New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-11-03

became profit and that profit we divided among al VINO
purchased I'm proportion TO thoir purchases. for
twenty-five years cooperation was regarded as ne"
industry and tho hopes Thousands OF people were ex-
cited by It, But all these stores died OUT their pros
periry nuctuated, and ultimately people said CO.
operaon was extinct Then IL discovered THAT IN
stead Of dividing the profit the people subscriD9 tne
capa should be paid per cent interest. and the profits
should be given those made the purchases From
that time co0perat on began To grow AGAIN, nh,n
power OF such manifest significance that Statesmen or
both parties and all persons who speculate aoont te
progress OF society are Interested IN Y lmgn Ithu
You letters from the chief persons You know a. repre-
senng political parties In England therc we're tine'
showing that they OF both SIDES cOncede tnat IN cooera
ton, IA we have developed IT, Is me only percepuDle
possibility OF an ultimate nnon between capitai ana
What I Want to draw your attention TO these
points: We began by selling at the market prices; We
the shabbness OF trying 10 undcrsel our neighbour bat
began by treatiog others as We desired TO be treated
ourselves so that no one III LohuOh can go tn,V a
shop and say, 81 can get these things CHEAPER
at the Civil Service store or tho cooperative store max
ing the shopkeeper appear daily lmpostor We refused
10 do this never sold except at the highest mai ket
many who owe their fortunes adoption Of this
policy. which has enabled them To keep their prices
Then we said We would 20 on the principle OF paying our
way and have debts. and neither give credit nor e1-
pect it. II Il offered IL credit respected him.
10 him. Our ambition was TO owe No man anything.
We knew tllat in England all the workngmen
plump. their children comeiy, We know ina
by the butcher baker the neIglborhOOd. Laugh
teri IL greater humiliation than that oven, 10
think that man should be content to be under ounga.
tOn 10 others for the condition In which his FAMILY
lived. believe there are middle classes oi gentlemen
or even richer people VINO consent 10 OWE Am w
cal into class OF men 60 whom dent Should
be drsnOnoIabIe, ana We aid it, (Applause.I We gave
fair weight aud honest measure In stores and we
did more: bound ourselves that II we knew VI any
circumstance regard 10 any article we sold WAlch
ougnt To be Known 10 the purchaserany circumstance
affecting lis quality which he ought to know before ne
bought tive bound ourselves TO declare It to him Jap
piausc.I -, , , H., 80 .o,,
It, aud we more. We said tnat we would sell pure
tcye years OF labor TO persuade Tie members OF
stores buy through agency-tO create great buy
ing power whereby could ~ INFO tue market IT we
would, whereby we could train buyers, or even buy
buyers For you know tdat ~ be able to buy food with
VINO had coffee In his blood, and but man who had
tea In his blood. WHO knew lnsIinotyeb what TO buy.
had no people who could buy we had 70 buy
buyers to train buyers TO buy pure food and
have nearly six hundred societies
who take their provisions through he hands OF one So
Holland and all over Europe. They come 10 America
We have lii tbs' city. We have them Ia various
paris OF America aud we have two vessels constantly
coming TO this country and carrying away the produce
purchase We have spent lot OF money In expert
mettIng uron opening the mouth Ut the Serat New
Orleans SO That we can get the produce OF the Misss
sppi VALLEY out that way TO England and are prepared
70 spend millions II there is any chance of success
lApplause.l
THE CREATION OF CAPITAL.
So have, you sec. created capital Some oil the
worklngmen who started this movement had tried
everything temperance. Chartism, trade-unionism
and even tried cO0peratlon and failed In everything
These inspired to begin again. and they did
IT, and they created this capital. Now we come into
the markets OF world VITA twenty-five millions of
ready money and take no credit, ana want none. so
that the smallest store In any village ia EEgland has
the very best provisions better than gentlemen can
command III London.
Ne have had to do something else; had educate
the taste OF the poor when We offered pure nour, way
before; they didn't like it IT not made wne 10y
ingredients mixed with II for that purpose When we
offered pure coffee they Thought we were going 10
poison them. Then had never seen H. ana the aroma
they cever knew tLangiterl Ana 10 we, We had To- eaI
Rev. MT Newton. that you had no common people
NO" he says, Dui think there lew uncommon
people here" uaughIer.l We educated the taste Of
the ordinary common people by supplying them VIII
pure food They have now on their tables better food
nau gentlemen or England, because the latter have
organization such as we have which takes care to
You see. therefore, this corporation made promises
kept them, aud trained the people ia this art We
making IL honestit IA thing To accomplish that but
itlsa very different thing and more difficult to make
honesty pay. [Applause.1 a great many people agree
that honesty is the best policy but they are afraid TO
S Id a o as Try We 1s
IApplause.1 These stores now make money because
promises, and made honesty possible III business and
profitable policy. IApplause1
THE MORAL EFFECTS OF COOPERATION.
The other thing which wish you to understand is
that we accomplished much more in enabling people TO
become moral. You may preach AM you pray, but
you Will not have moral people while you have starry
ing people Therefore have not only supplied OTd
nary wants in good substantial manner. and put into
the peoples hands a money -makng scheme which would
increase their earnngswe give these people not merely
money, but character. IApplausel We have made
them honester; we have made them in love
with honesty We have shown that 1t is a
policy that VIII pay. We do not profess 10 be
very good but do profess 10 be air That is in our
power II large class OF people make this practice,
and show that IL Is possible, thar Is great thing.
We make 10 per cent profit upon every pound sterling
expended by members OF the store. That money 10
saved for hun At the end OF the first year he has 20
give him Sst SO a at the end OF eS
acquires the art OF saving. aud mani man who has
P Pss NC now O' house OF his own And the best
OF the system is, that the larger mans
more in the store. ILaughterl Sometimes mans
savings in this way grow to large ainount so large
out AT the Rochdae store, for instance We advised
members, could not afford To pay more than
something paying higher rate OF interest Political
economists may say what they Will OF the scheme but
They say that buys for 10 pence that for which
he ought to pay shilling ne can save the pence MN
brought we save the money and REQUIRES no eyer
grow rich while they sleep. lIaughter.l We Keep "a |
bank which their riches increase, although they pay
have better and more food than before they
IA We no money and yet grow ricn
SO that little in Rochdalc. In the town where
John Bright resides Oud appause]-yes, be saw tgrOw
under his eyes, and he mas pronounced In the House
Commons the nobest euogy OF the enterprise-that
little Rochdale 10 such extent that
we $260o00 year profit from IT, aud OF his u per
cent Is devoted purposes Of education. Appause
We have library which this hall would not hold
We paid hearty $4,000 some time ago for printing the
catalogue Of books. We have nineteen newsrooms In
Rochdae got In the town the art or assoc.a
tIon That IA you do not know In America.
will detain you now describing how We planted
this difficult art but VIII Just say that you cannot nave
unless you have little common sense, good
temper, and good deal goodwill Tine art of having
good temper takes long time 10 instl, and does
the art OF goodwill Anybody has goodwill toward
they like and they care for; 10 Is easy 70