, 1879-08-01

'AaeHf WHY ND ltE4 H'tFH fEttf3f'' ~ -" ''
III tho past, mud to i,u''ca.c how they 'atsit
possibly nctnse s'tcce.s Gil that bas's'
There nro mniniy tw., reaso'Is why cn-ophr .
tive enterprise ia n;aalIy unsuccessful. Tile
first IL to 10 locked for in tlh. unfveiHni kosfi s
mesa of ,,anl;u1. ri ich almost inevitably
tlcye!ors isreconcil"''lo tlissg:ee'ne,l:s; these
grow ont of II disposition 10 shlrk In the
a,nunt Of work. 10 grasp more than far
sllur.' Of the gains, 10 dominerr uyor Tho
others. TO- lie insubor,linato tn tl,ose In
cIlnrge, 10 ru'l IN tlivera directions whom nil
s;,ou!l pull together. To remove this inler-
nal antl everlasting l,intlranco 10 tho s,lccesS
Of co.opcra!i6u, II would 10 necessary to
work marvellous changes In human nature
which arc beyond tho finite power Of the
socialistic reformcra
The sccort eauso for The frequent col
larso OF cooperative establishments IL tho
entire omission from sucll schemes Of Tho
contingency Of loss. Cooperative attempts
lock only to division If profits. No psnp-
ayation, Ms ru1c, {, maLo 10 bynr the
losEos. Yet tito Losses como moro frcqnonl-
iy than tho profits on account of tho nna-
'"'H*"H1o Na'aksA ft+AASAaAk7f HH& sewn
of huhortlinallon wo have nlrcady referred
10. 4 bad market, riso in tue cost Of raw
material, fnll III selling price Of tho goods.
disaster from fire or Tho clements, bnd n,an-
ugonlcst, dishonesty among tic associntes,
or any one Of hundred possible cauaos may
incur n loss wlero rrcnt hel been expected.
III TINT event oithor the cooperative cstab-
lishment l,na not much carital to fall buck
upon, or, if there is any individual capitul,
tho nssociates are unwilling to bear ttsoir
proportion Of tho losH. With 1oss Of profits
comes loss Of dividends, mud this breeds dis.
coutcnt nud uectssfou.
IT there wore auy genuine dcgiro among
tue socialis!s Of Chicago to try a
new experiment in cooperation, experience
Should teach them 10 ayoil tho rocks and
breakers tilat have wrecked 80 many similar
enterprises. An association on thsplan should
voluntarily submit itself TO tho absolute con-
trol OF solno ono innt1, or all arbitrary commit
tee Of not moro thnn tllrco men, who should
have the same unlispuied control Of nlTaira
NJ would indivit1nal owners Of similar Oh
tatl;stmeut, with full power 10 enforce faith
ful Eerv'oa from every worker, to punish tho
shirkers, to discharge the sogering fellows,
mud in every way to manage tho business as
If 1t wcro thoir own. This procedure would
not nvert all tho dangers tint threaten al
teinpls ut cooperation, but It ii the first cs-
seutial to my possible succoss. Tho Com
munists, however, would 10 tile Inst to ngroe
to system Of Tits kind, bccauso 1t is In con-
travention of the trades union idea Of equality
among NIL worltmen, without regard 10 indi-
vidual skill, nbility, or onergy, aud becanse
Communism presents the anomaly Of parent
a1ism without subordination. Tho COMMIT
,,ists demand tho poor.houso system, but are
not Individually prepared to accept the lu-
initiation and discipline to which paupers
must submit.
The fact is, that genuine cooperation and
real Communism are totally uuliko, and tho
Socialists uso tho term Of co-operntion in
order to mislead tho people to whom they
appeal. Thoy advocate the most sweeping
revolution Of Government mud society. They
would have the manufactures the labor, the
transportation, oven tho laud, controlled by
n sort Of universal parental authority, md all
men trentod alike without consideration for
individual worth, energy, application, fri.
gality, skill, ambition, or tho other qualities
which enter into individual auccosa. That
is what tho Communists mcan by tho term
cooperation, and not what tho nsago Of the
word has determined. With some Of them
it is dream; with others 1t is moro dovico
of demagogism. The important fact is, that
VIC haso had confession Of tho roal aim Of
Communism by representative men before
tho Congressional Committee, and hence-
forth when they talk Of cooperation it will
. be undorntood TINT they mean thereby their
scheme of universal pauporisul. :.