Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-05-05

10 put themselves in the position Of aggrie,e'
and abused parties, though We see no way II
which they can do so, except 10y denying
that men have a right to buy where they car
buy the cheapest.
Horace Greeley, with that clear insight
and warm sympathy with the working
classes for which he was noted, struck the
true point Of the difficulty with master
hand when he wrote as long ago as 1850, a
prize essay from which we mako the follow
ing extract
1T is Idle, Therefore, to say that commerce is
rnined PROSTATE, because overdone. II Is only
the possibility Of making fortunes by trade with
no decided capacity Tor the vocation, that Is van
ishing Tho time is at hand, II not already upon
u.s. when tho mercantile is 20 take rank with the
most intellectual and ariuous Of tie liberal pro-
fossions. The merchant Of the next age musi be
a genius dnancior, man born 10 be an efficient
and benefciont dis.ributcr Of the bountcs Of Ma
tnre and the products Of human labor II he lack
these essential characteristics let him aspire to be
ANYTHING else rather than merchant, for his own
sake, and iof that Of others An incompetent doctor
may live though his patients should not poor
lawyer may damage his clients yet pocket their
fees. thck-headed merchant must inevitably
ruin both himself and his trusting friends Tho
chances that he may founder on aud dodge bank
ruptcy for year. have grown less and less until
they aro nearly eNiinguished.
IT il idle and mischei'cus to hope for large
profits hcnccforth, save in rate, exceptional in
stances Thcgcncal diffusion Of intelligence, and
the improvement Of the facilities for dfea cN-
changes between producer and consumer render
extensive and regular trade ON the old basis Of
small sales and large profits, impossible II the
flour dealers of New England, the coal dealers of
New York, tho shoe dealers Of Ohio, will not sup
ply their customers at moderate pricos, they pro-
woke competitors to supplant and destroy them
or, thi- falling, 0sp hieh- containers 70 CO. bine
and buy at wholesale a cargo n -four, Of coai "
shoes, far themselves Any sorous attempt to re-
store the old system u sales on long credits to
customers Of doubtful sovency, but at such high
prices as to compensate Tor the risk and delay OF
payment, would only serve to inpciihe consuming
classes ~ rhhdrue more aad more Of Gcir custom
from tradcr' as q class and eject more and more
ofher erchnge' By agencies and arrangements Of
their oirH. The p-actcal choice Of the mercantile
class lies not between large and small percentages
on their sales, but between small ones and none,
But small advances on cost do not imply
small profits. On the contrary, there never was
3 timo when larger profits were realized than may
be now. Let us suppose, for example that New
England consumes annually ten thousand tons Of
Western bacon, and that the quantity com
sumed il annually increasing Nuw, II any llos-
ton merchant or house can manage to become the
channel Of interchange between the producers and
consumers oi half these hams, nt an average net
profit Of two per cent, assuming the hams d, be
worth $3.50 per ton, that merchant or houso would
clear $4,000 annually on bacon alone. So with
flour, groceries, and everything else.
"Thcse then are the basis Of a profitable and
safe trade in tho future-frst, ability to supply
the public demand as favorable terms as any
one else can offer; secondly, universal knowledge
Of the fact and assurance that can I've relied on
Let Boston dealer in flour, or meats, or Clothes
or anything else, be able to supply all New Eng
land with whatever he deals in at the lowest pos
sible rate, and let all New England be assured Of
the fact that he can and wW do so, and his for
tune is made No matter though his average net
profit should range even below one per cent, his
annual income must exceed his necessary ex-
penses by thousands Of dollars"
We have italcised the sentences in the
second paragraph that point, as with a
prophets pen, to the cooperative purchase
system now 50 extensively and eStendingly
practiced among the industrial classes and
likely, from its manifest advantages, to ex.
tend to every class. There is no injustice in
il to any parties whatever, though there may
be some misfortune-as there was misfortune
attached to the scythe manufacture When
the farmers recognized the superior profit to
the moving machine.
1t is plain principle of political economy
that all laborsaying Implements are an adj
vantage to the whole community. Now the
cooperative purchase system is just that
BY the use of cash and large orders a great
part of the labor and cost Of exchanging
commodities is done away with, aud thos,
who have heretofore been employed in doing
that now unnecessary work find themselves
wanting employment, just as the hand-loon
weavers found themselves out Of work wher
the power-loom wns invented.
We have never supposed, however, tina
the present methods of purchase Practice
by the Patrons of IIusbandry and the Sove
reigns Of Industry would be of long contin
nance. They are simply a " strike agains
unenterprising, costly and incompetent com
mercial management As soon as tbs tru
facts are realized by the mercantile class, anc
it is understood that the old-fashioned conn
try store no longer answers the requirements
Of the times, we shall have the retail trad,
recognising itself in accordance with thu
public demand, and the "quick sales an,
small profits for cash." which has been tn
delusive heading Of SO many advertisement
in the past, will become living and enel
getic reality. So soon a. this is general, tn
function Of the purchasing agents will b
tranferred again to the mercantile GLASS, who
being trained and educated to the duties o
an exchange of commodities, win be able :
make good profits from the large trade h
will handle, at low per centage. The re
suit win simply be larger and better stores
and fewer Of them.
1t is because we regard the present al
rangement as only temporary, aud becaus
il is plain to US that a man who has bee
trained to commercial operations, and has
lively personal interest in the success of hi
business, will always have a great adyantag
over mere salaried agent, that we hav
steadily opposed the cooperative store,
which the Sovereigns aud some of the Pa
rons now seem determined TO try again, /
spite of the experiences of the past In on
view, though the old plan upon which thes
stores were managed could be much improve
upon, especially by the adoption of the cas-
system, yet the one great fault that wi
cause them to languish aud die out (eye
when they do not fail by embezzlement, fiji
without insurance, and other consequence
of unreliable superintendent, is in the IA,
that he manager must be hired man. If h
is a really good man, he will command a
high a salary as he would expect to make
he owned the store il he is not so good, h
will cost the stockholders more than he wi
earn them. We believe in every man sticl