porting and distributing merchandize on a comprehensive plan. Although in the prosecution of this work the church was threatened with a formidable schism, Brigham Young never faltered; it was an economic rather than a religious heresy he had to confront. In Mormon society, the two elements of organization-the social and the religious-have ever been combined, and it was to prevent their threatened divorce that this step became necessary.

In October, 1868, President Young called a meeting of the merchants, and it was then and there determined to adopt a general cooperative plan throughout the Territory. The late Mr. Jennings, one of the largest merchants and perhaps one of the wealthiest men in Utah, rented his store to a co-operative association for five years. The people possessed the genius of co-operation and Brigham Young possessed the will; while around him there was a small circle of men who, for commercial energy and honor, instincts for great enterprises, and financial capacity generally, would be esteemed as pre-eminent in any commercial emporium in the world. The policy which had been wisely and considerately pursued in purchasing the stocks of existing firms, or receiving them as investments at just rates, shielded from embarrassment those who otherwise would have inevitably suffered from the inauguration and prestige of the new organization. Simultaneously with the framing of the parent institution, local organizations were formed in most of the settlements of the Territory; each drawing their supplies mainly from the one central depot. The people, with great unanimity, became shareholders in their respective local "co-op's," and also in the parent institution, "Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution." Thus, almost in a day, was effected a great reconstruction of the commercial relations and methods of an entire community, which fitted the purposes of the times and preserved the temporal unity of the Mormon people, as well as creating for them a mighty financial bulwark.

In Brigham Young's suggestions for great things he never forgot the small; industrial independence was the constant star that illuminated his horizon. To build mills, establish factories, to reclaim the desert, to gather the poor, to provide labor, to show a novice how to carve out a living from rugged nature, were as strongly marked characteristics of his life as his role as a religious teacher. While in fact founding a state, he in detail encouraged industry and the use of all natural resources which best subserved self-sustenance and independence and the multiplication of peaceful and happy homes. Men of narrower views surrounded him, men who, however

strong in religious convictions, deemed the laws of trade as practically paramount to the golden rule of equity, and the acquisition of a dollar the one chief end of man. It was uphill work for him among even his own people who had tasted of the fruit of greed; and too often acquiescence from religious considerations lacked that warmth and force which comes of genuine activity and some sacrifice for others' welfare. Disappointment, mortification and chagrin were powerless to weaken his determination, though backwardness to comprehend, faltering by the way from self-interest, the ready forgetfulness and the flagging interest in things that led from personal profit, must have sorely tried his indomitable will. Yet probably the historian will not question this discipline to which he was subjected, for we may think that a more abundant success would have ministered to personal egotism and made him still more imperious than he was wont to be.

The hard facts of history point to uncommon sacrifice, to selfabnegation, to the yielding of personal will and individual preference in deference to counsel and in opposition to any prospective personal advantage. Mineral in the soil, crickets in the field, water in limited quantity and often a long way off; timber in almost inaccessible places, saw-mills of the most primitive character, winters of startling severity under the circumstances, with many necessities and all luxuries a thousand miles away; no money, no market, no mines, nothing save the free air, the solemn snow-capped mountains, the parched prairie, and the dust and powder of desert lands. The power of irrigation was untried and unknown, seed was scarce, meat anything but abundant; stores had slowly risen and instituted exchange by barter; all the circumstances and the natural surroundings tended to call into play the selfish instincts of man's nature in the supreme struggle for existence. Yet amid this people, with clothing worn out, shoeless, hatless, and coatless, the ragged and rugged Pioneers heard, in undisguised amazement, the calm assertion that in Salt Lake City wearing apparel should be offered in abundance at prices discounting those of New York!

The heaviest concern in Utah is Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution, of Salt Lake City; which, with its branches in Logan, Ogden and Provo, imports one third of all the merchandize in the Territory. It has a cash capital of $1,000,000. This institution, with the aid of the local co-operative stores in the villages which it supplies, have succeeded in bringing down prices to within the reach of the poorest, being patronized by all classes. The community is no longer at the mercy of a few traders, nor can scarcity increase prices; the necessi

ties of the people can no longer be taken advantage of and immense profits made by adventurers whose only aim is to amass a fortune. The money of the citizens, instead of going out of the Territory, remains to build up and encourage home industries. Stockholders in the various co operative associations in Utah may be counted by the thousands. So we may say, that co-operation has been raised from a religious duty to a voluntary and profitable system, and presented on a grander scale than any where else in the world.

I have before me the two semi-annual reports of the Z. C. M. I. for the fiscal year ending October 5, 1885. The following extracts will convey a very fair idea of the condition of the Institution and the amount of business done.

From the report of the first half of the fiscal year:

So far as the financial condition of the Institution is concerned, we have abundant cause for thankfulness. For while our sales, in consequence of the general dullness experienced throughout the country, have fallen somewhat below what they were a year ago, yet I find they have been all we reasonably could expect.

