, 1879-07-30
COOPERATION.

COOPERATION.
SuccosAfut Experiment in st. Loufs-Tho
Furniturs- Workers. Association.
Special Cor7sspondenee ot Tho Tribune.
ST. LOUIS, July 229-In view Of the lnrEo de-
greo of interest which Is being manifested by
the working cinsscs OF Chicago IN the co-opera-
tive syatem Of 1nbor, a few facts relative to the
large experiment Ia that direction which St.
Louis cabInctrrnakcrs are conducting, may be
regarded MS timely.
Tho g. Louis Furnisurc-W Workers. Association
presents quite study for the political phiios.
opbcr; md 1t ts not too much to say that this
institution will yet exert influence which will
20 tar toward solving the labor problem In thfs
country.
1t wns in the cnrly part Of last fall that a
number Of skilled workncn-somo o. whom
were proud of the title Of Communist md So
c!alist-ieturmincd to make M effort to put
into psacttco tho theories with which they hal,
aimee bcforn the grcnt strike Of 1877, glanourcd
tie discontcntcd toers Of their clase. Nov.
IA, 1878 articles of incorporation for the Furn-
turc- Workers. Association were tnkcn out by
Frederick BtckeE, William Pfstorer, Louis G.
stlfci, Reinhold A1nrhein, Fritz Keitel, Charles
Stcngrnhc, ur,d Frederick Won IIundort. The
capital stock Of tho Association was to consist
Of 1000 shares, Of So5 cach,-the purpose botng
to open the door for tl,e poorest artisan to be-
como stockholdcr, without assuming what to
him might seem hopeless debt. Soon after
wnrls thu looks werc opened for stock-subscrlp-
| tlone, md the m0Y0 hocamo popular among tue
clasacs On whom It's SUCCESS mainly depended.
The shares were takCn In Numbers OF one, two,
and thrco, arfi seldom moro than five; aud small
payments thereon were madc. II 1t bo true, IA
published In tho Ohlcago papers. TINT, uEdcr the
| Illinois law, the stock nf a corporation must be
| all paid up before hus'ncss can be InauEuratcd.
| then tho Missouri workmen who may have such
a purpose us this In view have a great advantage
over their friends beyond tie riyct, for there is
no such requirement here. In tire case now be-
Ing dtscnsacd the larger part Of thu Rtock was
| subscribed, ,-mnct oG 1t being taken by men
who cxpcctad to work In tho establishment. The
payments, however, wcro hardly ~ pcr cent at
first: aud when, in D0Cembcr Inst, II was detcE-
mined to put tllc concufu In operation, thu cash
Ia tho trcaktlrr was onty u little over $A00o. A
large brick building at The corner OF Twentieth.
scwlng-machtno manufactorY, but which bud
long been ldlu un account of its rcmotcnesa from
the heart Of tue city. Was leased on very fayorn-
| bic terms. A committee OF experts selected M
outfit Of the finest woodworking machinery
that Is made, costing altogether about ee$D 0tD,
ut,A made ar arrangement BY which liberal t!me
was secured for tl!s payment OF the 6uls 81 the
pnrcslaac ur!ce. Tllen the lncn who Intended TO
work In the concern proved the latis lhnt was In
theta by 1c70ting two Or three wceks' tins to
dtttng thg building fnr occupancy, and setting
e wbs wn1 sausdsre ay ,af e5 ese men 81
mostly consume their ca rniA,s froM week to
week.. somc idea can bc gained of the enthusiasm
which hctuatcu them.
tl.ero was cheerful lIttle opening. which
WIS attended By crowds OF people Ut