Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-04-03
Comment and Criticism

Party regularity is hot stuff.
Brother Coolidge is determined to
have it if it busts the bank. Wheel
er, for following his own conscience
in public affairs. gets indicted. That
for him.
Couzens, for standing out and fight
ing big business, gets an old ten
million-dollar income tax slapped on
him. That for him.
The four Progressives, for serving
the people, get read out of their COM
mittee positions. That for them.
These men were elected by the peo-
pie as good party members. They
have been doing what their constit-
uents expected them to do and elected
them to do. This is rare in public
life-and the party machines don't
want too much of it.
But finally, when Coolidge, as a
last test of party regularity, tried to
force Warren through as Attorney
General, the Senators turned around
and stepped all over the appointment.
Too much is enough, they said, and
Mr.. Warren was counted out twice for
good measure.
Every person who cast a vote last
November can draw his own lesson
from this fight about party regularity.
The Operative Builders Associa-
ton, formed few weeks ago in
Washington, d. c., to combat efforts
of building trades unions to increase
wages, comes forward with a plan to
establish trade schools to train work
ers, who are expected to take the
places of union men in emergencies.
The association declares it already
has the names of $50 young men who
want to enter such schools.
The Operative Builders Associa-
ton claims to have contractors, build
ers and financiers tied up with agree
ments not to recognize employers who
grant wage increases, which means
that contractors and builders will not
be able to borrow capital on which to
do business.
The association also claims to have
the support of the Washington Real
Estate Board, and the Washington
Association of Building Owners and
Managers, representing most of the
large property owners here.
This plan is plain, ordinary
everyday boycott, proposing the with
holding of business from all who OPP
pose the program of the association
The association is composed of bust
ness men and is backed by business
men. Suppose, now-of course, just
suppose-when this plan goes into
effect, the labor unions of Washington
should declare a boycott of all bust.
ness houses in the business section of
the city and that labor and its friends
would contine their patronage to bust
ness houses outside this section. You
would hear the howl all over the ma
ton, but it would effectively tumble
down the house of cards these "build-
ers" have erected for themselves.
The dictators of Russia-the Cars,
the Lenins and the Trotzkys-paSs
away, but cooperation remains and
grows stronger, desnite the most dis
eouraging circumstances.
Centrosoyus, the All-Russian Cen
trial Union of Consumers Cooperative
Societies, has sent to the All-Ameri-
can Cooperative Commission the lat
est figures of its phenomenal growth,
showing the amazing total of 10000
distinct societies, of which half are
farmers co-ops, $4,000 consumers
co-ops, and the remainder producers
societies. Seven and a half million
families are represented as share
holders in consumers stores, while
100000 farmers have a financial
stake In the movement. A third of a
million workers are shareholders in
productive enterprises. In one short
year, this represents an increase of
LOO, 900 families who not only do
business at cooperative enterprises,
but also have invested their money in
the movement.
Not only in numbers, but also IN
volume of business the activities of
these Russian cooperativeS are Strid-
ing ahead with unparalleled vigor.
Back in 1913, the year before the
World War began, Centrosoyus turned
over S125, 100000. Despite the unim-
aginable paralysis which overlook in
dustry and transport in Russia in the
sad years which followed, the total
business last year was $400, 100000.
1t looks very much as if Russia Is
destined to be the classic land of CO.