The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-09-10
Pacific Cooperative
League Is In Safe and
Solvent Condition

Press dispatches regarding Coop
cYativc situation in Seattle are wholly
misleading. Trouble is confined en-
trcly to state of Washington.
A number Of news dispatches sent
out recently from the city Of Sc
attic, Washington, have created the
impression in some quarters that the
Pacific Cooperative League is in an
insolvent condition. The exact con-
trary is the case. The Pacific Co
operative League, one of the largest
and oldest Rochdale organizations in
America, was never safer financially
than at the present moment. The
League is not involved in the Sc
attic situation only in so far as it
has lent the services Of its President
and General Manager, Mr.. f. o. f.
Amcs, to the movement Of that city,
paying his salary during his stay
there in order to prevent the COM
plete collapse Of the movement.
For a long time the cooperative
movement in Seattle has been in a
dangerously precarious condition.
Store after store in the Consumers
Association, a local organization, be-
came insolvent These Seattle stores
were not members of the Pacific CO.
operative League. Nor was the Sc
attic Wholesale connected with the
San Francisco Wholesale. The whole
sale in Seattle is a branch of the
National Cooperative Wholesale, the
headquarters of which is in Chicago.
Ames suggested that many of these
insolvent branches be discontinued at
once in order to relieve the condi-
ton of the Seattle Wholesale, to
whom they were so heavily in debt.
Ames repeatedly tried to get the
Consumers group to assign its assets
to the Wholesale, but was frustrated
at each attempt Finally the Whole
sale was forced to make this assign
ment itself in order to satisfy credi-
tors it was unable to pay. Seeing
no other way out, Ames went into
Court and demanded a receivership
for the Consumers stores, in favor
of the Seattle Wholesale.
In this connection, Mr.. E. B. Ault,
Editor of the Seattle Union Record
says:
"Ames has had a hard row to hoe,
trying to put life into a corpse. The
movement was already gone when he
came in, and l feel that he is not
to be criticised but only commended
for his heroic efforts to save lost
| cause"
At the very moment that Ames
banked on the loyal support Of his
associates, number Of them turned
on him, and in numerous ways en-
deavored to involve the League in le-
gal difficulties fro which it was in
no way responsible. The individuals
names may be mentioned later
| League of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. have
been discredited everywhere. Event
ually the League will be entirely
cleared of their false charges and
they themselves confined where they
may repent at leisure.
The Pacific Cooperative League
has not had failure in it's entire
history. On the contrary, the many
dozens of cooperative societies in
California, Arizona, New Mexico and
other states are uniformly operating
with success and almost without eX-
ception are constantly increasing
their sales and membership capital
Members of cooperative societies
everywhere are warned to be on their
constant guard against statements
contained in press dispatches. In
many instances such dispatches are
wholly false, and in other instances
they are highly colored. The Home
Office of the Pacific Cooperative
League at San Francisco is in con-
slant touch with the branch office in
Seattle, and is in a position to give
accurate information regarding the
Seattle situation to all interested.
In order to protect themselves and
the movement as a whole, members
should refuse to place any credence
in press statements until they have
been verified officially. Every for
ward-looking movement of our time
is misrepresented and lied about re-
peatedly, and the cooperative move
ment cannot hope to escape. Let
this be your motto: accept only
half of what you read in the news
papers as the truth-and be very
critical even of that"