Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-07-30
THE CO-OPERATORS.
NOTES FROM THE RECENT MEETING
AT LEWISTON, ME-.
All Things Are Not Possible Mt Once.
Lessons In Past Experiences-Some
Remarks From the "Grnnd Old
Man, of the Labor Movement.


Especial Correspondence.l
There Is no greater social marvel than
the manner In which these cooperative
societies flourish.-W. E Gladstone.
A cooperative business system is the
worlds greatest need.-J. s. Clark.
The national cooperative conference
held in Lewiston, Me-, June 20-24 dealt
with a matter which may become i'm
portant to the industrial world.
Your correspondent has never been
enthusiastic about industrial co-opera-
ton. When 1t was asked, Why can't
trades unions buy out the industries
one by one rather than use the money
for strikes? we let the echoes answer.
For the further social as well as in
dustrial cooperation involved In Ka-
weah and Ruskin we only looked fear
fully forward for wreck.
Cooperative failures have often
arisen out of the attempt of too many
people to do too many new things at
once. New things try the nerves, and
people thrown too much together try
one another, and they fall out. Wells
Memorial coalyard proposed in Boston
could not proceed because 1t was to
sell coal at cost. That must set every
retail dealer so strongly against it as
to render its work impossible. One
could hardly blame retail dealers for
demanding freight determinations In
such case, and freight discrimina-
tions kill anything. Some fifty meet
ings We're said to have been held in
Boston that winter to consider plan
devised by the celebrated architect
Putnam to employ idle labor on CO.
operative buildings, but somehow the
work did not move. What was the
matter with the plan, the labor leaders
or the architect, does not appear. But
as nothing Is more needed than work
for the unemployed and city houses
owned comparatively or municipality
some way will be found to accomplish
it in time.
Robert Owen was successful so long
as only the benefits of his enterprise
were cooperative. But, according to
Professor Ely, he failed when he made
it too purely cooperative. During the
transition stage co-operators cannot be
too sentimental against some competl-
tive features. They must have bust
ness methods which will not affect
the sense of humor Of competitors.
They cannot depart too far from the
ordinary ways of the world.
Yet America Is not SO bare Of CO
operative enterprise as those of us who
had not studied 1t believed. This Lew
iston enterprise does business of
100000 a year, having n beautiful
new sun colored department store the
largest east of Boston; a grocery store,
a cafe and cooperative hall. Law
renee, Mass, has six cooperative gro
Gerry stores, two dry goods stores, a
bakery and stables, with twenty eight
horses. 1t does business of $500,000
annually and has distributed 100000
In cash dividends. In Lowell, Mass,
Is a younger cooperative establish
ment doing one-half as large Il busi-
ness. In California are sixty coopera-
tive stores. The Progressive Planning
owned by labor unions. Nearly every
union In San Francisco took stock in
1t, and so did some unions in the coun-
try. Some employees In Los An
geles laundry asked for higher pay.
They We're locked out. They started
a cooperative laundry, which has pros
pered tremendously. Every one likes
to see these union women run a laun-
dry. One thousand four hundred CO.
operative enterprises In America were
reported at the conference, and not all
are heard from, of course. People who
know of cooperative stores are to
assist by sending names to Rev. Hiram
Vrooman, the president Of the Co
workers Fraternity company at Bos-
ton.
The new facts brought here of late
from Europe showing the shooting
upward of cooperation in England, In
Switzerland and in nearly every coun-
try of Europe show that industrial
cooperation is inevitably In line with
our evolution and will be important
In obtaining the political cooperation
which we all believe In except those
who have machines to elect themselves
L
n civil engineer as well as lawyer,
has charts which are q revelation. One
long line, which he calls rocket,
shows the growth of cooperation for
years on a nearly horizontal plane,
but lately 1t shoots up into the heav-
ems.
Sixteen weavers of Rochdale, Eng
land, began buying together until
store could be established. With their
little educational work, no doubt with
failures here and there, it has taken
siXty-two years to attain to the great
cooperative movement which includes
In its membership and their families
one-fourth of the population of Great
Britain and is adding to Its member.
ship now at the rate of several thou
sand per month. BY It's size 1t COM
mands everybody's respect. 1t owns
eight steamers which can't be Morgan.
lied; 1t has stock In railroads; 1t has
two of the largest wholesale houses In
the world. A Scotchman said the one