The Advocate and news., 1898-11-16
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION.
From ''Labor partnership" by Henry
Demarest Lloyd.

luC NOnIAACnbuA WI hAA6AACA bN6NA hANAA
ing over thrones and slicing off the heads
OF kings and queens. The English work
ingmen saved their tuppences for -four
and tea and fustian clubs to buy social
regeneration for themselves out OF what
they could save by this self-help. Penny
by penny and sacrifice by sacrifice they
have gone on building, tolerated as en-
thusiasts, until the conventional world
wakens to see very great Fact.
This cooperative movement, after fifty
years of struggle, has had fifty years of
living prosperity, and greater prosper
ity is coming into plain view.
1t has achieved an economic footing OF
a hundred millions of property.
Some Of the best men and best thinkers
have given it leadership.
At least one-seventh Of the population
Of Great Britain have been enlisted in its
ranks-the pick Of the working classes
Of the greatest of European nations.
A program has been evolved looking
to thoroughgoing social reconstruction.
It is an established religion; for CO.
operation is not a method Of business
merely, but an ideal conduct and the
ory of human relations. Without ca
thedrals, creeds, ritual, or priests, It has
not only openly prOfessed, but has sue
cessfully institutionalized the Golden
Rule in business.
AS significant as its cold facts and fig
ures are, its recognition of conscience
and sentiment as business factors of
the first force, and its success in estab-
fishing among men a new method OF
union. A movement like this of self
help, growing of itself, already big and
getting bigger, with clear and high pur-
pose to do great Things, even the great
est, with so broad constitution that 1t
may fairly be said to be Of the people,
is a fact with which no one who wishes
to be well informed will neglect to in
form himself, and no one who wishes to
help on the coming Of human brother
hood but will work for its extension. In
contrast with the scientific individualism
which breaches that selfish interest is
the only actual and practical motive in
the world of values, we have in coop
Grafton the individualism Of millions OF
men and women organizing millions Of
capital into successful business under the
ethics and economics of each-other-help
and all-the-world-help as well as self
help. Here is applied brotherhood; the
Golden Rule realized; here a political
economy Of the kind that seeks wealth
for itself by creating wealth for others.
Cooperation has won the right to be
accounted the most important social
movement of our times outside of poll
tics. 1t Is, of course, only half truth.
It is the voluntary or domestic express
sion of the same Tesurgent spirit of self
help by each-Other-help Of which the
republic, democracy and the hopes of
socialism are the political or public ex-
preston. Each of these-the private or
voluntary, the public or pOlitical-is
half truth; but the world needs half
truths to make up its whole truth.
The trades unions have organization,
local and federal; the German Socialist
Labor party has votes; but cooperation
has organization, federation, votes when
ever it shall choose to use them, and
what none Of the others have-an eco
nomic foothold wide enough to give it a
sure place from which to work it's lever
to move the world. No other social
movement Of our times surpasses it in
radicalism; no other has as many men,
bers; no other approaches it in achieve
ments nor solidity Of resources in men
and money. Labor co-partnership is it's
most advanced element; it has the his
toric prestige of all the great names Of
cooperation, the crusading spirit with It's
accumulating momentum of moral en-
thusiasm. It is growing as the distribu-
tive movement, once fairly started, grew,
by leaps and bounds; and it speaks the
democratic invitation to all, which in
human history has been the only thing
that has never been turned back, nor
Overthrown, nor silenced. It is law in
social dynamics that leadership in any
movement passes steadily into the hands
Of its radicals. If this proves true in
cooperation, the head of the column will
be taken by labor co-partnership.
II.