The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-08-30
LET THE STATISTICS BE FUR
NISHFD

operative system OF business, ana mas
watched with the greatest interest the va
rious efforts at cooperation among the
farmers OF this and other States.
| Among the first things attempted by the
Grange in Indiana, after the organization
of this State Grange, was the establish
ment of State Agency at the capital of
the State the manager of which was in
structed to arrange with manufacturers
for the purchase of goods at wholesale
rates, and then to bunch all orders sent in
and purchase in such quantities as would
enable him to obtain the benefit of whole
sale prices for customers purchasing
through the Agency.
| The value of goods purchased through
the Agency became very large by the
close of the second year; but it was still
evident that the best possible prices upon
many things, and particularly upon farm
machinery, had not and could not be OBJ
tanned upon this system.
| The manufacturer must know with
some degree of certainty what his sales of
machines for the ensuing year will be be-
fore he begins their manufacture, and this
knowledge he obtained more fully
through the old system of agencies than
through the Grange, (although the men,
bers of the Order could certainly have
| given the information as accurately as the
Agents of the manufacturers if they had
but considered its importance) Patrons
land others) purchasing through the
Agency, too, required their orders filled
promptly and could not await the bunch
ing of orders necessary to the purchase of
goods in large quantities, and the State
Grange to obviate this necessity, placed
81, 500 in the hands of their Agent to be
used in the purchase of goods to be re-sold
to the members of the Order without the
addition of any per cent whatever, the
State Grange paying all the expense of
maintaining the Agency out ofthe money
received through the Secretary's office for
dues and fees from the members of the
Subordinate Oranges Under the ar
rangement the business of the Agency
assumed large proportions and the eX
pense of maintaining it became very great
as natural and unavoidable consequence,
and the State Grange Treasury came near
being depleted in the efforts to sustain the
Agency, which still fell far short of meet
ing the needs of the members of the Or
der.
The Agency was purchasing agency
only, and although almost any article OF
farm machinery, or of family supplies,
could be purchased through it at consider
able saving, yet the farmers often found
it extremely convenient, if not advanta-
geous, to exchange the smaller products of
the farm and garden for the wares of the
dry goods merchant and the grocer near
est him. While the smooth talk of the
chinery, not unfrequently, and in fact
| frapro,,tlxy ;pI,,ca1 Tho r.
purchase of those manufacturers who re-
fuse to recognize the Grange or to aid in
the efforts of the leaders of the movement
to introduce ''the pay as you go" system
among the people.
Many Joint stock stores were now start
ed by the members of the Order, and for
a time and in most instances those estab-
lishments had an appearance of prosper
ity, and in large degree met the wants
of the members in the way of local ira
ding point.
Within short time however, these es-
Establishments which it had been thought
by SO many would bring the relief sought
began to fail. First one and then another
closed their doors, or were sold to individ.
ual parties; and slowly it began to dawn
upon the minds of the members of the
Order and upon all who felt an interest
in the work, that as yet the ri ght way had
not been found, and that few years more
would find us back where we started
from, and with a record behind us that
would scarcely be encouraging to the
coming generation, should they too seek
relief in like manner from too expensive
system of exchange for their various pro-
ducts. And now we begin to do what we
should have done at the first We begin
to seek to learn what had been the expe-
renee of Others and to learn wisdom
from their success, as well as from our
failures.
That the cooperative system of bust
ness is the true one, think few will dare
to dispute who have carefully and with
out prejudice studied its objects and the
results attending it, were put in success
full operation as in England, Wales and
in portions of Germany, Denmark, and
other European countries. That the COM
petitive system is failure, the wrecks OF
ten thousand business firms scattered all
over our land daily and hourly proclaim
That those wrecks are largely the una
voidable results of panics is as true as that
panics would seldom or never occur if the
cooperative system of business was in
general practice, while the cost of ex-
change between the producers of wealth
of their varied products would be greatly
lessened, leaving large number of those
now engaged in the work of aiding in
making these exchanges, at liberty to en-
gage in the production of wealth, and also
enabling each producer of wealth to re-
tain larger proportion of his own pro-
ductions, or to purchase by exchange q
larger portion of the wealth produced by
Others. 81 - fsesft M
The efforts made in this direction since
the failure of the joint stock stores and Of
most of the State Agencies, proves thai
the people are slowly awakening to the
advantages of the operative system
Very many small stores have been started
throughout Indiana and doubtless in 9th
er States upon plans more or less nearly