Year: 1870

make OF their powers, and Q local
Fad words OF Of yOur abet economists may taken
with scarcely qualification descriptive Of that tima
Capitalists may encroacb on labor. Laborers may In
their madness destroy capital. Such is the work Of
Ignorance and evil passions But, however, far such
strife may he carried, IL only result In mutual nju
recognition Of the full rights and obligations Of each
losophy set the world at war a'
what one nation gains another must lose Such phi,
losopby has had Its trial. extending over centuries OF
waste and terror ind is now fortunately dlshonored
through the whole civilized world Akin 70 1t IL the belief
That hatred and retaliation the normal conditions 0f
capital and labor and that mutual dstrust and hnrttu
s mess are inevitable In all the developments Of industry
sghtes before the glorious order OF and nature
by means OF law. Labor impoverished, ignorant, de
graded, has often turned upon its tyrant and laid IN
common waste. Church and State letters and wealth"


CONSOLIDATION OF UNION ORGANIZATIONS


IL IL needless to dwell state OF things which has
passed away TO endesyor TO fix blame on either side
In the long struggle. The frghtfu and misery


cted employers and workpeope by strikes and lock
OUTS the wide spread ruin OF families, the danger
trade well the heroism and self sacrifice which
seldom lighted up those civil conflicts, are now, trust
matters OF history. The ended, few wars dc
end without the complete discontinue OF either side,
and how better Of things has about, mus.
try to tell yon In few words After some years on
contend with their employers In their isolated local
Unions numbering each a few hundred men. They
IL possible to embrace whole trades The first
experiment made by the engineers and mschiDsts.





the most able and skillfu OF mechanics, formed
vast federation OF societies and allied II the hmaga-
tered through branches all the kingdom, and had
proud to say the last great trial Of strength with the
employers so far as this Society concerned After fou
aI6OOo In wages the struggle ended in their
total defeat, and left the Society without penny
more than quarter II its members 1t was thought
that Trades Unonism had received death blow. Never
was there more vain calculation. The Amalgamatcd
Society recovered itself with marvellous rapdity,
has gone on increasing I'LL the present time when =
branches some 20 OF which on this side the Atan


Of the engineers was followed in tine building trades the
iron trade, the coal trade and other OF leading indus


tries On the other hand the employers In these trades
also combined in large societies extending often over
whole districts At last the two armies stood opposite
another, marshaed for battle, such scale thai
every trade dispute threatened TO carry ruin and misery
into every corner Of the kingdom But while this stat.
to prevail The and humane Of the employers
and Of the leaders OF the work staggered at the
and waste Of the struggle had for years been advocating
the establishment OF courts OF arbltra-
tement of all trade disputes At length thee
wiser counsels took shape and bore good frnlt Inc
ton first in his own trade at Nottingham and stterSard
IN Other parts Of England belongs n great measure sG 70
this country, and, believe in this hail have no nms
they are established in all the great ndusrier Of tns
Kingdom and that almost all the most powerful Unions


on sSe Of i'efS strikes IN un aG after the Questions in dis
pute have been before arbitrator and coun
tn that great strikes are evils Of the past, bui
every day shows that in the future they will be gross
outrages the moral OF the community, and the
offending party will have all England against them You
hold ons at
ough, the center OF the North of England iron district
more. on' The dispute had become bitter. The in,
sat in the Town Halls employers the leading men Of
the district on one side OF long table "a we're from the
Xnr pf m on Ia saF fpr tV
days. During the frst hard things said. and bunt
contradictions facts and figures few about On tho
second the angles seemed to have been rubbed or
both sides spoke quietly and fairly At the end Of tho
another Icafried proposals backwards and forwards
for perhaps half hour and at the end Of that time had
an aerremsnf which settled ali questions in dispute and
| bound employers and workmen for whole year.


ORIGIN OF COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES.


But II matters rested here with US should stir 's
doubtful for the future Of the labor question In England
At best Courts OF Arbitration leave the standing
untouched, and even involve the necessity OF
keeping them highly organized While there are stand
ing armies there must be always danger OF war whether
between nations classes but trust that in England
are on the road to getting rid Of standing armies
altogether at any rate in the industrial world IL IL


likely to be obtained, and TO this must turn. II s
great subject perhaps the greatest which the social


than am Of the utter inadequacy Of any sketch can
give you in such lecture as this and there are many
what have already said and in what have yet 70 say
However can but do my best and hope that what say


here study our industrial history OF the Lass
40 years more in detail. ,,


In the midst OF the worst years OF the great labor war
which have been speaking OF, when masters were az
serng their right to do what they would regardless OF
only inure defeat their masters the cooperative move
commenced 30 far as the scope OF this lecture ~
concerned. leave side cooperation for purposes
of distribution which began somewhat earlier, although


has been as yet by far the mos, G suSees s M UnSer aer,
England have established stores OF their own Which
pr for all profits on purchases are divided periodically
among the members They have delivered themselye,
pubcans and have restored tone to trade outside THEN
own body. The system Of ready money payments s
But IL ~ association for production, a far harder
reform carry out, with which concerned, and
@ S1u o sts OF Who for these
questions probably remember the establishment OF the
Workmen's Associations in Paris at that time. The
tonal aters founded on false principles for pOt
ical purposes, and failed gevousy, but many other
socaions established by the Oucrters themselves -four
shed for years. indeed some OF them were still In great
prosperity down TO the breaking out OF this sad war
Well, some Englishmen who had seen or knew about
them, resolved 10 try the experiment at home.
feeling that in this direction, however dim.
solution OF the labor question. We formed in London
ssssed number Of Bodies Of men, in the building, tail
orng shoeang and other trades TO start in business
employed the work should share in the profs The
sane thing done In other parts OF England and
other branches OF industry. will trouble you with
details. Most Of these associations failed few sue
ceeded and remain to this day, but the experience
gained sufficient to convince all who took part IN
the the hand Of the truth and power Of
principle, the other hand, Of the exceeding dim
culty OF carrying 1t to practical without the aid
Of those who had grown up with the knowledge and eI
perieDee OF conducting manufactures and businesses
We had to admit, with and disappointment
that would probably take generation TO educate men
OF the working class as to ut them for the success


management 0f productive association IL the reform
was TO come speedily, IL must be by the help OF inc
employers. But here the law again STOOD ~, in
our way. An employer could not give ME
work people share in profits without making them part


and 80 giving them right TO take the sccouS ~
the business, Interfere In its ana ~ Jeops


ke his whole fortune The first thing 10 10 done va