The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1899-08-18


oped.
But" says some one, haven't these
institutions sometimes been failure?''
Yes. Every great movement has been a
failure at some time. Application of
the steam power failure, electro-teleg-
raphy a failure, railroading failure,
but now the chief successes of the
world.
"But," says some one, "why talk of
surplus being put by laborers into CO.
operative associations, when the vast
multitude of toilers in this country are
struggling for their daily bread and
have no surplus?" 1 reply: Put into
my hand the money spent by the la
boring classes of America for rum and
tobacco, and will establish cooperative
associations in all parts of the land,
some of them mightier than any fnan-
sial institutions of the country. We
spend in this country over $10o,ooo,o05
every year for tobacco. We spend over
S1,5oo,oo0,ooO directly or indirectly for
rum. The laboring classes spend their
share of this money. Now, suppose the
laboring man who has been expanding
| his money in those directions should
just add up how much he has expended
during these past years and then sup
pose that that money was put into a 90
| operative association and then suppose
he should have all his friends in toll,
who had made the same kind of expend-
iture, do the same thing, and that
eh h. cd mt
operative association. And then take
all that money expended for overdress
and overstyle and everything on the part
of toiling people in order that they may
appear as well as persons who have
more ineome-gather that all up, and
you could have cooperative associations
all over this land.
I am not saying anything now about
trades unions. You want to know what
think of trades unions. 1 think they
are most beneficial in some directions,
and they have a specific object and in
this day, when there are vast monopo-
lies-a thousand monopolies concen-
trating the wealth of the people into
the possession of a few men, unless
lAC llCA VI t1lS COuhlAJ anu al
countries band together they will 60
under. There is lawful use of trade
union, but then there is an unlawful
use of trade union. If it means sym
pathy in time of sickness, if it means
finding work for people when they are
out of work, if it means the improve
ment of the financial, the moral or the
religious condition of the laboring
classes, that is all right. Do not artists
band together in an art union? Do not
singers band together In Handel and
Haydn societies? Do not newspaper
men band together in press clubs? Do
not ministers of religion band together
in conferences and associations? There
is not in all the land city where clergy
men do not come together, many of
them once week, to talk over affairs.
For these reasons you should not blame
labor guilds. When they are doing
their legitimate work, they are most
admirable, but when they come around
with drum and fife and flag and drive
people off from their toll, from their
scaffoldings, from their factories, then
they are nihilistic, then they are com
munistic, then they are barbaric, then
they are a curse. If man wants to
stop work, let him stop work, but he
cannot stop me from work.
But now suppose that all the laboring
classes banded together for benefcient
purposes in cooperative association I'M
der whatever name they put their
means together. Suppose they take the
money that they waste in rum and to-
bacco and use it for the elevation of |
their families, for the education of their |
children, for their moral, intellectual |
and religious improvement, what diff |
ferent state of things we would have
in this country and they would have
in Great Britain!
Do you not realize the fact that men |
work better without stimulant? You |
say, Twill you deny the laboring men
this help which they get from strong
drink, borne down as they are with
many anxieties and exhausting work ?"
l would deny them nothing that is good
for them. l would deny them strong
drink, if had the power, because it is
damaging to them. MY father said: at
became temperance man in early life
because / found that in the harvest
field, while was naturally weaker than
the other men, l could hold out longer
than any of them. They took stimu-
liant and 1 took none"
know a gentleman very well who
has over 1000 hands in his employ. l
said to him some years ago when there
was great trouble in the labor market:
How are you getting on with your
men?" "Oh," he said, IT have no
trouble" why" said. "have not YOU
had any strikes?" "Oh. no." he said.
Il never had any trouble" what plan
do you pursued" He said: 81 will tell
you. All my men know every year Just
how matters stand. Every little while
call them together and say: Now.
boys, last year 1 made so much; this
year l made less; so you see 1 cannot
pay as much as I did last wear. Now,
| want to know what you think ought
10 have as percentage out of this es-
adjustment and what wages ought to
give you. You know l put all my en-