People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1897 — The Stone Which the Builders Rejected. [ARTICLE]

The Stone Which the Builders Rejected.

’ —iPifl • For the stone which the 4 _ builders rejected shall beof the corner.’’— "* ~ ! Bible. _ Archery.

Events pertaining to Archery during the past month suggest a little diversion which may not be amiss to touch upon at this time, and to allay any fears that may j have gained in other quarters lest the promoters of Plato’s Archers were appropriating plans and methods originated by an otherj which has been intimated from several sources. William P. Smith, from his own mental resources drafted every plan, wrote every outline and detail contained in the rituals, and work pertaining to this order, The original manuscripts for each and every step are on file in this office together with any quantities of data of every conceivable description. For twenty years he has vainly sought the ear of varied organizations, seeking to interest their co-operation, but the fates were against him. The Knights of Labor would boycott and strike, would take a man skilled in a trade and “elect” him to run a co-operative store, only to fail. Individuals would branch into productive enterprise along Archer lines and aided by the society, attain undreamed of proportions, then, thinking they could carry the work alone would break away, only to lapse into bankruptcy and out of sight. Only the past week, a resident of Rensselaer, Mr. D. H. Yeoman, once president of the State Alliance, recalled the fact that twenty years ago, at a state meeting of the Grange held in Indianapolis, Mr. Smith appeared before that body to enlist their interest for a mutual bene-

fit. for at that time Archery had complete sway in all the great manufacturing establishments of the capital city, commanded a sufficient output of the Hominy Mills, of the Arcade Flouring Mills packing houses, canning Works, etc., to supply them with all their coal direct from the mines; but no, the Grange was so afraid of anyone residing ; within an incorporated city, they were suspicious, and stumbled along in the glory of their own exclusiveness. In this office we have for exhibition a box full of scrip, in all stages of wear, that five years before the Labor Ex change was claimed to be organized, was current in the channels of local commerce in the city hamed and woujd be to-day, had not the introduction of gas knocked out the coal business which furnished their basis of operations.

Elsewhere Mr. Smith has given some reasons why he was deterred from reviving his plans until the past year, but the cicles of time had to complete their allotted work, it would seem. As stated in the April Archer, this Jaas been waiting twenty years for ali these divisions of reform, even to the people’s party, to prove their own impotence to accomplish what was expected from them by the people they affected to benefit.

Scores of men live today who have been offered everything, practically, would they combine the talents they possessed with the author to launch the craft. Now some of these are awakening and are breaking their necks, as it were, to regain lost opportunities, for they discover that verily the stone they have all these years been scraping their feet upon, is in fact the identical rock, shaped and graven for the very key to the arch that none of the others could by any means ■ r ■

be fitted to—the link that completes the circle of practical business exchange, which all have felt would sooner or later be supplied, and for which years of research have been expended in vain endeavor to locate and apply. The Labor Exchange, the nearest approach, builded upon the plans of the Guernsey market, brought down to date by De Bernardi, in his exhaustive and comprehensive work, “Trials and Triumphs of Labor,” hais for fifteen years, been perfecting its machinery, yet if we have one we have fifty letters from parties who have had as one writer puts it “all kinds of' luck but good luck” for their pains.

Archery does not come as a competitor or a rival to the L. E. It comes with that which will help the Labor Exchange to realize what it has been unable to realize by application of its still defective machinery. The L. E. fits itself to that very small minority of our race who are both “sober” and “honest;” it places its responsible officers under “bonds.” Archery, as already explained, comes to man as he is, fitted to the environments into which ages of misrule has surrounded him, and opens the way to freedom at once, without bonds or regeneration. The writer put in two years fighting the battle in advocacy of Coxey’s measures, educating the people to the possibilities for relief under such enactments, but let us reflect, where will we and our children be by the time a congress, senate and president are elected which will enact those bills or similar ones into law?

It cuts no ice with Archery whether any political party or, all of them or none of them endorse or condemn it. It is not seeking such endorsement, or standing in fear of rejection. The politician, lawyer and real estate sharper never forget to apply their selfish interests. There may be features in Archery which appeal to the heart of the politician. He can’t hurt it, retard its work nor monopolize its benefits or its machinery. The merchants can’t oppose it for its cardinal purpose and direct results is to make business, and when the merchant does business he thrives. Because he is not doing business now is why he will welcome the assistance which Archery can and certainly will supply. In the hundreds of letters recently received suggesting objections of every conceivable nature, not a new one has arisen that has not already been anticipated and provided against. Archery from the outside seems a labyrinth of inextricable complexities. From, the inside its simplicity is equalled only by the daily examples furnished by our banking clearance houses in the adjustment of their vast transactions with a precision and exactness that to the outsider is in itself mystifying. Were all our laboring population employed, were all-our business men enjoying a trade to their full capacity and our factories finding ready sale for all their products, there would be no necessity for Archery. A banker came into our office the other day for a copy of the Archer with the remark, that he wanted to learn something of “this order that is fighting banks.” “We are not fighting

banks,” was our reply. “Why not, you say a banker can’t belong?” “Because you’ve got a a machine of your own and don't need it," was the parting admonition he received. Archery comes Into the field in the guise of anything but the antagonist of any other project intended to benefit and improve conditions in life. The socialist opposes single-tax and private ownership; the single-taxer opposes socialism and collective ownership; trades : unions] well what don’t they oppose? People’s party opposes old parties then fights for pie, ignoring p edges just like other parties. Archery takes no part in engendering strifes or contests for prefer ment as against any other ‘ ism,, It points a method for applying idle labor and strangled indusl tries to immediate use,content in its knowledge of natur&l law] that, like the acorn, only i,eeds a .lodgment in the virgin soil to crumble the shell of its environment, and take its chances with the elements. Archery is the stone which the builders of a better system have rejected! They can’t complete their circle of exchange, cutting out the usurer and interest githerer, without it.