The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-01-15
VOLUME XL.
CORRESPONDENTS.
I'VE DO not hold oarSelve- respoUsh4s f,f Hns "F'h
on expressed b. our CorTespcnieat.i


| To The Editor u tie MokSISSsASs AbrocsfG
RoCHDALE Co-orKEATIUS
| 1t IL a very interesting fact that the Ma
tional Grange has formally recommended
English cooperative trade to the subordi-
nate Oranges Fifteen years ago il would
have seemed to me like :" dream of Par
adise" to hear that the representatives of
q million and half Of American producers
had come to this conclusion. Now l
rejoice with trembling" Our people
are so impatient unreasonable - that
there will be many failures. They will
attempt to improve on the Roehdaie plan,
g adapt 1t to America, and thus spoil
everything. ] take this opportunity TO
correct a mistake Of the lively Son of tho
Soil Of New Orleans. 1t said 1.-The
Rochdale plan is not new, and its intro
duction to the American people was sew
eral years ago (l858). At that time Mr..
Samuel Leavitt was vas its most earnest
advocate but the condition Of our labor
ing classes was not then suited to its sue
cessful adoption" 1t then said that anu
not now so favorable to the plan as for
merly This is an error ! consider that
some Of its features constitute the greatest
of modern financial discoveries. The idea
of dividing the bulk of the profit among
the stockholding patrons of the store in
proportion to their purchases, seems to
me the most democratic scheme ever pro-
posed Let Grsngers stick to that also
to sales At market rates 10 avoid antago-
nism with the old stores restriction of
the stock any one may hold cash bust
ness, and refralning from Offering attrac-
tions 10 capital and talents to rush in and
gobble the concern-stick to these good
old Rochdale ideas, and they will have
grand success
UsURY UsURY usCRY l!t
There is a good old gentlemen of this
city named Palmer, who is President land
pretty much everything else) Of the Anti
Usury Society, whose principal work is to
hold an annual meeting in Cooper Union
Institute. He has not much energy, but
all that he has is given TO fighting this an
cient monster used to think that he
was magnifyinQ the evil but | know now
that it Is the most terrible scourge extant.
1t may be some encouragement 10 people
who fevl that they are doing feeble work
for reform TO know that the fact Of this
mans persistent outcry against usury as
his one mission IN life, did more than any
thing else T. attract my attention u that
time honored sham and wrong which IS
nov hurting this country Industries more
per annun. than the ~ar did. Henry G.
Carey, the greatest Of political economists,
said lately. "In Mr. Lncolns time the
country was ruled by and for the people
Now 1t is ruled oy and for the money
lenders"
a CHILD OF WRATH ON rHE ROTHscaILDs.
One Of my witty fellow editors on a
great New York daily, whose manager was
noted for righteous Indignation" used
to say: Well What must our blood boil
about to-day !" Mine has been boiling
steadily since I read last week that the
Rothschild's are wo:th three thousand Gpe
hundred millions OF dollars, sum much
greater than the debt Of the United States
This is the modest amount EARNED by one
family through usury (they have not pro
duced a cents worth that | know of in
100 years. IL would seem as ii Providence
was reducing to absurdity" the idea Of
allowing any man or any class to monopo-
lie money, lands, mines, or any form of
wealth. When We behold the Rothschilds
the great power of Europe and the world
Jay Gould, Scott and Vanderbilt ruling
American corporations, greater territories
than most Old World kings; ignorant Ia
borers rising suddenly to ten million dol
lar incomes by striking gold, we begin
to see that we must make such fortunes
legally tmPOssibe, or give up trying to have
civilization and 60 back to barbarian
But we don't have to leave this city to
find match for any extortion the world
can show elsewhere. Our Chemical Bank
has paid 100 per cent. dividends for many
years. Il does an immense business ou q
capital Of 800, 900, as great as that Of the
Bank Of Commerce, with capital Of SlO,-
OOO, 900.
Mnfa
One most horrible fact with regard to
he oppression of the producers by the
non-producsrs In England is, that the
money-lenders, as have before said, are
30 gorged with the billions stolen from
labor that they no longer show discretion
in lending their spoils. 1t would seem
that they would rather give their money
"out and out" to foreign frauds than show
signs Of repenta pc for their oppression Of
their fellow countrymen by paying better
prices for home products. The Sultan Of
Turkey has borrowed from the Christian
bankers, mostly in England, 5000, 0 20, 900,
and his recent refusal to pay interest has
helped to make . panic in London. But
the banks there are also loaded with Egyp-
tian paper, and Mexican bonds are piled
mp in stacks with the worthless Venezue-
Ian securities and widest American corpo-
ration bonds. These Shylocks in their
mad determination to keep their own pro-
ducers under foot, are like those who
throw csrgoes Of wheat into the sea t. keep
up the price on consumers.
HOW ABOUT RETRENCHMESI
After all the talk about government
H. Is -, m