The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-05-28
THE NECESSITY FOR ALLIANCE
COOPERATIVE MANUFAc-
TURING COMPANIES.
Read before DIN Alliance, 642, MAJ
4th 1887

The distance between the producer
and the consumer is often so great.
and the middle.men who handle the
products and articles of consumption
are so numerous and avaricious, the
wal now existing in the older manu-.
featuring districts between capital and
labor so ruinous to the laborer, and
the usurious demands of capitalists
and money lenders, all combined,
make it absolutely necessary to bring
the producer and consumer nearer to
each other in order that they nav
share their respective labors and
profits by cutting off a large number
OF those persons who not only live.
but grow enormously rich by hand.
ding the products of others. The
Southern producer of cotton and wool
gets only about one-third to one-half
the price of the cloth of which his
clothes are made-the other half or
two-thirds go to pay weighers, car,
rlers, manufacturers, jobbers, ct al,
Like a pound of butter, passed from
hand to hand, a portion will stick to
each, until finally all will be cor
sumed. We produce the raw mate
rial for the manufacturing establish
ments in New England or FOREIGN
countries, and in doing so feed and
clothe them luxuriously; also q lono
line of intermediate y~ultures WIZ
have no other means of subsistence.
Our valuable timber and many other
manufactured articles come IN for
like losses. The prices of all these
Southern products being fixed bv
dealers who know or care but little Of
the cost of production. To get what
they are compelled to have for half Of
it's real value and receive all they can
get for their products when sold to
others, seem to be their determine.
ton.
Any manufacturing establishment
located in our midst will prove of SER
vice by preventing some of the slices
being taken from the loaf. But it is
the cooperative company of Alliance
members alone that can cure all the
ills which now afaict the Southern
laborer, producer and consumer.
Where all these are joint owners of
the mills, implements and material
used in manufacturing there will be
no strikes, lockouts and revaults-less
strife and Ill will between the differ
ent classes, fewer incendiaries, leak.
ages and thefts-more energy, peace,
harmony and good feeling manifested
by all concerned, while greater profits
and better living will be secured for
| the masses than can possibly be had
by the old system in remote sections
or wen if the manufacturing estab-
lishments are brought to our doors
without corporation. Add to all this
the obligations and fraternal ties of
the brotherhood, the danger of losing
position, membership and stock or
profits by acts of unfaithfulness make
it still safer and more desirable for
| the members of the Alliance to pro.
duce, work, own and sell &C opera
lively; or, in other words, bring the
laborer, producer ana consumer as
close together as possible by the ties
of financial interests, humanity and
brotherly kindness. BY this new de-
parture all our real wants may be
more easily supplied, our neiyhbors
greatly benefited and all foreign coun-
tries made to subserve our interests.
The vast and populous countries of
China, Africa, Central and South
America, AMI the isles of the seas all
need many manufactured articles that
/ our soil, timber and labor should pro-
duce, manufacture and ship them.
Why not have our W shipping COM
panies to carry our products after
utilizing our raw material to the best
advantage, without being subjected
to the unnecessary handling of com
binations, trusts and extortioners who
make millions of dollars by their ex-
| tortions in less time than is necessary
to produce a crop of our leading ar
| ticles of trade? Let every State,
| County and Surveillance get up CO.
operative joint stock companies and
encourage all their members to take
stock in them from one dollar up and
pay the same in monthly or quarterly
installments, in either cash, material
or labor, at remunerative prices for
the two latter, deal for cash and barter
only, keep out of debt, pay no usurious
interest, ship all surplus to foreign
countries in our own bottoms and *
change our products for such tropical
and other products as we may need or
handle to advantage.
In our order may be found all the
talent, energy, labor and money neces-
sary to accomplish the desired work
if we will only utilize the means and
exercise due prudence in organizing
and conducting the companies. By
uniting the small sums of money and
little efforts and talents and handling