The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-02
CO-OPERATIVEE EXPERIMENTS.


Some Solid Reflections. ON the Inter-
| esting Subject.
| To the Editor:
| / feel that l cannot say enough in praise
and thankfulness for the able and inter-
| esting character of your paper. AS our ne
cessities increase its power for good in
| oreases, giving an abiding and joyous hope
for the future of our inherently loyal and
| honest Amercanism
L was very much interested in the we'll
written letter of Mr.. Rosewater last week
| IN which he discussed briefly the propriety
OF instituting 'Hsolate ted cooperative exper-
| iments"
| We do not wish to crticise one single
| thought that he has given us but desire
to add few additional ones in continual
| ton of the same subject in defense of the
aspirations and ideas that have been
manifest in cooperative experiments"
| Many have failed, it is true, but many
nave succeeded. Those that have failed
| went down by the destroying power of that
arch enemy of all real human success, to-
| wit: selfishness. They failed as all fail who
90 not possess the real inherent, binding
elements of success, "love for one an
| other"
| Let us turn to the chapter Of successes
to the honest, sincere and unselfsh army
| of co-operators whose record can never be
| effaced from the pages of modern history
1t is record that troubles the gentle
veal fraternity, that eminently respec-
table class who are opposing the upward
| march of ideal JUSTICE" but on the other
| hand the aforesaid record encoura ges hon
est Industry and gives us substantial proof
| from day to day of the possible future be-
| Tore us. We offer few figures in proof:
In 1862 the "Rockdale Equitable Pioneers''
+ mad 400 distribution societies and go 900 mem
pers; in 1872 they had 920 societies and 34O-
wv members: in 1885 they had 1900 societies
| ana 64o.VoO members: and they have
| nearly 100000 members and goody-sized
| trading fleet on the high seas and a record
| that no gentle veal has any very con-
slstent hope of carrying to the failure
| list.
| The many and rapidly increasing ex-
| presslons favoring these said fraternal
| reiatlons and cooperative experiments -
| by public men and journals Of note is also
| alarming the sdlcalled positive philoso-
piers and enemies of living Justice We
| VIII mention few, to wit: The Hon. W.
| ~ Gladstone, NJ. p, says, There has not
been better thing done in this country.
in my opinion, than athe establishment of
cooperate on." Prof. ,Thorold Rogers, M.
r., says, Il never yet met a man who had
| seriously forecast, the means by which his
| IelloW countrymen could be bettered who
| ana not detect the readiest means in CO.
| operation. The kindeSt and most genial
| men have labored for and advocated it:
| the shrewdest and most prudent have com.
lnended 1T; and, If the mass of working
men fairly graphic with the problem and
undertake to work it out, the present prog
lie ,Nafo
| ing compared to its future"
Our present Attorney General Olney, in a
late letter to Judge Dallas in relation to
| the Reading railroad, strike says that
organization, beneficent in intent and pur-
pose, is cOmmendable and is authorized by
act OF congress, said act being briefly as
follows: For the purpose of aiding its
members 10 become more skillful and eff
Gent workers, the promotion of their gen
eral intelligence the elevation of their
character, the regulation of their wages
and their hours of labor and condition of
labor, the protection of their individual
rights in the prosecution of their trade or
trades, the raising of funds for the bene-
NJ OF death, disabled or unemployed mem
bers, or the families of diseased members
or Tor such other object or objects for
which working people may lawfully COM
plne, having in view their mutual PRO-
lection and benefit"
Inc passage of the aforesaid act is. of
Aeo0li, StTOHS commentator of fraternal
relations and cooperation.
In conclusion allow me to call attention
! 10 the aspiration and desires of a Mr.
refer SWenson, of Caddo, Stephens coun-
w Texas, who has $500 acres of fine fer
tile land, 1900 sheep, 40 horses agricultural
ana other Implements which he proposes
snail be used and controlled by a COLONY
OF co-operatOrs upon very liberal terms.
Already men in the East and West have
arranged to join him next month and com
pete the plans and to organize the COLONY
paper which is very likely to be called
The Peacemaker, is to be started at once
and 1T Is proposed TO have a cotton gin
and Oil mill. foundry and school; there will
| De no over production in it, but the pro-
auction will be pushed to the utmost by
| the use of every last modern invention and
| as little physical drudgery as possible. The
| organization will be a fraternaI benevolent
labor exchange" and will be operated
upon just as practical business methods
as those OF the largest corpora ton in the
| United States. The promoters of this COL
| ony and of cooperation generally, believe
! that this great and wonderful nation s.this
| land OF the free is yet to be co-operat tive
| common wealth, and that no human power
| ON earth can prevent it, But in the mean
| time we say, let the "co-operative experi-
! ments' go on perhaps they are not mis-
| leading;' perhaps these efforts are not
wasted energies they may be, in their
| grand aggregation, living monument Of
! the power of union and the most eloquent
| and unceasing appeal for it's constant ex-
! tension and growth towards the highest
| order OF union We can achieve"
| A. S. LANDON.
| Wheaton, ILL.,, Dec %.
ANOTHER DIsGUsTED MAN.