The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-10
PRoF. REMrs, PAPER.
Interesting Statements of the Famous
Man Who Left BOOKSELLERS
University.

- --Ah CA94 w.
The paper prepared by Prof. Edward
W Bemis, formerly of the University
Of Chicago. and which was read by
Alonzo Wardau, as Prof Bemis was un-
able to be present. contained the fol-
lowing:
There is very little distributive CO.
operation, such as stores in the the Uni
ted States. and scarcely any productive
cooperation, such as factories, mines
and workshops, but there is great de-
vel0pment of cooperative building and
loan associations, and a rapid increase
Of late in cooperative creameries, and
insurance organizations among farm
ers.
The largest cooperative store in the
United States is the Arlington Cooper
ative association of Lawrence, Mass.
which has two branches and at the end
of its eleventh year, 1895 had ., 500 mem
bers, a capital stock OF S101. 18O.28 and
total sales that year of $3.50, 470-60. This
permitted of a dividend on trade Of
per cent to members and 3lk per cent
to non members on their trade, after
paying per cent interest and adding
S2,435, to the sinking fund, which
amounted at the close of that year to
81. 456.28.
In no state outside of Massachusetts
and Texas do we find more than three
or four stores of any size. In Texas
there is a wholesale association at Gal
weston. known as the Texas Co-opera-
tive association, which has a capital,
paid in. of $4,000 and did a business in
1894 of $500, 600 with a group Of co-opera-
tive stores located near Galveston.
The only county cooperative asso-
citation in the country is at Olathe,
kan, with a capital of 500, 600 and do
ing splendid business In
states the movement is held back by
the failure of legislation to provide for
the incorporation Of companies where
in each shareholder shall have only
one vote.
There have probably been 10 fall
ures to one success in cooperative dis
tributiOn, and even the successful or
ganizatOns, with few exceptions, are
not growing much The lack of Co
operative spirit the stimulus hitherto
in America to individualism the mi
gratory character of our people and the
failure thus far to appreciate the i'm
portance Of small economies, prOba-
bly, account for the weakness of dis
tributive cooperation in America.
"A former pupil of mine who has
personally Investigated these factories
at Rockford, Ill, reports that where
the employees own a large portion of
the stock, they keep the factories run
nIng in dun seasons and secure more
work than in other factories.
"On the whole, if we judge the CO.
operative movement IN America from
the standpoint of John Stuart Mil and
his class, who hope to- gain from it.
q solution of the problem of capital
and labor, we find little to encourage
US In the United States
In the cities and throughout the
ranks Of organized labor and among
those writer's who take a special inter
est in labor problems, the drift is now
strongly in favor of adopting in
America such principles of municipal
management Of local monOpOlies as
we find inaugurated in Glasgow and
Birmingham. and government owner
ship of railroads and telegraphs, to-
gether with great extension of factO-
~ and labor legislation and changes
in our system of money and taxation
as to crowd out of consideration the
principles of voluntary Industrial CO.
operation.