South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-10-10
NE W STORE PLAN
TO REDUCE H. c. [.
Local Men Incorporate Under
Name of the Equity Mer-
camille Company.

A step was taken as an effort to
reduce the present high cost Of liv-
ing Thursday when the Equity
Mercantile Co. Of South Bend was
Incorporated by a number of local
citizens headed by Prof. J. O. Plante
of Notre Dame university. The COM
pany has been organized for the
purpose Of placing at the disposal
Of South Bend people a cooperative
store 10 operate under the ROch-
dale plan.
The present plans are to have the
store in operation as soon as suffi-
cient stock has been sold to insure
its ultimate success. The officers Of
the new company, which is a nov
city in local circles are, ]. O..
Plante. president: Elton Richter.
vice president; c. F. VanDorn. sec
rotary: S. c. Haskins. treasurer:
board of directors are, W. A. Lam.
Hector Z. s. MacLean and Robert
D. Jones.
Plante Explains Objects.
Pref. Plante explained the objects
of the new corporation as follows:
Cooperation is the only thing
that will equalize distribution; in
creases in wages will not remedy
the evil of profteering because the
price of products will keep well
ahead of wages; government regula-
ton will usually come after the
harm is done: but cooperators can.
by owning their own stores, get the
advantage Of profiteering If such
there must be.
Cooperation is the only thing
that will bring about a proper I'M
derstanding in all important IIatters
thus bringing the community and
the country as close as possible to
a realization OF the brotherhood Of
man instead OF strife. undue infiu-
ence and thievery Of the past
"Cooperatives have been very sue
cessful In all the important coun-
tries OF Europe by following the
ROchdale principles as our Equity
Mercantile Co. does; none of the So
called cooperative stores that have
failed have followed the Rochdale
plan but most Of them were owned
only by a few persons who expect
ed returns on their shares There
are hundreds of successful coopera-
tives in this country for instance:
Gillespie, Ill, Cleveland, Elkhart,
Monnssen. Pa, Pittsburg, Spring
field, Ill, East St. Louis. Staunton.
H.. Roseland Ill, Witt. Ill, The
Palatine Cooperative of Chicago
with 1900 members also conducts
a school with 400 Polish students
and II has a capital Of half mill
lion; Silver Leaf, y. Oak; Seattle,
Puget Sound. Those OF California
are too numerous TO mention; a CO.
operative bank in Fitchburg. These
are only a few examples. Read the
June issue Of the Ladies' Home
Journal where Mr.. Sonnichsen shows
that the Rochdale cooperative plan
is the only remedy for high prices
"Workmen will protect them
selves adequately only when they
learn to cooperate in all things pos
sible. Even farmers are cooperating
with great success, why not moreso
the city people cooperation VIII
cause profteering middlemen 10 dis
appear.
Learn to Cooperate.
Learn TO cooperate in business
and at the same time learn to CO.
operate in politics in order % pass
good laws and elect only honest
men TO office. The cooperative plan
leads 10 the most perfect democracy
and away from autocracy that is re-
sponsible for every war known 20
history"
A further explanation Of the plan
and an interesting discussion Of
present conditions Will be heard
Friday night al the high school when
w w. Nooning OF Pittsburg and a
number of local speakers viii ap-
pear on the program. Their subjects
Will deal with the only way OF re-
ducing the high cost Of living i'm
mediately. permanently and without
injustice The program viii begin az
7:45 o'clock following which Prof.
j. o. Plante. professor OF economies
on finance at Notre Dame. will ex-
plain the origin and plan OF the new