I have it in my mind to say a few words upon cooperation. I will
quote a saying of one, whose partial history is given to us in the New
Testament. The saying is this, "my yoke is easy, my burden is light."
The knowledge I have gained in my private experience proves to me that
there is not a man or woman, community or family, but what, if they
will hearken to the council that God gives them, can do better in
everything, spiritual or temporal, than they can if they take their
own way.
Taking up the system of our cooperative method of merchandising, it
gives to the people ease and money. They are not obliged to run a
mile or two through the mud to buy a yard of ribbon, they have it in
their own Ward, and they can purchase it twenty or thirty percent
cheaper than they ever could before. I know it is frequently said by
our Elders when any new system is introduced to the people, "put down
your names, hand over your money, and if you are required to pay two
dollars for that which is worth only one, do it and ask no questions."
I have never requested my brethren and sisters to act in any such way.
I want their eyes opened and their understandings enlightened; I wish
them to know and understand their business transactions and everything
they do just as perfectly as a woman knows how to wash dishes, sweep a
room, make a bed or bake a cake. I want it to be just as familiar to
the brethren as to make a pair of shoes, to sow and gather their grain
or any other portion of their ordinary labor. I do not ask any of you
to go blindfolded into any matters or any system of business whatever;
instead of that I prefer that you should know and understand all about
it. I wish to enlighten your minds a little with regard to the system
of merchandising which has heretofore prevailed in this Territory.
There is quite a number of the community who were acquainted with the
first merchants who came here. It is true that a few of our own
brethren brought a few goods; but the first merchants who came here
were Livingston and Kinkead. They, to my certain knowledge, commenced
by selling the goods they brought at from two to five hundred percent
above cost. There were a few articles, with the real value of which
everybody was acquainted, that they did not put quite so high; but just as quick as they came to a piece of goods, the value of
which everybody did not understand, the people might look out for the
five hundred percent. They continued their operations here until they
made hundreds of thousands of dollars. I do not think I ever heard a
person, professing to be a Latter-day Saint, complain of those
merchants. Others followed them. They came here, commenced their trade
and made money, in fact we poured it into their laps. I recollect once
going into the store of Livingston and Kinkead, and there being a
press of people in the store, I passed behind one of the counters. I
saw several brass kettles under it, full of gold pieces—sovereigns,
eagles, half eagles, etc. One of the men shouted, "Bring another brass
kettle." They did so, and set it down, and the gold was thrown into
it, "chink," "chink," "chink," until, in a short time
it was filled. I
saw this; the whole drift of the people was to get rid of their money.
I have heard more complaints the last few weeks about the
cooperative movement than I ever heard before about merchandising.
Now, I will tell you the facts about this movement. We started the
cooperative system here when we thought we would wait no longer; we
opened the Wholesale Cooperative Store, and since that, retail stores
have been established, although some of the latter were opened before
the Wholesale store was opened. I know this, that as soon as this
movement was commenced the price of goods came down from twenty to
thirty percent. I recollect very well, after our vote last October
Conference, that it was soon buzzed around, "Why you can get calico
down street at eighteen, and seventeen cents a yard;" and it came down
to sixteen. But when it came down to sixteen cents, who had a chance
to buy any? Why nobody, unless it was just a few yards that were sold
to them as a favor. But when it came to the Wholesale Cooperative
Store the price was put at sixteen cents, and retail stores are
selling it today at seventeen and a half or eighteen cents a yard. I
will tell you that which I expect will hurt the feelings of many of
you: Among this people, called Latter-day Saints, when the devil has
got the crowns, sovereigns, guineas and the twenty dollar pieces, it
has been all right; but let the Lord get a sixpence and there is an
eternal grunt about it.
I will relate a little circumstance in relation to cooperation at
Lehi. Five months after they had commenced their retail store on this
cooperative system there, they struck a dividend to see what they had
made; and they found that every man who had paid in twenty-five
dollars—the price of a share, had a few cents over twenty-eight
dollars handed back or credited to him. Is not this cruel? Is not
this a shame? It is ridiculous to think that they are making money so
fast. Did they sell their goods cheaper than the people of Lehi could
buy them before? Yes. Did they fetch the goods to them? O, yes, and
yet they made money. A few weeks ago I was in the Wholesale Store in
this city, and I was asking a brother from American Fork how
cooperation worked there; and I learned that three months after
commencing every man who had put in five dollars, or twenty-five
dollars had that amount handed back to him and still had his capital
stock in the Institution; and still they had sold their goods cheaper
than anybody else had ever sold them there.
The question may arise with some how can this be? I will tell you how it is: our own merchants make a calculation of charging you
just fifty percent on their staple goods, and from one hundred to
five hundred on their fancy goods. Now these Cooperative Stores sell
their goods for twenty percent less than they can be bought from the
merchants; and although they sell at a lower rate, the reason is they
recruit their stock of goods every week if necessary, while our
merchants, up till very recently, did it only about once a year. These
little stores at American Fork, Lehi, Provo, and other wards and
places around, can drive their teams here in a day and replenish their
stocks of goods, and that enables them to turn over their money
quickly; and if they put on six or eight percent instead of fifty,
by turning their money over every week, in about twelve weeks they
make a dollar double itself. That comes the nearest keeping the cake
and eating it of anything I know. I have heard people say you cannot
do that, but those who are investing their little means in these
stores are actually doing it.
