Page 234 - The_story_of_the_C._W._S._The_jubilee_history_of_the_cooperative_wholesale_society,_limited._1863-1913_(IA_storyofcwsjubill00redf) (1)_Neat

The Story of the C.W.S.
Now, in its full sense, this conception of co-operation primarily
for the purchasing public was at least an alternative to the old
ideal of co-operation for the workers. But confusion arose at first,
because it was not seen theoretically as an alternative at all. Hence
anyone doubting the old and still dominant ideal of workers' self-
employment was likely to be considered faithless to idealism
altogether. And, as the old ideal rarely worked and the new one
did, the federal co-operators then made the mistake of setting
"practice" against "theory," and "reality" against "sentiment,"
instead of perceiving it to be an issue of right or wrong
tlieory and right or wrong sentiment. ... If such a disen-
tanglement had been made at the time it would have simplified
controve^S5^ It might have made a way, even, for some practical
synthesis of the consumers' and the producers' ideals, based
upon an accepted predominance of the consumer in all final
counsels. Yet it is more probable that the time is still far away
for such an ultimate settlement within the co-operative movement,
for in regard to the nation at large the most advanced social
thinkers—as represented by the Fabian Society's Committee of
Research into the control of industry—are only just beginning to
discuss a theoretical solution.
At the beginning, of course, the federal co-operators and the
champions of production by the workers not only were all in one
camp, but they were unsuspicious of differences. The C.W.S. took
up shares in almost every productive society that came along, and
acted as agent for its goods. The general attitude of the federation
leaders was always apologetic whenever the interests of such a
society seemed likely to suffer. Co-operation for the workers Avas
an axiom, leaving no room for thinking of the consumer as a separate
economic being, with a value of his omti. Over and above the
individual minds of the C.W.S. men, however, was the Society to
which they belonged, the big organic relation of consumers and
employees, of nation-wide obligations and world-wide interests.
They had to face this daily reality. The devoted attention of
private merchants was sufficient to teach them the value of their
organised market. Obviously, since it arose from the organisation,
and not from the labour that came and went, the value belonged
to their constituents, the " distributive " societies, and they could
not fulfil their trust by giving it away. Moreover, what in that
event would have happened was plain to see. There came a time
when the C.W.S. men were called " materialists," and accused of
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