The stocks of merchandize on hand, as shown in our inventories, are valued at $1,144,960.81, which is $119,791.05 less than we carried one year ago. I find that nearly 79 per cent. of this merchandize on hand has been paid for. Included in the merchandize on hand, as given above, are the following home-made goods: Boots and shoes, $49,543.42; Provo woolen goods, $49.325.67; soaps, brooms, trunks, crackers, candy and matches, $4,680. Total home-produced articles, $103,549.09.

Our merchandize and cash on hand aggregate $1,189,192.78, or over 65 per cent. more than the sum total of all our liabilities, of course exclusive of capital stock and reserve fund.

For freight and express charges, we have paid for the half year, $137,784.94, and our sales have been about $1,700,000. Cash receipts for the half year have been $1,775,719.76.

An accurate inventory of the material, machinery, and tools has been taken in the manufacturing depots, and I am gratified in being able to say the results are very satisfactory. In the shoe factory, there were turned out 11,590 pairs of boots, and 80,465 pairs of shoes, at a cost of $148,514.12. The tannery used 4,362 hides, 1,157 skins, and produced $53,007 worth of sole leather, buff, wax upper, calf and kip skins. At our clothing factory $50,493.51 worth of clothing was manufactured, consisting of some 30 different kinds of garments, including overalls, of which there were 60,900 pairs turned out. The total product of these three manufacturing departments is valued at $252,014.77, and they give employment to nearly two hundred operatives of one grade or another.

The following statement of assets and liabilities shows the condition of the institution at the close of the fiscal half year:

Real estate in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Logan, Soda

Sp'gs and Provo...

Machinery at Shoe and Clothing Factories and tann'ry 17 horses, 2 mules, 16 wagons, 10 sets of harness, 10 tons of oats, and 4 tons of hay.

Provo Manuf. Stock...

44,231.97

231,722.59 33,220.32

2,756.00 272.65

Temporary deposits by customers..

Outstanding orders drawn on us for mdze. at retail.

Capital stock....

Reserves

Undivided profits...

3,035.34

1,411.89

1,488.54

999,995.32

171,186.57

64.313.92

$1,955,019.01

A dividend was declared of 5 per cent. upon the capital stock, which will take of the undivided profits $49,999.80, and the balance will be credited to the reserve fund.

At the second meeting-held in October 1885, another dividend of five per cent. was declared, and the report showed the institution to be in a flourishing condition, the business done during the preceding six months being somewhat in excess of that of the first half of the fiscal year, with excellent prospects ahead. The following extracts are suggestive:

Our indebtedness for merchandize purchased is less to-day than it has been for many years past, and our condition generally is sound and satisfactory.

During the half year we have disposed of some seventy thousand (70,000) bushels of our Cache Valley wheat at figures that, although not giving large margins of profit, paid us for our trouble and were satisfactory. We have also succeeded in marketing many car-loads of other produce, such as eggs, butter, oats, barley, etc, from that section, at figures that left us a small margin after expenses were paid.

From Utah, Sanpete and Toöele valleys we have moved a number of cars of wheat, oats and flour, and although no direct profit was made for the Institution by the transaction, yet we were indirectly benefited in being able to turn this produce into money which helped to liquidate debts on our books.

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An examination of this report will show that production as well as distribution enters into the policy of Utah coöperation. The Z. C. M. I., feeling the necessity of home production, has started factories in several articles of production. They bought out the machinery and part of the stock of the Boot and Shoe Factory known as the Working Men's Co-operative Association." The Deseret Tannery Association, with which a shoe factory in connection was contemplated, finally merged into the Z. C. M. I., that institution holding in its hands much of the trade of the Territory, and possessing unequaled facilities for distribution. From that moment to the present, without a solitary drawback, and in spite of many obstacles, the increased demand and manufacture have run parallel with each other. In December, 1884, there were some 150 employed in producing about 400 pairs of shoes or boots per day, in every variety and style and fashion.

From a letter from the Z. C. M. I., I extract the following as of interest to the reader:

Our annual sales are nearly 5,000,000. The building we occupy in this city is four stories in height, 318 feet in length and 100 feet in width. We employ in this building about 125 persons; our Shoe Factory, Tannery and Clothing Factory, also in this city, give employment to about 275 men, women and girls. For the purpose of supplying the residents of the Territory with a pure article of drugs and medicines, we started what is known as our Drug Department, where we keep pure and reliable articles; and in this way, guard our patrons from the impositions of quacks. Our business is flourishing and is increasing each month. For the present month, I presume our sales will aggregate at least $14,000 more than they did for the corresponding period of last year. It is rare that we have to sue for a debt. I think I may safely say that no more than half a dozen instances can be enumerated where the Institution has been the plaintiff in suits to recover a debt. We are careful and judicious in our credits, and in a few instances where local co-operative stores have through accident, misfortune, or bad management run very much behind, we have called their stockholders together, discussed the situation with them, and have convinced them that all they needed was a vigorous effort and they could soon place themselves on a sure and solid footing; that to accomplish this desirable purpose we would take a note for their total indebtedness to us, said note bearing a low rate of interest. We would then encourage them to organize their little stores, put more capital into them and purchase their goods from us for cash. By so doing they in all instances realized from the cash discounts that we gave them more than enough to pay