Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1906-04-09

of Industry who followed the rules
Of the England Rochdale stores. For
the next Is years, which time may De
called the third period, the growth was
almost phenomenal and natural sys-
tenn of cooperative distribution was
suggested under which the United
States was to be divided into six dis
tricts, and the national department to
cooperate with a similar system in
England. The great majority of these
stores, like their predecessors, met
with failure
From 1881 to 1877, the fourth per-
iod, the Knights of Labor added re-
neWed energy to the movement. This
body advocated the general substitu-
ton of a cooperative industrial system
in the place of the wage system. The
Plumbers international union and the
Sociological Society of America aided
the work with their funds. While a
careful estimate places the number of
stores established during this period
at so with a capital stock of $1,000,
900, remarkably few of them are stin
alive.
During the fifth period, 1887 to 1898,
the Farmers Alliance was very active
in prOpagating cooperative ideas
among the southern farmers. 1t was
a secret order having for it's object
the social and commercial betterment
of it's members. The alliance ex-
ri did 1,rcinocc of c1n nOO AO1
during 1890. The attention of this
body today is directed toward the es-
Enlistment of cooperative elevators,
and to cooperative selling rather than
to cooperative buying.
During the next ten years there
was but little activity in the cooper
ative world many of the stores in ex-
istence being abandoned. No decided
change occurred until about 1900 and
the following years which constitute
the last effort to establish cooperation.
These years were marked by the or
ganizatiOn of several strong natiQhal
associations whose object was to pro-
pagate ideas of cooperation. Foremost
among these organizations were the
Right Relationship league, The CO.
operative Association of America,
The Rochdale Wholesale Co., and the
National Cooperative league
There are at present 343 cooper
ative stores in the United States;
California having the largest number
IS; Wisconsin occupies third place
with 80 stores. These 343 stores re-
present a capital of about $500, 900.
have a membership of 76,146 per-
sons, and their annual trade is about
1865 ,526,7 43,
In this country cooperative distri-
button has been marked by almost
total failure. The greatest cause for
their failure was the collapse of the
labor and farm movements which gave
them birth, and the lack Of business
knowledge. They were never thor
oughly organized and nearly always
lacked the support Of a wholesale
house from which they could obtain
their supplies. Department stores,
trading stamp schemes and the low
prices of mail order houses all aided
in the downfall of cooperative stores.
Furthermore, conditions in this coun-
try, the Individuality of our people,
their changing employment, the impe-
tuOus nature of the people which looks
to speculation rather than to CON
sentative investment, are opposed to
the spirit of cooperation. Free librar
les. public lectures, university extern
sion courses, savings banks, building
and loan associations and insurance
policies take the place in this country
which the cooperative store occupies
in Europe.
Many of the above causes are being
removed today by revolution in the
industrial world. Recent organiza-
tons are upon much firmer basis
Cooperative wholesale houses are be-
ing established in the Mississippi
valley and on the Pacific coast. But
+ above al, the growth of social fellow
ship and unionism upon the solid
foundation only possible in recent
years, together with thorough bust
ness knowledge, will serve to give
greater stability in the future. If such
stores enjoy permanent success it viii
be solely as a business proposition, foI'
it is now apparent that no lasting eff
ton in this country can ever be ac-
| compHshed by the application of CO.
operative doctrines.