Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-30
THE COOPERATIVE IDEA.

The Oregoniaa approves Senator Stan
ford's plan to encourage cooperation
among working people, and points out that
the soundness of the principle-which
some have deemed fanciful-has been Sc
verely tested in England, and has endured
the trial. As a notable instance, it points
to the success of the Rochdale flannel
weavers in their cooperative effort to
evade the credit system and to supply
themselves with necessities without the
mediation of the credit giver From
cooperative beginning of $40 they have
advanced to a capital of 100000 to stores
and manufactures, mills, lands, libraries,
public baths, etc, while every buyer of the
company has received his equitable share
of the percentage on the price of every ar
ticle bought. Cooperative associations
found an advocate in no less an economist |
that John Stuart Mill, who, in referring
to their success and industrial partnerships |
of the Briggs-Leclaire type, says:
The very process of their success are q course |
by which alone success can be either preserved |
or attained. As associations multiplied they |
would tend more and more to absorb all work
people, except those who have too little under |
standing or too little virtue TO be capable of
learning to act on any other system than that
OF narrow seltshness As this change proceeded,
owners of capital would gradually find it to
their advantage, instead of maintaining the
struggle of the old system with work people of
only the worst description, to lend their capital
TO the associations TO do this at diminishing
rate of interest, and at last, perhaps, even to
exchange their capital forterminable annuities.
DR.. Perry, of Williams College, is
among the more recent writers upon politi-
cll economy. In his work, the reformed
edition of which appeared in 1888, he dis
cusses the cooperation principle, and there
are but two substantial objections he is
able, after a labored argument, to raise to
it: that superintendent or management
of the business is a rare faculty, that exc
cutive ability will not come upon call
secondly, that while co operation is com
mendable in countries where laborers have
been under traditional disabilities, it is
not necessary in this republic where there
is nothing to hinder any laborer from
becoming a capitalist, and where two or
more workmen may organize firm to
carry on business, and where the shares of
most joint-stock companies are open to
everybody who has the means to buy them
But DIR. Perry is clearly at fault in these
objections. Partnerships are subject to
dissolution by the within or upon the death
of either party, when an accounting must
be had, in which the business takes pun
ishment. He holds that so long as capital
and labor rest solely on their natural
rights, neither can have the advantage of
the other, and just as each recognizes their
identity of economic interest, and reci
procity Of obligation and effort the pros
perity of each will build up the other.
But as DR.. Perry is driven to admit, when
advantage is given to capital the equable
relation of interest is disturbed. Now cor
porations are advantages given by the law
TO enterprises capitalized by money. As
labor is an original element in production,
why should not this producing factor be
encouraged to avail of legal advantages to
conduct enterprises capitalized by skill
and energy? Even under Dr. Perry's
theory there can be no reasonable obiec-
ton to encouraging saving by laboring
people according to the methods of CO.
operation. For while it is true that there
Is nothing to hinder any laborer from be-
coming a capitalist, there can be no reason
able objection to stimulating labor to
grouped capitalization
Perry has arrayed all the opposition that
can be marshaled, and, as will be seen. it is
without strength and depends wholly
upon theory of our system of free govern
ment, that the laborer may save and be-
come an employer; but in practice only the
very, very few do. Now the proposition is
simply to encourage wsrkingmen and
women to do that by mutual and reci-
procal effort which each has the privilege
of doing individually if possessing the in
dividual strength. As to the objection that
executive ability, capacity to superintend,
does not come at call, the fact Is that
methodized industry develops supervisory
capacity, and the very best superintend-
ence known in this country has been de.
veloped out of the experience of labor.