THE NATIONAL WHEEL. 87 



and seven other States had applied for organizers. 

 Unfortunately, however, the provisions of the By-laws 

 placed the annual dues so low that the funds were not 

 sufficient to push the organization, or comply with the 

 demands everywhere for organizers. The greater part of 

 the work done in organizing new territory was solely u a 

 work of love." 



It is hardly necessary to state that the usual obstacles 

 were to be overcome in perfecting labor organizations. 

 Co-operation was a grand and distinctive feature of the 

 Order. Among the possibilities in this line were co-oper- 

 ative stores, purchasing and sales agents and co-operative 

 manufactures. The merchants fought it because it was 

 interfering with their business. The commission men 

 opposed it because it was an encroachment upon their 

 established trade; and the manufacturers boycotted it 

 because it was premeditated war upon high prices and 

 enormous profits. But there were other and greater 

 obstacles which the Wheel had to combat. The tone of 

 its preamble and objects as set forth in the Constitution, 

 and the ring of resolutions passed in its meetings indicated 

 that the farmers had begun to grasp the whole situation. 

 That they had not only concluded to practice economy at 

 home in buying and selling, and to educate themselves to 

 a knowlege of better methods of farming, but that class 

 legislation must cease; that monopolies must go; that 

 privileged classes must content themselves with even 

 chances with others in the race of life and the " pursuit of 

 happiness. ' ' In other words, they demanded equality and 

 justice, and the practice of rigid economy in the adminis- 

 tration of government affairs. They did not pretend to 

 come into the field as a new political party they were 

 composed of all political parties but they boldly discussed 

 in their meetings all questions of political economy. They 

 taught that it was the duty of the citizen to educate him- 



