The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-06-21

II
for the rest OF his life that trades
man's bound chattel. The trades.
man lei him have money nominaily
e 10 per cent and really at worse
taan chat. Part OF the bargain was
that the borrower should buy every
thing at the traders store. and OF
course in such conditions the trader
hardly did a thing TO him.
Cooperation began to knock out
this pleasing device. II lent money
10 the farmer At 4l-2 and S per cent.
This brings me TO another good
lesson for us In this story. Every
inch OF the way cooperation has
been fought in Ireland by the pow
erful reactionary influences repre-
scented BY the traders.
The real trouble about ending
competition. the real trouble about
ending war and bringing about
peace and a good understanding
among the children OF earth. Is al
ways the powerful influences that
make money out OF the other thing.
In other words. the interests.
In Ireland the trader II q bigger
man In politics than q saloonkeeper
| in the Twelfth ward Of Chicago. The
government stands In awe of him
and politicians lick his boots.
Under these conditions to emanct
| pate the people Of Ireland has been
. hard job. Every phase OF the new
movement has been covered with
lies and fought with political tricks.
Horace Plunkett was for years the
en,cient head OF the Irish agricul-
tural department. The trading in.
terests made war on him because OF
his work for cooperation and final.
ly they got him.
Then they put into his place .
man opposed to cooperation. He Is
stu there.
Yet. In spite Of oficia' opposition,
| Il goes Its way. turning poverty into
comfort and giving opportunity to
people who never had opportunity
before
Hut II IL not merely its better
material conditions nor even i'm
proved and increased production
that the hackers Of the movement
make the most Of.
Cooperation 10 changing the life
Of the farm household from isola-
ton TO = rational state Of human
association with chance for
knowledge, relaxation and amuse-
meat
AZ soon as q cooperative society
10 started anywhere It must have a
meeting place, for everything IL de-
termined by the vote of the mem
bers. They get hall. II becomes
. social center. Having a social
center. they use it for lectures. con-
certs and dances. The women start
organizations of their own. The
young people have q club. The next
thing you know the somnolent COM
munity has awakened to social life.
People get acquainted with one an
other and learn that after all
they're = pretty good sort.
The Irish Agricultural Organize
don society II the name OF the cen.
trial body that inspires these mo
mentous changes. pushes them along
BY sending out organizers and pub
lishing tracts and pamphlets. In
PIunkett House. Dublin. where It
has it, headquarters. II maintains
. steadily Increasing library for the
Ibensat OF the co-operators. Plunkett
House, BY the way. IL named in
honor Of the persistent man who on
. wholly unselfsh impulse gave TO
the movement its start.
One Of the labors OF this central
body II to keep the thing plumb
to the original plan. This sought
10 avoid the reef that has wrecked
% many cooperative societies In
America by ruling out the joint
stock idea and the soulless corpora
ton. The organization II always
very simple. No matter how much
money member puts into the ven
ture he has but one vote. The use
Of = part Of the proceeds for educa-
tional work ID usually insisted upon.
Beyond this and Q certain percent
age al Of the net returns are d..
vided among the customers in the
proportion Of the business they
have furnished.
The co-operators are constantly
entering new fields; there seems
to be . reasonable basis for the pre-
diction that In comparatively few
years al the agricultural business
Of Ireland will b done "COPPER"
lively. can't stop here to enum-
crate the qualifications OF the idea.
can only instance the fact that
sOme societies are making electric
ity and furnishing II to members for
power and illumination. and old
houses that never before knew any.
thing but candle now glitter with
incandescent bulbG
The thing grows because In at
least two ways II is fundamentally
sound, progressive and wholesome.
First, It stops waste and secures
the greatest results from human
efforts. Hardly a farmer in ireland
could afford TO farm with traction
engines, gang plows, and power
ii ~