Year: 1874

freemen, and the effect Of this discussion will
quite probably be felt at the ballot box.


Many societies provide for mutual assist
ance in case Of reverses of fortune. They
will bury you when you are dead, or give
fund to your widow. This institution does
not provide for charity, but for equity. In
stead of providing charity, it aims to put its
members beyond the need Of charity. So
cially, the meetings of The council tend to
elevate our manhood and womanhood. There
is nowhere else a school so valuable as the
grange and the council where the producers
Of the worlds wealth meet to discuss and
interchange ideas upon the real, practical is
sues Of life. We don't discuss womens
rights; we give them their rights. We ad-
init them on an equal footing in the council.
lie is glad this is so. 1t would not be right
otherwise He would be ashamed to 90
where he would not want to meet his moth
er.


Now here are several thousand people
who purchase their necessaries and pay long
prices for them. Mouths and backs make
the market, aud if one hand can feed the
mouths and clothe the backs where twenty
do it now, the cost of the nineteen may be
saved.


In London they had cooperative stores,
which brought goods cheaply to the mem-
bors, but there were great many men there
who could not pay the few pence required
as initiation fee to the society. They organ
lied and offered their grocery trade to the
man who would sell to them the best. They
soon made arrangements so that whenever
they showed their ticket they could buy for
discount at the principal grocery stores.
But the grocery men found this would not
work their other customers became Jealous.
So the grocers made proposition that the
society should furnish warehouse where
they could leave their goods, in charge of
an agent Of the society, and the members
could come and select their goods and pay
the short price, and the grocer would collect
pay for goods sold every night or once a
week. as he chose. The result was that the
society-the London Civil Service Supply
Associauon-now have warehouses where
almost every kind of goods are stored by
manufacturers and importers, agents in
charge furnished by the association, and the
entire cost is betrayed by an advance of ! ]
per cent on the first cost of the goods, and
before long the association will have de-
partments for all branches of trade in their
warehouses. This as achQt the oranges and
councils soW lead to here. In Springfield
they have warehouse where an agent in
Chicago who sells to five state oranges keeps
supply on hand, so that they can buy by
the single barrel, without waiting to make
out an order for car load


In Boston they have arrangements with
one of the largest clothing houses in the
United States, whereby they get their
clothing, in orders Of 500 or more at one
time, for six per cent discount from whole
sale prices, while five per cent is all the
discount any merchant can get for cash.
Thus, by combining, man can buy pair
Of pants, vest, or whole suit, putting his
order with those of his brethren, and get
them cheaper than the country merchant
can buy at wholesale. They buy ladies'
pebbled goat high buttoned boots, such as
retail at SO, for S1.75, and other things in
proportion.


He said he had heard that some employ
ees OF large manufacturing establishment
in this place hesitated about uniting with
the Sovereigns for fear it might dsplease
their employers. He did not believe that
said employers were narrow minded enough
to stand in their own light in that way, but
If they are the sooner the workmen find it
out the better.


Two classes are ineligible, and third
will hardly be accepted. The first two are
lawyers and politicians, and the third is the
merchant. We do not want to elect any
more lawyers to offices of trust because
their business separates them from true
honesty. Their business is to work for
their clients, right or wrong, and when they
cast their vote in the legislature or in Con-
gress they are quite too likely to be looking
over their shoulders to see what lobbyists
are watching them. Had there been no
lawyers in Congress the Pacific fairoad
would never have got its enormous grants of
land.


We want to organize to control those two
mighty functions, creatures of labor, pro-
duction and distribution, and we shall OBJ
tain justice.


Mr.. Orvis was frequently and warmly
applauded, and his address will not be with
out weight with the large and intelligent
congregation Of workingmen present.