The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-03-11
CO-OPE RATlOa.
CHICAGO, March q. 1876.

G0-0PE RATI0N.
CHICAGO, March q. 1876.
To The Editor Of the w"RuSsEASs ADVOCATE
Your paper Of March contains many
| thoughts Of vital interest To the industrial
class Several Of your correspondents. as
well as yourself, speak Of corporation
subject that is coming before the people.
and that will ere long 4gitate the masses
of this nation. With your permission, /
will present few facts as well As IDEAS on
this subject.
You truly remark, in your notice Of
| Proudhon's work on q What il Property n
that there is no subject which workingmen
can study to such great advantage as that
of cooperation, and you urge them to
combine in cooperative undertakings
The National Industrial Congress, in its
platform, also recognizes the fact that
laborers, to secure the fruits of their
toll, must establish cooperative societies.
both productive and distributive. that
"the great desideratum Of the hour is the
organization and direction, by 60 -operatiue
efforts, Of the power Of the producing
masses" Scan the columns Of the papers
devoted to the interests Of the Working
men, Changers, and on Reformatory sub
lects, and it will be observed that cooper
alton is sgitating the minds If the masses
The National Grange, at its last annual
meeting, adopted and recommended to the
members Of the Order plan Of co-opera-
ton in lieu Of the Agency system, which
plan is digest Of Rochdale CO cooperation.
Working men and women. too we have
grievances to rectify and wrongs u be
righted. How can we best do it By a
united effort. All that we need is unity
OF action in given systematic
organization. We may talk, lecture,
theorlze and write about our grievances
and wrongs, but we never can better our
condition until we 60 to work in earnest
The time is at hand for us to be mp and
doing. The masses of the people are
ready for organization Of some kind.
What kind Of an organization shall it be Z
It will be readily admitted by every per
son that an object and principle that can
unite the greatest number is the object to
organize under. You have as good a right
to do business for yourself as any other
person has to do do it for you. especially
when it can be done from 10 to 20 per cent.
less than BY others. No person has a right
to live at the expense Of others. and no
good person will do so. Every person
must be provided with food. shelter and
clothing What is the probable aggregate
spent each year by the working classes for
the necessaries Of life Let rs figure A
little and see. The estimated population
of these United States is 40. 600 600 of
souls; allowing four persons to a faulty.
will equal 10000, 900 OF families; Of this
number, we will say there are 1000. 900 of
wealthy families, which leaves s. 600 900
Of families If the industrial class. On an
average, each of these families spend
yearly for the necessaries Of life 1900. and
the total expenditures Of the 8. 900. 600
families amounts to SO. 2O0, OOO. 900. This
IS an enormous sum-more than the entire
national debt; yet | believe my estimate
is below the average, rather than above it.
We will suppose that these 5000. 900 uf
families are banded together in one grand
confederation or brotherhood, and that all
OF them are working on the cooperative
principle, that the profits on their yearly
expenditures are returned to them in the
form of quarterly dividends on purchases;
that the dividends are 10 per cent. It
will be seen at a glance that the profits on
their expenditures, per year, are 1920, OOO,-
Oot, the amount workingmen pay other
persons to do business for them. CO.
operation proposes to relieve the work
ing classes Of this incubus. 1t proposes
to make them owners Of their own stores.
houses, hotels, fsctories, machine shops.
etc, without the expenditure Of a single
dollar more than is spent to-day for these
blessings. In fact, they can be obtained
at less cost under corporation than under
the competitive system Of business Co
operation will secure to both productive
and distributive labor their Just reward,
and promote mutual help as we'l as self
help. The industrial classes Of America,
for the past three years, have been waiting
for something to turn up, but they must
put their shoulders to the wheel and 90 to
work in earnest and turn it up themselves.
Il is useless for them to look to capital for
relief. They must make capital respect
them by becoming capitalists themselves.
through cooperation.
Within third OF . century, the prob.