I know that many of our traders in this city are feeling very bad and
sore over this. They say, "you are taking the bread out of our
mouths." We wish to do it, for they have made themselves rich. Take my
community, three-eighths of whom are living on the labor of the
remaining five-eighths, and you will find the few are living on the
many. Take the whole world, and comparatively few of its inhabitants
are producers. If the members of this community wish to get rich and
to enjoy the fruits of the earth they must be producers as well as
consumers.
As to these little traders, we are going to shut them off. We feel a
little sorry for them. Some of them have but just commenced their
trad ing operations, and they want to keep them up. They have made,
perhaps, a few hundred dollars, and they would like to continue so as
to make a few thousands; and then they would want scores of thousands
and then hundreds of thousands. Instead of trading we want them to go
into some other branches of business. Do you say, what business? Why,
some of them may go to raising broom corn to supply the Territory with
brooms, instead of bringing them from the States. Others may go to
raising sugar cane, and thus supply the Territory with a good sweet;
we have to send to the States for our sugar now. We will get some more
of them to gathering up hides and making them into leather, and
manufacturing that leather into boots and shoes; this will be far more
profitable than letting hundreds and thousands of hides go to waste as
they have done. Others may go and make baskets; we do not care what
they go at, provided they produce that which will prove of general
benefit. Those who are able can erect woolen factories, get a few
spindles, raise sheep and manufacture the wool. Others may raise flax
and manufacture that into linen cloth, that we may not be under the
necessity of sending abroad for it. If we go on in this way, we shall
turn these little traders into producers, which will help to enrich
the entire people.
Another thing I will say with regard to our trading. Our Female Relief
Societies are doing immense good now, but they can take hold and do
all the trading for these wards just as well as to keep a big loafer
to do it. It is always disgusting to me to see a big, fat, lubberly
fellow handing out calicoes and measuring ribbon; I would rather see
the ladies do it. The ladies can learn to keep books as well
as the men; we have some few, already, who are just as good
accountants as any of our brethren. Why not teach more to keep books
and sell goods, and let them do this business, and let the men go to
raising sheep, wheat, or cattle, or go and do something or other to
beautify the earth and help to make it like the Garden of Eden,
instead of spending their time in a lazy, loafing manner?
Now, if you think this is speculation, brethren and sisters, just
enter into it for it is the best speculation that has been got up for
a great while. I recollect the people used to say we were speculating
when we were preaching the Gospel. They accused "Joe Smith," as they
called him, of being a speculator and a money digger." I acknowledged
then, and I acknowledge now, that I am engaged in the greatest
speculation a man can be engaged in. The best business to pursue that
was ever introduced on the face of the earth is to follow the path of
eternal life. Why, it gives us fathers, mothers, wives, friends,
houses and lands. Jesus said they who followed Him would have to
forsake these things. I reckon some of us have done it already; and
all who will live faithful, may have the privilege of so doing. Many
of this people have sacrificed all they possessed on this earth, over
and over again, for the truth's sake; and if Jesus gave us the truth
in relation to this, we shall be entitled to fathers, mothers, wives,
children, gold and silver, houses, lands and possessions a hundred
fold. But we do not want the spirit of the world with all this. What
is the advantage of following the path of life? It makes good
neighbors, and fills everybody with peace, joy and contentment. Is
there contention in a family that follows in the path of eter nal life?
Not the least. Is there quarrelling among neighbors where this course
is followed? No. Any going to law one with another? Such a thing is
unknown. I say praise to the Latter-day Saints, as far as these things
are concerned.
What I have in my mind with regard to this cooperative business is
this—There are very few people who cannot get twenty-five dollars to
put into one of these cooperative stores. There are hundreds and
thousands of women who, by prudence and industry, can obtain this sum.
And we say to you put your capital into one of these stores. What for?
To bring you interest for your money. Put your time and talents to
usury. We have the parable before us. If we have one, two, three or
five talents, of what advantage will they be if we wrap them in a
napkin and lay them away? None at all. Put them out to usury. These
cooperative stores are instituted to give the poor a little advantage
as well as the rich. I have said to my brethren, in starting these
stores in different places, "If you want help I will find means to put
in to give the thing a start;" but I have only found two places in
the Territory in which they were willing to sell me stock—Provo, where
they wanted a wholesale store, and the wholesale store in this city.
Go to this ward or the other and the answer is invariably, "we want
no more means, we can get all we need." They did not think they could
before starting. I recollect the Tenth Ward in this city had but seven
hundred dollars to start with; in two or three weeks after they
commenced I asked some of the brethren how they were prospering, and
was told they had a thousand dollars' worth of goods on the shelves
and money in the drawer and owed nothing. This is considered one of the poorest wards in the city, but it is not so.
Now take upon you this yoke; it is a great deal easier than to pay so
much more for goods as you have been doing. I say the "yoke is easy
and the burden is light" and we can bear it. If we will work unitedly,
we can work ourselves into wealth, health, prosperity and power, and
this is required of us. It is the duty of a Saint of God to gain all
the influence he can on this earth, and to use every particle of that
influence to do good. If this is not his duty, I do not understand
what the duty of man is. I thank you for your attention, brethren and
sisters. God bless you. Amen.