The Labor enquirer., 1886-01-30
OUR OWN.
The Food, the Clothing, the
Comforts and the Luxuries
Are the Peoples.
Let as Exchange With Each Other
on the Basis Of Lihertys
Equality, Fraternity.
The Reasons Givsnby Ms. Washbsrn
for Establishing the ssWomen's
Cooperative Exchange.n

E = = ! {,
for Esta ablishins the "Women's
Cooperative Exchange.n
For The ENQUIRER.
The aWomen's Cooperative Ex-
change" is established as means Of
helping women to help themselves and
each other by furnishing market for
their surplus products (either of hand or
brainl by the equal exchange. dollar for
dollar, of those products, and for the de-
velopment Of native talent. invention
and industry. It is believed that the
trades. occupations and individual gifts
| of women are now so diverse and cover
such wide range Of human necessities
| that nearly all their wants can be sup
tplied among themselves, and but place
and medium or agent of exchange are
needed to bring to light the hidden eco
nomic resources which now lie idle and
dormant under the false impression that
money is the only legitimate means Of
exchange Since our growing intelli-
gence and the signs Of the times assure
us that the money Of the country is be-
ing corruptly and unjustly withheld
lfrom circulation. making the arich
Ilricher and the poor poorer" we are
lforced to the conclusion that, as an emf
nent divine has expressed it: Capital
will never yield until its throat is cut"
and SO long as labor looks to capital for
employment the chains which bind it
will but grow stronger. Self-emplov-
ment and fair division of the products
of industry among the workers will "cut
the throat of capital" and as soon as
this idea is universally understood and
adopted the virtual decentralization of
money will follow. and those who are
rich only in money and bonds will be-
come the beggars of societ7, dependent
on the s'nolens yolens" of independent
labor for their daily bread. and blood
less Revolution will have brought us at
length to the dawn of a new civilization. .
The holidays are past. The rich have
exchanged costly gifts. The poor have
done what they could, but in many q
home where honest toilers 1--we Santa
Claus was but memory.
-. And why? 1t is hard times. And
what is the cause of hard times? The
contraction of the currency, And what
has contracted the currency? The
gold bugs of Wall street and Washing
ton. What forP To compel the people
to accept. the hard-money basis for
greenback,, instead of basing tbe T
money of ;he government on thu
corn, potatoes, iron, coal, wool ant
natural productions of our country,
on the faith, intelligence and patriotism
of the people. And what has become 9, j
the greenbacks,- that paper money SO e
convenient The gold-bugs, who have
bought congressional seats and power,
are retiring them to increase the market
value of their money and cheapeen the
vast accumulations of the laborresour-
ces of the country. And why do. the
gold bugs wish to cheaper the labor pro-
duct2 To enslave the workers. And
they are enslaved And yet week after
week we hear of resistance here and
there all along the line. Arrogant capi-
tai, backed by military power, may cry,
peace, peace, but there is no peace.
The war has already begun All over
the world, as we'll as in our own land,
are men striking "for their altars and
their fires" ignorant, blind, desperate
they iniure themselves as often as their
oppressors, but order is coming out of
chaos. Organization and education are
drilling the raw recruits into the most
formidable army the world has ever
seen. And King Money begins to
quake. He begins here and there on
the frontier to loosen his purse strings,
but too late. The crushed and ag-
grleved people will never more stop to
scramble for the coppers thrown from
the passing carriage of monopoly; but,
arrayed with solid front stay the sump-
tuous car and compel its occupants to
alight and a0dlk the straight and narrow
way to courts where justice. the band
age torn from her eyes, proclaims the
long deferred right of mankind to life.
liberty, and, not only the pursuit. but
the attainment Of happiness.
Up, then sister! let us work for one
another and not for our wage-masters.
The abundance of food, of wheat, of
corn, meats, vegetables, butter and eggs
which have cost us SO much toll during
the long summer months are our oaon.
We owe no one except for the seed, the
smallest part of tie cost. Our cottons,
| fannels, cloths and every product of the
loom where we have stood month in and
month out amid the din and clang of
machinery, denied the songs of birds