PUBLICATION OF MRS. BRADEN’S NOVEL—THE PROFITS OF THE ASSOCIATION AND
REWARD OF THE AUTHOR—THE PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT EXTENDS ITS SPHERE.
The Messenger and Publishing department, as I have previously stated,
was under my especial charge. Up to the time Miss Woodberry, now Mrs.
Braden, had given permission to have her novel submitted to a
Co-opolitan committee, and that committee had reported favorably upon
the proposition to publish it, I had conducted this department upon the
most conservative lines. I confess that, even then, the vastness of the
power of co-operative labor to overcome all obstacles was not fully
comprehended by me. I had as yet but dimly recognized that the combined
strength of labor directed to the accomplishment of a definite purpose
was simply irresistible. Business in the competitive world which
involves the sale and delivery of large accumulations of property, real
or fictitious, is transacted upon a ridiculously narrow financial basis,
and must necessarily be conducted with extreme caution. But where the
fiction of money is abolished and the intercourse among men rests upon
the basis of labor exchange, which is as broad as the earth itself, and
as fair as perfect justice, there need be no fear of setting in motion
every productive energy available. Too much of what men need or ought to
have can never impoverish them.
My wife’s novel was placed upon the market for sale in due season. The
Daily Co-opolitan announced its appearance and contained an able and
very flattering criticism of it from the pen of Mr. Edmunds. The first
was a cheap edition of twenty thousand copies, and so great was the
pride of all Idaho in this first literary work in the line of fiction
which could be considered distinctively Co-opolitan that the entire
edition was exhausted before any could be shipped out of the state. This
edition was sold for twenty cents a copy in labor-credit checks or
industrial orders or money. But the demand was so great from the
Brotherhood all over the country for this novel that I was compelled to
have another edition of 100,000 copies struck off, and this was gotten
up with so much greater ornamentation and in so much better style that I
thought proper to have the price fixed at fifty cents a copy. The book
had been commented upon favorably by all the newspapers and magazines of
the United States and England, and not only the Brotherhood but the
entire literary world was anxious to read it. The time was especially
favorable to render it exceedingly popular. It was just beginning to
dawn upon civilized humanity that Idaho was producing marvels in
co-operative industry, and that a new civilization was born. “The West
Parish” was a masterly presentation of the Co-operator’s case against
the competitor and had a powerful effect in convicting the latter,
before the tribunal of Christian civilization, of high crimes and
misdemeanors. The second edition was exhausted as swiftly, almost, as
water sinks in sand. Again I was called upon to supply the unsatisfied
demand of the American reader. Its high literary merit, the picture it
drew of Utopia realized, the remedy it pointed out from the standard of
an actual modern experience, the relief it offered to millions of
starving men and women made it the sensation of the day. All classes
read it. Even the conservative business man who, twenty years before,
had, rather vainly, boasted that he had escaped reading “Looking
Backward,” quietly bought a copy of “The West Parish,” and, after
reading it, handed it, without comment, to his neighbor.
I now found that these two editions of the first publication of my
department, in the book line, had added $40,000.00 in United States
money to the accumulations of my department, and this I turned over to
the Legislative Council, according to law. Again I printed an edition of
one million copies. This was prepared in much cheaper style, and by
advice of our Legislative Council, whose advice I had asked, I placed
this edition in every book store and on every news stand in the United
States at five cents a copy. This I did because it was now apparent that
it was producing a great awakening among the people, and I desired, or
rather, I should say, we desired, that the poor who had no means might
also read. But we realized a profit even at that price, and we knew no
better way to destroy the profit system than to take its profit.
We fought the devil with fire, and had a theory that if we could gain
control of his fire we could extinguish it.
The million edition of “The West Parish” was taken rapidly by the class
for which it was intended and the Publishing department realized the sum
of $30,000.00 from that source after paying cost of transportation. I
now placed an edition upon the market for standard use consisting of
twenty thousand copies, finely illustrated and elegantly printed and
bound. This was sold at one dollar per copy, although in the competitive
system it would have been difficult for the publisher to have sold that
edition on the market for three dollars a volume and to have realized a
profit.
My wife’s fame, of course, was now world-wide. Wherever the English
language was read her name had become a household word. Her novel had
also been translated into most of the languages of Europe and was
working its way throughout the countries which described themselves as
Christian, although more slowly than in England and the United States.
The Co-opolitan Association was mindful of her incalculably great
service to the cause of co-operation which it regarded as its own and at
the proper time, without any department recommending it, the Legislative
Council considered the propriety of offering her a reward which her work
and her genius merited.
What should it be? The mechanic who invented a labor-saving device or
machine, the artist whose painting had displayed extraordinary merit,
the sculptor whose genius had chiseled in marble some living thought,
the self-sacrifice of some hero in a moment of peril, all these merited
reward, and our Association had dealt and knew how to deal with these.
But here the work had not been of moment so much because of its
allurement of wealth as its supreme value as an educator. The
Legislative Council considered that she was entitled to five years’
release from duty as a member of the Industrial Army, and so awarded.
She was entitled to this time at once and continuously, if she so
notified her department chief, Mr. Edmunds, or she could give notice
that she would take a portion of the time between certain dates. As a
matter of fact, she chose two years’ release and leave of absence
commencing January 1st, 1907, and the remainder of her time later in her
twenty-five years’ term of service.
Having discovered the power which my department could wield, not only in
Idaho, but in the world, I determined to exercise it to the fullest
extent. Linotypes, electroplates and all the devices for saving labor
were unsparingly employed.
I determined to put a Co-opolitan edition of all standard works of all
spheres or departments, literary, scientific, religious and political,
on the American market in every great city.
I began with Shakespeare. I caused an elegant edition of that immortal
poet’s work to be gotten up in excellent style, and sold for about
two-thirds what it would cost any other house in the United States to
produce. I increased my plant and followed the edition of Shakespeare in
quick succession and at similarly reduced prices, with editions of all
the standard English authors.
In three years’ time I had Co-opolitan book stores established in
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Buffalo,
Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Omaha, Atlanta,
New Orleans, Galveston, Denver, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. The
competitive publishing houses could not compete with our system and
house after house fell before us or limited their business. I also
established correspondents all through the world and had the latest news
sent to the Co-opolitan newspaper.
My arrangements were such, in conjunction with the Brotherhood and
Co-operative stores now springing up everywhere, that I had a Daily
Co-opolitan issued in every one of the cities named, and the news was
flashed to them daily, as it was to Co-opolis. I endeavored to have each
Daily Co-opolitan in the hands of the national Brotherhood and each was
issued on the plan of the great daily which was sent from Co-opolis to
all parts of Idaho. The national Brotherhood was daily increasing in
numbers and power.
My idea in extending branches of my department was to aid the national
organization in destroying competition. How well I have succeeded the
years have proved. The publications of the Co-opolitan Association have
displaced all others and have brought millions to the safe in the
basement of the Council Hall.
My department was divided in 1910 and I was confined to one portion
called the Publishing department. A new department, including the
messenger, telegraph, telephone and postal service, was created and
Jarvis Richardson was elected its chief. I would be glad to comment upon
the glorious administration of that new department, by that great and
good man, but the scope of my present work does not permit. Necessarily
in such a work as this I can but give the reader the most salient
features of my own personal experience which tend to throw light upon
the development of Idaho under the Co-opolitan control.