Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-22
SENATOR srANFoRD's PLAN.

The announcement of Senator Stanfords
intention to speak at length upon his pro
position fer practical system to encourage
cooperation among working people, will
ing accomplished in that direction. As he
asserts, the right of association for lawful
purposes, is a national right-let us add an
inalienable right. Men do not exist
merely for themselves, and few accomplish
anything unaided, so the Senator holds that
encouragement by law of mutually
and union of effort among working peo-
pie is one of the most direct methods of
attaining beneficial ends for them For,
as property is the product of labor, the
union of the latter will by its production
free it from subserviency to misdirected
capital, and from the passion and prejudice
and envy of the mob We are told that
demand and supply are interdependent,
law policies of regulated production.
While it is true, abstractly, that the supply
is regulated by the demand, it is not true
practically in all cases in the strict mean
ing of the word regulate. We can con-
ceive of the demand creating such supply
as to bring about disastrous collapse when
the former shall be satisfied The supply
in such cases is regulated, It's true, but
rudely and harshly. But under coop
erative encouragement, workingmen in
an industry will not be so much subjected
to the speculative spirit that actuates indi-
vidual proprietors. Under cooperation it is
more probable that production in manu-
features would be kept within the limit of
demand, for the interests of the skilled
working people being common they would
naturally be led into a system of self-regu-
lating production. There would be be-
tween co-operators a more " fraternal
loyalty" as Holland once put it, than be-
tween individual manufacturers is possible.
The encouragement of cooperative effort,
as Governor Stanford proposes, will have
the effect to withdraw working people
from within the influence of those leaders
whose constant effort appears to be to array
them against capital, with which they
have every reason to be in harmony. The
law, as it is, protects cooperative effort
under the corporation laws, but Governor
Stanford rightly stands for distinctive and
affirmative and helpful enactment that
shall recognize the right of lawful associa-
ton of individuals, who have no other
capital to pay in than human energy and
human skill. Around such association he
proposes to throw the protection of national
statutes, and by such enactment encourage
the formation of labor-contributing asso-
Citations. All such efforts are in the direc-
ton of harmony; they unity mutual in
terests they cultivate the love of order
and the respect for law; they set out the
! frugal and industrious AMI relegate to their
proper level the idle and vicious. 1t is to
be hoped that the Senator's proposed meas
ure will meet with the concurrence of pub
lie sentiment essential to the vitality of
any law. For it is unquestionably pro-
jected in the best interests of labor, and
points out one of the very best means to
regulate production without interference
with the rights of the citizen. 1t will be
powerful agency in sheathing that most
dangerous weapon, the strike" and
which, with very rare exceptions, turns
upon and wounds those who WELD it.