364 HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



growing out of such, would prompt them to form an unholy and unhallowed com- 

 bination for the purpose of throttling a business venture, established for the purpose 

 of inaugurating a just and equitable system of distribution. Yet it is true, and, unless 

 each member evinces patriotic zeal and loyalty, and promptly rises to a full concep- 

 tion of the dignity and gravity of the situation, and royally assumes at once his part 

 of the burden, our efforts will be much hampered. 



" It is now time for each brother to realize the fact that faltering now means 

 unconditional surrender; it means a perpetuation of the invidious discriminations 

 which now deprive, and have in the past deprived, us of a just share of the proceeds 

 of our labor. 



" Our faith in the zeal, fidelity, love of justice, and patriotism in the order is so 

 strong that we look to you to say, by your actions, that a combination of schemers, 

 now formed for selfish purposes, shall not thwart the efforts of a quarter of .a million 

 free men, fighting the battles of truth and justice. 



" With unfaltering confidence in your ability and loyalty, we urge you to move 

 with one accord forward, and victory awaits you. 



" Yours fraternally, 



" EVAN JONES, President, 

 " B. J. KENDRICK, 

 " JOE SMELTZER, 

 " GEO. L. CLARK, 



" Executive Committee." 



The Exchange used the notes for the very purpose for which they 

 were given, and did not sell or part ownership with one of them. True, 

 some of them were forfeited as collateral, but that was no violation of 

 the agreement on the part of the Exchange. That was a contingency 

 that the makers of the notes took the chances of when they made the 

 notes for that purpose. 



The plan of business inaugurated by the Exchange was a great innova- 

 tion upon the established usages and customs of the country at that' 

 time ; it was therefore attended with the two great drawbacks that always 

 attend the introduction of an innovation, bitter opposition and great 

 difficulty in being understood. The people had been for twenty years 

 taught the Rochdale system of conducting stores, and, as it had for its 

 object an entirely different purpose from that taught by the Alliance, 

 the Exchange could not use that plan, and therefore was compelled to 

 undertake the difficult task of introducing a new system, and combat- 

 ing the opposition from within the order, of many who were wedded to 

 the Rochdale plan of joint-stock (miscalled co-operative) stores. The 

 opposition of the merchants and dealers of the State was aroused against 

 the Exchange plan, because it proposed to demoralize prices. A com- 

 parison will show the essential difference between the Exchange and 

 the Rochdale systems. The latter proposed to establish stores, or rather 

 to have the people in the different localities furnish the capital and start 



