The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
The United states Does Not at Present
Seem to BE Fertile Ground for
Such Schemes.
BIG PLANS THAT HAVE FAILED
SUCCESSFUL VENTURES IN ENGLAND
AND GERMANY.
IoeaI and General News Items OF In
terest to the Trades Unionists
of This State.

The cooperative system In business ana
industry has made little progress in the
United States. although various attempts
have been made to establish cooperative
establishments. In foreign countries the
system has met with marked degree OF
success, but in the United States the most
enthusiastic promoters have found that
their efforts only resulted in miserable
failures Various causes are assigned as
the reason for these failures. In the
United States there has been no Jealous
Robert owen. as in England, no Schulze
as in Germany, TO increasingly labor In
the interests Of cooperation; no govern
ment like France to finance such move
ment. owen and Schulze devoted their I'M
firing energy. talent and ability to build
up cooperative interests, France gave
money and governmental encouragement.
These were the three fundamental factors
in laying a basis for successful co-opera-
tive system in the three different countries.
Having no fountainhead or chief promoter,
cooperative movements in the United
States have been loosely scattered in com
munities, have struggled and died.
The history OF cooperation in England.
Germany and France is marked with fall
ures and struggles. the same as in the
United States, but the movement is older
and out OF the remnants OF disrupted So
cieties grew success. AItruism the
spirit OF cooperation in these countries,
but in the United States the movement has
generally been smirched with desire for
personal gain. A few communities have
been established in the United States with
the aItruistic spirit of Owen. but they
disintegrated. factional disagreements and
personal differences sUpersedins philan-
thropy Whether these will be the founda-
tion OF success remains to be seen.
THREE DIVISIONS.
Cooperation is divided into three classes
societies for distribution of provisions
and manufactured products. societies of
production and banking societies. Diverg-
ing from these three branches are numer-
Gus organizations embodying the funda-
mental principles OF cooperation but
operated for private as well as mutual
gain, such as building and loan associa-
tions. land colonies and similar enterprises
calculated to reach the masses The coloni-
zation scheme or establishment of CO.
operative communities is the highest and
the ideal attainment of the cooperative
eysterc- and they have met with the most
deplorable disaster. When the seeds OF CO.
operation were being sown In England In
Robert Owen came 10 the United States
and attempted to establish a cooperative
colony at New Harmony. Ind. Ihis was
the most pretentious effort ever made in
the United States on a purely cooperative
basis and the enterprise failed in about
two years. Owen then returned TO England,
where he found the time right to spread
the propaganda of cooperation throughout
the empire This he did. and the result is
the greatest cooperative system in the
world II Il Of the distributive class and
consists Of wholesale and retail depart
ments. Several ventures in production
have been made in recent years and they
have generally been successful.
The societies are distributed over Eng
land Scotland and Wales. but are united
under the name or the British cooperative
Union. The annual congress OF the CO.
operative union, where the heads or the
various departments and societies meet to
discuss the welfare Of the movement, is
looked forward to as one of the most i'm
portant assemblagss In England.
NUMBER OF SOCIETIES.
In 1901 there were 1,64S affiliated societies,
with total membership of 1,919.555. The
shares held by these members were valued
at u2as7s,5So. The sales for the year
amounted to s4OS,914.745 and the
profits TO the members $45. $1,000.
There were $1,000 employees. and
lis delegates attended the congress. The
business is conducted on what is known
rs the Rochdale system. Instead of selling
goods at a small margin or at cost, as
many societies have done 10 their ruin, they
are retailed at the market price. Dividends
are declared when there is a surplus Of
profits, and thus the business is maintained
on a substantial basis with always enough
funds on hand to tide over any emergency
or help out an embarrassed society. The
wholesale department is on larger scale,
buying in great quantities at home and
abroad and always the best quality. IL
has a fleet Of vessels that plies back and
forth from the mainland, and agencies es-
tablished in a number or distant countries.
shares OF stock are placed within reach of
the masses and acquired by allowing the
profits on goods purchased of the societies
20 gradually pay for the stock.
In France cooperation has been sue
cessful in production. After the subject
of cooperation had been eXhSustively dis
cussed by French economists, in 1913 the
apprc oriating 100000 francs 10 fifty-siX CO.
operative societies. Three-fOurths of these
socis dies failed. The remainder reorganized
on more sound business principles and
gradually they became substantial institu-
tions. The system is used principally in
mining Cooperation in the distribution
of products is yet in its infancy in France.
COOPERATIVE BANKING SYSTEM.
NJ. Schulze demonstrated in Germany that
q banking system could be established
with the cooperative assistance OF men
without means. He organized a society in
one of the small towns OF Germany, and by
securing loans with the property OF each
member OF the organization, making each
member responsible for all. and all respon-
sible for each. started a successful banking
system that has enlarged and branched out
10 all parts OF the domain.
The cooperative movement has been
tried IN the United States in about all Of its
forms. Foremost have been productive and
\ distributive societies. little attention being
paid 20 banking. OF the two most frequent
w tried the productive societies have been
he most successful. The colonization
heme has been attempted ar different
lnes. but few years OF struggle Oblit-
ated the original intent OF the movement
Perhaps the only organized community that
has kept up near the original standard Is
the Oneida Community in New York II
has only been successful within itself for
TO attempts have been made to extend the
movement beyond its borders, and now il
STANDS more as corporation than a com
nunity." IL has devoted itself 10 particular
lines OF industry and the benevolent fea-
lures have served a. good advertisement
Joseph Smith and Brigham Young led their
disciples 10 far-away Utah and undertook
10 establish the greatest community in
this country, but now not a sem
blance remains OF the great pro-
\ 5ect except the ten-acre squares I'm
Salt Lake City which were orig
inally the allOttments 90 each Mormon
! Rather than a commercial enterprise the
cooperation was Intended 10 be that of
brOtherly love
Trades unions have recently been givine
cooperation much consideration and in
Diaces members have handed 20.