| OCR Text |
Show An E n c y c l i c a l Letter upon Co-operation and the social T h i s l e t t e r i s i n i t s e l f a c h a p t e r of h i s t o r y . p l a n of s o c i e t y a t t e m p t e d b y t h e Mormons e s p e c i a l l y affairs. System. It puts in their forth the temporal To t h e L a t t e r - d a y S a i n t s : - "The e x p e r i e n c e of m a n k i n d h a s shown t h a t t h e p e o p l e of communit i e s a n d n a t i o n s among whom w e a l t h i s t h e m o s t e q u a l l y d i s t r i b u t e d , en j o y t h e l a r g e s t d e g r e e of l i b e r t y . a r e t h e l e a s t e x p o s e d t o t y r a n n y , a n d o p p r e s s i o n and s u f f e r t h e l e a s t from l u x u r i o u s h a b i t s which b e g e t vice. Among t h e c h o s e n p e o p l e o f t h e L o r d . t o p r e v e n t t h e t o o r a p f c d g r o w t h o f w e a l t h a n d i t s a c c u m u l a t i o n i n a f e w h a n d s , He o r d a i n e d t h a t e v e r y seventh year t h e d e b t o r s were t o be r e l e a s e d from t h e i r d e b t s , and where a nan s o l d h i m s e l f t o h i s b r o t h e r / h e was i n t h a t y e a r r e l e a s e d from s l a v e r y and t o go f r e e ; e v e n t h e l a n d w a s r e t u r n e d t o i t s o r i g i n a l o w n e r , on t h e y e a r of t h e j u b i l e e . So t h e s y s t e m i s d e s c r i b e d i n i t s r e l a t i o n t o p r e vent monopoly, e t c . . . . . . . . . . ... " O n e o f t h e g r e a t e v i l s w i t h w h i c h o u r own n a t i o n i s m e n a c e d a t t h e p r e s e n t t i m e i s t h e w o n d e r f u l growth of w e a l t h in t h e h a n d s of a c o m p a r a t i v e ^ few i n d i v i d u a l s " . The very l i b e r t i e s for which our f a t h e r s fought etc, are endangered by t h i s monstrous power accumulated w e a l t h g i v e s t o a few i n d i v i d u a l s and w e a l t h y c a p i t a l i s t s It threatens to give share t o l e g i s l a t i o n b o t h S t a t e and N a t i o n a l , .....unchecked and a l l o w e d t o grow t h e n a t i o n i s l i a b l e t o be o v e r t a k e n w i t h d i s a s t e r , for h i s t o r y shows such t e n d e n c y always t h e p r e c u r s o r t o r u i n , a few y e a r s age L a t t e r - d a y p a i n t s w e r e o p e n t o t h e same d a n g e r s a s t h o s e w h i c h b e s e t the w o r l d . . C o n c e n t r a t i o n of w e a l t h w a s r a p i d l y f o r m i n g a w e a l t h y c l a s s , w h i c h w a s d a n g e r o u s t o o u r u n i o n , a n d we o f a l l p e o p l e s n e e d u n i o n . Then i t was t h a t t h e g a i n t s were c o u n s e l l e d to e n t e r i n t o co-opera tion. I n t h e a b s e n c e o f t h e n e c e s s a r y f a i t h t o t*Q e n t e r i n t o t h e m o r e p e r f e c t o r d e r r e v e a l e d by t h e Lord u n t o t h e Church, t h i s was t h o u g h t t o be t h e b e s t means of d r a w i n g u s t o g e t h e r and m a k i n g u s o n e . Zion s C o - o p e r a t i v e m e r c a n t i l e I n s t i t u t i o n was o r g a n i z e d , and t h r o u g h o u t the t e r r i t o r y , t h e - m e r c a n t i l e b u s i n e s s of t h e v a r i o u s w a r d s and s e t t l e m e n t s was o r g a n i z e d a f t e r t h a t p a t t e r n . Hot o n l y was t h e m e r c a n t i l e business t h u s o r g a n i z e d . , b u t a t v a r i o u s p l a c e s b r a n c h e s of m e c h a n i c a l , manufact u r i n g and o t h e r p r o d u c t i v e i n d u s t r i e s were e s t a b l i s h e d noon t h i s b a s i s . T o d a y c o - o p e r a t i o n a r c n g u s i s no u n t r i e d e x p e r i m e n t . It has been t e s t ed, and w h e n e v e r f a i r l y t e s t e d u n d e r p r o p e r management i t s r e s u l t s h a v e been most g r a t i f y i n g , and f u l l y e q u a l t o a l l t h a t was e x p e c t e d of it, t h o u g h many a t t e m p t s h a v e b e e n made t o d i s p a r a . - e a n d d e c r y i t , t o d e s t r o y t h e c o n f i d e n c e of t h e p e o p l e i n i t a n d h a v e i t p r o v e a f a i l u r e . P r o m t h e d a y Z . C . M. I . w a s o r g a n i z e d t o t h i s d a y i t f i a d ' a f f o r m i d a b l e and c o m b i n e d o p p o s i t i o n t o c o n t e n d w i t h , a n d t h e m o s t b a s e a n d u n s c r u p u l o u s m e t h o d s h a v e b e e n a d o p t e d b y t h o s e , who h a v e no i n t e r e s t f o r the 1 4 w e l f a r e of t h e p e o p l e t o d e s t r o y i t s c r e d i t private assaults t e l e g r a p h i c d i s p a t c h e s and c o r r e s p o n d e n c e t o n e w s p a p e r s of m o s t l i o s t i l e nature. T h a t i t h a s l i v e d in s p i t e of a l l t h e s e i s a v a l u a b l e -p r o o f of t h e p r a c t i c a l w o r t h of c o - o p e r a t i o n t o u s a s a p e o p l e . Up t o d a t e Z . 0 . K. I . h a s h a d no n o t e go t o p r o t e s t ; no f i r m b y d e a l i n g w i t h i t h a s ever lost a dollar, i t s business t r a n s a c t i o n s have been s a t i s f a c t o r y to i t s c r e d i t o r s a n d y e t i t s p u r c h a s e s h a v e a m o u n t -d t o f i f t e e n millions of d o l l a r s . What f i r m c a n o f f e r a b r i g h t e r , , m o r e h o n o r a b l e record! |
