Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-10-29
THE COOPERATIVE COMMONWEALTH.
Some THINGS That Will Not Occur Under 1t.

Cooperation will not abolish self
ishness. The first law of nature
self preservation-will undoubtedly
stand as long as nature stands. This
law has in times past impelled men to
look out especially for mo. H. and
the crowd has applauded and honored
those who have made a conspicuous
success of the operation, and stimu-
lated others to follow the same
course long after all necessity for such
action has ceased. But may we not
hope that when the human swine dis
cover that the cooperative feed
trough contains an abundance for ALL
they will at least refrain from getting
into it with their feet?
There will be no poverty in the CO.
operative commonwealth. In the
true family the results of the produc-
tive energy of all its members accrue
to the good of all; hence, unless some
of its members are working independ-
emily and Withholding from others, no
member of the family can suffer from
poverty except the whole family so
suffers. Socialism demands the prac-
teal application of the true family
principle to the community; and since,
under the highly developed social con-
ditions which now exist and must
hereafter prevail the community will
produce enough for ALL when no one
is debarred from receiving his common
share of this common product, no one
can suffer for the want of it.
Because there can be no poverty I'M
der cooperation, there can be no mil
lionaires. What makes a millionaire?
Simply the diversion of the wealth
produced by large number OF per-
sons into the possession of one person.
A simple illustration brings the mil
lonaire's position into its proper
light. If thousand people by their
combined efforts produced ten thous-
and loaves of bread, the one man
among the thousand who by any
means should obtain possession of
nine thousand of the loaves of bread
and withhold them from the nine hun
dred and ninety-nine people, however
hungry they might be, would be in the
position of the millionaire. 1t is a
good principle of socialism that one
person has no more right to withhold
from others anything which tends to
their comfort and happiness than he
has to withhold the necessaries of
life When true cooperation prevails
there will be no occasion for boarding
wealth and no opportunity to hoard
it. Each individual will be expected
to contribute to the common product
according to his ability, and each will
receive from it according to his needs.
individuality will not be suppressed
by the conditions which are sought
under socialism A little thought will
show that the present anarchical con-
ditions are quite destructive of indi-
viduality for the people at large. The
necessity for continuous and exhaust
ing toll forbids the development of in
divduality; the grind of competition
forces many into occupations for
which they have no taste and few
qualifications; and the comparatively
few who attempt to follow their
ideals generally do SO at the loss OF
the means of securing comfortable
livelihood and of the respect OF their
fellows. 1t would be poor economy
to harness our dogs to carriages and
use our horses to run down foxes and
woodchucks. 1t is equally poor econ
10y ~ uooili ltiS I'iiN SiNeiiiN NNoN ~
an endless round of muscular labor
while the robust are engaged in moth
ing more arduous than measuring
tape or pushing the quill. Socialism
IS not an attempt to fit square pegs
INTO round holes. Carroll ID, Wright,
our government labor statistician,
mas said that 1.-TWO hours and fifteen
minutes daily work for each able
bodied man, if Systematically applied,
would produce all the food clothing
and shelter that people need" In the
cooperative commonwealth the aim
Will be that all labor shall be per-
formed on a scientifically economic
OASIS; and the small amount of labor
required will give all ample opportu-
mty tor development in such things as
individual tastes dictate and health
and happiness demand, and thus to
become more valuable members OF the
community.
Cooperation will not do away with
he necessity for labor but on the con-
.rary will make labor more general
IN that q portion of the people who