The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-09-02
who have not pai


going ing. or, n..,. 11qs1
the mOuthpiece Of the Farmers
ion. Scattered all over North Caro-
lima the Union has local organizations.
and these organizations are studying
the question of cooperation largely
through the influence Of Mr.. Poe. who
has taken up the question in the CO.
operative stores Of England, in the
cooperation farm projects Of Den
mark, in the cooperative schemes OF
Ireland and of our own Northwest,
and the unions are endeavoring to es-
tablish themselves on similar lines.
The Farmers Union is a close cor
pOratiOn, saying little of it's work and
it's methods. yet it is no secret that
the Union is undertaking to establish
cooperation, and that the plan favor
ed is the plan Of the famous Equita-
bic Pioneers Of Rochdale. The i'm
pOrtance of this movement in North
Carolina can be understood a little
better when some figures are given to
| illustrate the situation. In the state
at the present time are about forty
thousand members of the Union, a
vast cooperative organization already
formed and ready for some concerted
| plan Of action when the plan and the
| leader shall present Themselves APP
parently the leadership has been crys-
taliZed through the head Of the Union
and through the championship Of the
| Progressive Farmer, which stands as
| a godfather to the proposition much
as George HolyOake, Thomas Hughes
and some Of those other English agi-
tatOrs stood for emancipation among
the English workers a generation ago,
| when these schemes were in the form
ing.
With a society OF forty thousand
men in the state and with an example
like the Rochdale success, with socie-
ty favOring cooperation now, instead
Of fighting against all plans for the
betterment of the workers. as was the
case fifty or seventy five years ago,
and with the state papers encouraging
every forward movement in an intelll-
gent and helpful way, there was never
better chance for energetic cooper
alton than is now presented in North
Carolina.
The story OF the Rochdale develop
ment is most interesting. 1t COM
: menced in 1874, founded by twenty
eight weayers, who commenced by
contributing a few cents apiece each
week until small fund was accumu-
lated They expended that fund fol
four articles, as their first capital OF
$140 did not permit them to go into
trade extensively. The four articles
They sold their wares to none bu
their stockholders, but they were sc
persistent in encouraging the growth
Of their society that in thirteen year!
|, it had increased to a membership OF
nearly two thousand persons, with {
capital of over $4,000. and sales o1
, 100000 "A year. Now the member
= ship is around two million, the capita
of the various societies a hundred mil
|lion or more the sales will exceed
million dollars a day. and the Socletle:
, have factories, mills. ships OF thei1
own wholesale houses, and everything
, to carry on one of the most gigantic
!, mercantile operations known to men
: The business is still strictly cooper
: atiVe. numbering among It's STOCK
q holderSa bout one in six of all the buy
: ing population of Great Britain, Wh'
+ are by this relation its patrons.
. This is the plan the farmers ar
! endeavoring to establish in North Car
!. olina. and with the organization @
!, forty thousand men already in exist
) ence and the lans all worked out b.
: the experience of the Equitable PiOn
!, GERS of Rochdale. great hopes ar
. entertained of success.
1t is not to be presumed that success
is assured III this movement. Cooper
: alton is an old story all over the worlo
. In the United States it has had pro
;, nounced successes and diSappolntln
Il failures. In this country the com
munistic schemes Of the religious or
. ganiZationS like the Economists. VII
= have founded communities. only I
see them die. are examples. Inc 10
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