CHAPTER XVIII.
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.