Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-21
MIR. STANFORD'S VIEWS.
AS REPORTED IN A LETTER FROM
DENIS KEARNEY.
The Mitchell Anti-Chinese RiU-
The Value to WorkiDgmen
of Cooperation.
The following letter appears in the New
York Sun of the 9th inst:


To TIC Editor of the Sun: | saw bv the
papers that Senator or as we Californiaps
prefer TO call him, Governor Stanford had
arrived in town, and was stopping at the
Windsor Hotel. On Monday forenoon |
went to the Windsor, on Fifth avenue. and
asked the clerk in the office if Governor
Stanford was in.
Don't know" he replied; send IN
your card and see"
have no card" said |.
Here is one" said he; write vour
name on it. Can you write" l told him
that | thought | could, and so | took the
pen and wrote my name in round hand
school-boy fashion, with a flourish on the V.
Here, john" said the man behind the
counter. take this up to No. l15 for this
gentleman
John went off and returned inside Of
three minutes.
This way please, sir" said he, beckon-
ing, and he showed me up to No. ll5
where sat the philanthropist, looking over
some letters
Hello, Denis, Pm glad to see YOU.
Why, what are you doing here ?" said the
Senator, extending his hand at the same
time.
Trying to raise the devil with these
people who cannot see any harm in the
tree immigration of Chinese slave labor
ers," l SAID, and | want your assistance.
nave succeeded" | went on to say, I" in
getting nearly all of the workingmen and
women OF this city on my side. | would
ike for you to tell those rich people how
undesirable these Chinese immigrants are,
and why their coming should be stoppedt .
no " i On
migration" he answered, "but to the
immigration Of all other pauper laborers
and their products, too"
VIII you vote for the Mitchell anti
Chinese bill?' l asked.
q WILL" he replied. "Whv shouldn't
|? Our $3-a-day workingmen cannot
compete with a 6-cent -a-day Chinaman. |
am strong protectionist. | believe in
protecting the products of our own work.
ing people against the cheap products of
all other working people | rather like
this agitation" said the Senator, "as it
shows the workingmen are thinking. A
little stirring up does no harm, but a great
deal OF good. OF course. | am opposed to
strikes, as | think they can be averted
They are injurious to both employer and
and employe. You know that we never
have any trouble out there on our roads.
Sometimes a little misunderstanding takes
place between the head of department
and those employed under him, but the
moment the matter is brought to our at
tention II is adjusted, and that is the end
of it."
Your remedy for strikes is cooper
alton, is it not, Governor ?'
Yes, | am firm believer in the prin-
ciples of cooperation, The wealth of the
world is in the product of labor. Labor is
the creator of capital, and capital is in the
nature OF stored-up force. 1t is like the
balance-wheel of an engine, which has no
motion that has not been impaired to it,
but is reservoir of force which will per-
petuate the motion of the machinery after
the propelling power has ceased. A man
takes few thousand dollars of capital.
builds workshop, buys raw material adj
vantageously, and engages one hundred
workmen TO manufacture boots and shoes.
This Is the foundation of enterprise The
employer of labor is a benefactor. The
: great majority of mankind do not origin
ate employment for themselves They
either have not the disposition or the
ability to so originate and direct their own
employment. Whatever may be the fault,
IT is nevertheless true that the majority of
mankind are employed by the minority.
Capital directed by intelligent enterprise
Is vast benefactor to man. Suppose now
that each of the one hundred workmen
employed produces in excess of his wages
the value of 81 day; 81 day for each
aggregated gives 500 per day to the en-
ployer. His profits from these one hun
dred men is 500. These one hundred
men, Ivy associating their efforts and their
credit, could command a sufiiciency of that
reserve force which we call capital to build
the shop and purchase the material to start
business.
why is it, then, that so many cooper
;ttlve undertakings have failed The
Morning Sun of November 18th last de-
voted = page to a review of cooperation in
our country, careful perusal of which
showed that most of them tizzled out"
That is easily explained" said the SEN
tor. The 100 men just referred to may be
good shoemakers but very poor statesmen;
making shoes is one thing, selling them is
an entirely different branch of the bust
ness. In organizing cooperative institu-
lions the bookkeeper, the salesman, the
purchaser Of materials and an intelligent
head OF director are as essential to the
success Of the enterprise as are the cutters
Senator, Sin cooperative association con-
Quoting business and dividing the entire
proceeds Of the business, the dividends SC
created would exceed the ordinary rate of
wages. The best mechanics and the best
laborers would therefore seek to acquire a
position m 4 cooperative association The
reward Of labor being greater by co-opera-
ton, the employer would have to offer adj
cItlonal inducements to labor to remain in
his employ, because the superior attract
lveness Of the cooperative would incite
them 70 form societies of this character
and employ their own labor-or, in other
words, TO narrow the margin between the
amount paid for labor and its gross product
The Governor talked cooperation as Al
he had done nothing else but study the
subject all his life. Notwithstanding that
he has decided away most of his wealth tc
Board of Trustees to build and equip an
educational institution that will, when
finished, he the finest on the globe, where
not only the rich, but the poor mans sons
and daughters can go and get a practical
education TO fit them for the days to come
he Is still very busy man and works early
and late
The Senator has of late become very
popular at home. Since the death of hi.
child, both he and Mrs. Stanford have
been devoting themselves to the training
educating, feeding and clothing of other
peoples children. They have organized
some half dozen kindergarten schools in
San Francisco and the Lord knows how
many in other parts OF the State Hi:
admission that he will vote for the
Mitchell anti-Chinese bill is an important
one. 1t is to be hoped that he will also
use his great influence to help push i
through the Senate"
DENIS kEARNEY.