, 1879-08-01

WNlGHTB Deprcshlon tofnnlstee. hlesats.
MORGAN, Scu11A1sa, Smiley, PARSONS, Nc
AuL1FrE, and srrEETER wore tie spolieamon
for Tho Communists. They wero all sub
stantially Of ono mind. The nbolit1on Of tho
competitive md wages system, and tho srb-
stitution Of what they Gull the cooperative
sysscn,. WIS their ranacca for hard times.
What Ia meant by tie cooperative system, rs
tho Communists uso the term, may DO
learncd from, tho following extract from
AtoncAN's statement:
''Thc competitive erEter, grow ont Of tho bar.
bas!sm Of the past. and would ultimate In the CO.
operative system. The Government would in time
take charge Of tho railroads and teleG.aphs, tho
steamboat lines. and manufactures. The compell-
tive ayrtcn w',u'd vanish, and there would then bo
universal distribution Of benefits among MI tho
people, Tlis syttem was founded on the selfish
ness o! mankind. Thc first thing Congress should
DO ahould 10 10 prevent tho accamnlations of cor
poEatiunA and monopoltes. and It should fcetslato
to that end. Congress shnuld reduce the 1lousa of
labor In all possible ways and make fu pyaten Of
education national and compulsory. The dcs$ruc-
lion Of tile competitive system Of contro, was III.
ty!tab!c, nud would come BY evolution or scvolu-
t!on, with the tendency towards revolution. Tho
time would come when tie work Of man would be
dime BY machinery, and practically there won!d be
no labor 10 be performed. The Government must
supply tho means Of life, bnt the man must labor
to 1tve."
scu1A1No meant 10 convey tho same idea
when he said that "tl,e system OF slavery
lind not Jet boon abolished" So did Smiley
when he declared TINT " cooperation, assist
ance, aud exchange Of labor was tho only
thing Of value which man had." MoAu11rfE
was clearer aud more explicit whom lie blunt
ly told tho Committee that "the competitive
system Is to b'ans for tho present [imagi-
nary oppression Of the wage.workers, ard in
it's p!ace should be substituted tho co-opora.
tive aystem." We think tint, in the light Ut
these statements, The Tn1nusE can no longer
ho charged by the Communists with unfair.
ness whom it snys that Socialism contemplates
comploto 1ovoling OF al conditions of So
ciety. aud control Of all production and H.
dustry after tho mannor Of tho Penitentiary
and tho poor-house.
Tho first criticism to bo malo upon tho
Communist statements boford the Cougres-
sional Committee Is that they pcryort tho
meaning Of the term cooperation" to suit
their own purposes. The Significance Of this
term has boen fixed by long usage, md the
Communists have no right to apply 1t to their
scllo,ne Of uuivoraal pauperism md Govern
ment soup-housc, mud thus deceive O
people who, without further in.
vestigation, would believe their min. 10
bo the establishing OF cooperative manu.
factories, such as now cxiat to some cxtent
iu many countries. Cooperation, properly
spsaRitg aoea not imply the abolition Of tho
competitive systom, but dcsignates int1-
sidual organizations, Oh m ngreel basis for
division Of the profits, These institutions
expect to md actually do oompeto with all
otlsor organizations in tho samo line Of pro.
ductson Or industry. Oo-oneration IL Of two
kinds. In Que cnso tho capital Ia furnished
upon interest with All ulterior sllaro Of tho
profits, mud the workingmon accept certain
nlnount Of wagcs with au nltorior share IN
the profits, In the other case number of
workingmen assoolato themselves together
with such means as they hayo and agree to
divide the profits and aharo tho losses iu
exnct proportion to shoir number. Thore
aro various notifications according to cir
cusnstaucea and agreement, hut these two
class'hcations cover Tho whole scope OF
legitimate cooperation. Attempts to eatab-
lish cooperative Institutions hayo been nu.
,aeroua in England, aud hayc boon tried,
though not to the samo oxtont, in Germany,
France, tue United sta.es, md other
countries. Many Of them have failed
q few atl!l survive. There ia no law
iu this country against such association OF
capital and labor, or among wosk1non alouo.
On the contrary, the cooperative p!an has
tho sympathy OF n large portion of the pso-
pie, and every new effort in that direction is
pretty likely to receive assistance aud On.
couragement. There Is nothing, therefore,
10 prevent the men who feel that they ought
to bo independent Of employers from asso-
ciatlng themselves together on tho co.opera-
two plan, whateYer calling or tsads they may
follow. They will certainly gat their share
Of tue work that ia to bs done, ii thoy do 1t
as we'll aud as chcaply as their competitors,
and tue field Ia open to them upon free and
equal tormB. II Is useless. therefore, to po-
tition Congress, or to hefog Congression-
nj Committee. under the pretense Of secur-
lug further privileges aud facilities for a kind
Of enterprise which hos the same chance as
every other kind,
II the Communists confined their ambi.
tton to tho cooperative system, pure and
gimrle II fnt1ht f,a ,,pof,1 Il, .>.;nk .rA l.,