest TINS OF course, destroyed
the hanit OF prudent sclfrelance. the knowledge
and feeling that onc's happiness depends IN great
measure, upon one's own industry, economy and
PROVIDENCE. AMI very soon, aiter hour shing for a
short tne the several local organizations began to
quarrel fell asunder and the end OF the enterprise
operative building societies. Some at Sc. Louis, mt
Chicago AMI IA other cities West ana East parfcu-
,ary q wtasangton ta IN the District ., Columbia
little homes at easy terms OF payment. But neither
their number nor the extent OF their capital formed
OF monthly contributions Of the members, was such
as TO merit any more than this snort reference.
Cooperative stores have also been tried In various
parts OF the country, and iamenable TO say It, with
very poor success IA likewise cooperative manutac-
tul1ng associations The chief causes for their fail
ure were, Inst, unsklliul management secondly,
haste to start out large scale, and thirdly i'm
proper use Of the funds contributed
As 70 the first causc mentioned 1t needs only
close study OF the progress Of tacsc societies In Eng
land and Germ any TO overcome 10. To handle new
tool i is necessary 70 understand It. The "kocndae
piOneersy publish now an annual almanac, IN which
they give the public from year TO wear the bcnent OF
their own experience In managing their vast corpo-
ration. Ia OF their latest editions, under the title
OF "iitnss" they modestly present their advice as
follows
Procure the authority and profession Of The Law by enrol
ment Incorporation.
let iDcpity intcyv renee ability be indispensable
qualifications The choice OF ocers and Managers ADD not
wealth and distinctiun
s. each member nave only ono vote no dssnc
ton ~ the amount Of wealth member
tribute
Let maiori,le, rule IN al matters Of eovernmsat.
3 Look vel asser money matters. Punish fraud, when
duly esabaef bv Immediate expulsion OF the defrander