74

THE  SOCIALISM  OF  TO-DAY.

causes  have  demonstrated  that  Lassalle  was  wrong  in  demanding ­
  State  aid  for  the  multiplication  of  working  men’s  associations.
It  would  have  been  to  condemn  them  to  inevitable  ruin.  Every
reform  which  aims  at  suddenly  transforming  the  social  order
will  fail,  because  the  very  elements  of  the  transformation  are
lacking.
Must  we,  then,  despair  of  the  future  success  of  co-operative
societies  ?  I  do  not  think  so.  According  as  working  men
understand  better  what  is  necessary  to  their  success,  we  shall
see  more  and  more  of  them  arise  and  prosper.*  The  working
man,  on  becoming  an  associate-capitalist,  and  receiving  a  proportional ­
  part  of  the  profits,  will  work  better  than  a  mere  wageearner.
  The  produce  will  therefore  be  greater—a  most  vital
consideration.  But  there  remain  three  difficulties  to  overcome.
In  the  first  place,  good  managers  must  be  found,  and  to  enable
this  to  be  done  they  must  be  well  paid.  Secondly,  co-operation ­
  associates  not  only  sums  of  capital,  but  also  men  ;  it  is,
therefore,  essential  that  a  spirit  of  mutual  support  and  good
understanding  should  reign  among  them.  Finally,  since  cooperation ­
  is  republicanism  applied  to  industry,  the  virtue  which
enables  republics  to  live  must  be  there,  namely,  obedience  to
established  law  and  authority.  I  here  is,  therefore,  a  whole
economic  education  to  be  achieved,  for  which  time  is  necessary.
*  In  America,  where  the  working  men  are  paid  higher  wages,  they  are
better  prepared  to  take  part  in  the  direction  of  industrial  enterprises,  and
frequent  examples  of  successful  co-operative  societies  of  production  are  met
with.  Thé  following  are  a  few  taken  from  ScnbneYj  Monthly  Magazine,  ^d
from  M.  Limousin’s  paper.  Bulletin  du  Mouvement  Social  :  The  Beaverfall
Co-operative  Foundry,  in  Pennsylvania,  was  founded  in  1872  u|X)n  a  small
capital  of  4000  dollars  (about  ;(^8oo).  It  now  has  16,000  dollars  (¿32W)
capital,and  pays  upon  each  share  an  annual  dividend  of  12  to  15  per  cent.  The
society  comprises  twenty-seven  members.  The  Somerset  Co-operative  loundry
Company,  in  Massachusetts,  was  established  in  1867,  with  thirty  associates
and  a  capital  of  14,000  dollars  (;^28oo).  Now,  its  fifty-three  members  have
a  capital  of  30,000  dollars  (¿6000),  with  a  reserve  fund  of  28,000  dollars,
and  the  dividends  occasionally  rose  to  44  P^r  cent.  The  Equitable  Cooperative ­
  of  Rochester,  in  New  York  State,  b^an  in  1869  with
20,000  dollars  (/^Sooo),  now  it  has  100,000  dollars  (425,oc)o),  ilerived
from  accumulated  profits.  Some  co-operative  societies  of  production  have
succeeded  in  England,  Germany,  Italy,  and  Belgium.  See  the  annual  renorts
  of  Herr  Schulze-Delitzsch  ;  “  History  of  Co-operation,  by  G.  Holyoake
  ;  and  M.  Leond  'Andrimont’s  book.  Le  Mouvement  Co-opératif  en
Belgique.