Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/791

 WORK AND PROBLEMS OF CONSUMERS 1 LEAGUE 777

3. Establishment of a Consumers' League label.

4. Organization of a manufacturers' list.

5. Establishment of consumers' leagues in the different states in order to create a stable demand.

We have still to inquire : Just what does the Consumers' League ask of the individual ? It demands of him that he shall give some thought to the makers of the commodities which he is consuming each day. It means further that as a consumer he is under obligation to see, as a duty not only to himself, but also to the members of the community round about him, that goods are made under proper conditions.

The Consumers' League is a great ethical movement. No one today can see its possibilities. When thoroughly organized it must yield a power and influence that will be productive of great results. It, however, in its organization and establishment requires courage and a strong sense of justice, and a breaking away from what might be called class prejudices. It means that people of all classes who are, in a large sense of the term, con- sumers rather than producers must come together and bring to bear a large body of public influence. This cannot be done by keeping aloft from trades unions or from other forms of organiza- tions. In fact, the Consumers' League movement is a coopera- tive movement in the full sense of the term, and until the spirit of cooperation is largely inculcated in the minds of persons who are members of such a league, it cannot and will not be success- ful. It does not necessarily mean that any person must give up his friendship, or shall directly oppose a friend who is engaged in production or any mercantile pursuit, but it does mean that such person must bring to bear on friends thus engaged such arguments as he or she can, in the hopes of indicating to the merchant the real purposes and intent of the league that it is a league of cooperation, attempting to secure better conditions of production and a higher standard of wages. This certainly, then, is a movement well worth the consideration of any person, and should receive the enthusiastic support of all members of church organizations as well as of the general consuming public.

FRANK L. McVEY. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.