New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-18
COOPERATION AT HOME.
How A succEssFUL ONE PMS.

Troy, n. Y, Dec. 14.-"Can you direct me to the
Cooperative Iron FoundeTyp / propOunded tins
simple question several times to-day to several ind
yiduas representing three distinct classes; and the
answers which received have struck me, SINCE
finding and inspecting the establishment IN question:
as rather significant. My inquiry first addressed
10 legal friend. He had evidently never heard OF
the concern but knew of cooperative fOundeTy in
Uest Troy which / afterward learned had stopped
holding stoves in order to give itsvarous proprletors
ample time to discuss, before a learned judge and
Jury in some local court. certain legal points In DIS
pute As my legal friend salsO pOet-he who sang
the CHEEKY welcome and tender farewell to Charles
Dickens. which HdrpeT's Ueekly published year and
more ago-I at first attributed his ignorance OF the
existence of this industrial establishment to the in
difference of his poetca spirit TO base material mat
tiers; but was encouraged, on discovering subse-
quenty that his ignorance is shared by the entire
legal fraternity of this vicinity think it decidedly
encouraging for them that these struggling workers
In iron are unknown to, and know nothing OF, Their
legal brethren around them.
The inquiry was next addressed to a real estate
broker. l singled him out solely because he was
real estate Broker. have observed, in my visits TO
various industrial establishments that the first thing
to feel the effect Of their failure is the real
estate market the values Of surrounding lots, have
observed, Instantly fluctuate the new establish
ments succeed or fail My real estate friend knew
the precise spot. and told me- rather indefinitely,
however that it was in somebody -OT-others addl-
tion,' at the same time pointing to one OF several
maps combined into handful advertisement of lots
in the aforesaid addition managed, after time.
60 elicit from him that somebody's addition was
in the extreme northern end of the town. and that
lots in the vicinity of the foundery had rapidly adj
vauced in value since its establishment. found, in
the end that this general statement was fully cor
roLOrated as he who reads to the end will be inter
ested in learning.
My third informant was a mechanic, an intelll-
ment man, who advised to take the cars, as it was
away up to Bulls Head" fourth-another me-
ehanic-was equally explicit The fifth and last was
met after had deserted the building less than
block ahead of me. asked him less for informa-
ton about the locality than about himself He was
evidently an irOn-worker for the plumbago dust
stood thick and gstenng on his brow As l met
him in the immediate vicinity OF the cooperative
foupdery, l thought il probable that he was MEN,
Der of that firm, and good subject for few ques-
stions. To any inquiry he made answer, after some
Hesitation and considerable stutter in these remark
able words:
al IOnG ter Lans'brganIdun' kno'"
Another explanation of the prevailing local igno-
rance as TO this establishment is a curious one which
have from the iron men themselves. The local
press of the city, as if by design. has wholly ne
elected TO notice this attempt at cooperation The
" journalists here have not failed TO the drift of
oO0peratOn-they not blind to the fact that these
are tile first indications OF a coming industrial revo
luton which will materially affect, if 1t does not
altogether change the character of all branches of
manufacture They have been silent, the cooper
atives think and saw in Difference to the great iron
interest here which the press people appear to think
Is opposed to the establishment of fOunJeres on the
cooperative plan OF there two sides 10 the
story; and the press people smile at the one have
stated Certain is, however. that the local papers
have said nothing Of the enterprise, although such
information as they could have given would have
been Of great benefit to other operatives throughout
the country. They have copied, without comment
the various articles descriptive of the Troy
foundery which have appeared from time to
time in THE TRIBUNE; nothing more. II this
silence has been maintained in Difference 10 the sup
posed wishes of tho iron masters, it was a wholly
mistaken consideration. have not found any large
iron master to whom the cooperative foundery was
in the slightest sense obnoxious, and its manager
Mr. Simeon b. Name, informs me that from the first
the iron masters were either Indifferent favorable
70 its success never actively opposed to its establish
ment was at a loss to understand why any were
favorable TO the plan, though it is not difficult to
comprehend that many might be Indifferent, and
asked MIR. Name why any iron masters had ia
VOred it.
There were some who actively encouraged
IT. he said. "Ihey thought 10 would certainly DC a
stupendOus failure, and put an end 10 all such ideas
on the part of the wOrkingmen. There were very
few who felt thus, however. But from the first
nearly all others in branch Of the business have
been friendly and now 10 hostility whatever exists"
THE TROY COOPERATIVE FOUNDRY
The Troy Cooperative Iron Founders Associa-
ton" was not the result of strike. IL grew out of
long settled purpose the part Of 40 iron nolders
working in various iron founderies To attempt some
thing of the kind IN order they say, to anne
horate their condition by using their savings Its
great success is due in a large the delib
Grafton with which il was planned il won't do to
lump into cooperation without thought any more than
it will to hastily embark IN any other form of busi-
ness; the same knowledge the same business quail
ties the same industry, and the kind OF part
ners are necessary 10 success under this under the
old system: and successful cO0peratycs everywhere
10 say that the first requisite in organizing asso-
citation is to confne the membership, first 10 only as
many in number rs tho capital will constantly EN-
poy: and second TO only such as are sober and in
dnstrious settled men, and particularly such a. have
all itching desire, an absorbing passion, and fixed
purpose tn have aud to own house and Ot or farm
OF their own Mechanics who have real estate on
the brain or farms III their hearts invariably make |
am told successful cOGperatives With tins theory
lit a theory then, settled principle nOw-the
~ Troy moldeTs resolved 10 admit one member i0r
each $3.50 of capital subscribed aud paid IN and no
more, this amount being near as they could cacu-
late the investment necessary to give one man
constant employment But the strike OF May.
1880 accelerated action, and with only Sl@50O
Of capital paid in, they began work with ~ men.
charter was prccuTed The shares fixed Of 800