QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.
No. III.—APRIL, 1881.—Vol. I.
COMMERCE AND CO-OPERATION.
CHAPTER I.
THE INITIAL VIEW OF OUR COMMERCE.
THE history of Utah commerce is
very unique. In some respects,
there is not a State or Territory in
America whose commercial history will
compare with that of our Territory. Its
character has been as peculiar as its com-
monwealth, and that has given to it a
typing quite uncommon in its genius;
yet the typing in accord with the co-op-
erative policies which the age has de-
vised in solving the problem between
capital and labor. There is also much
stirring romance in its history. Its
story and incidents are almost as roman-
tic as the commerce of Arabia whose
mammoth caravans, in their journeys
across the deserts, have given subject and
narrative to the most gorgeous romances
in the whole range of literature. The
journeys of the trains of these merchants
of the West over the
and the vast arid plains between and the Eastern States, and
their arduous task and adventurous ex-
periences will fitly compare with the his-
tory of the merchants of the East in old-
en times when civilization herself was
fostered by commerce; and, moreover,
in the early days of Utah, it took as
much commercial courage, perseverance
and ability to establish the commerce of
this Territory as it did that of any na-
tion known in history. On the very
face of the record, we may discern that
the men who did this work were no or-
dinary men. They were capable of mak-
ing their mark in any land; and if Utah,
in the early days, afforded them great op-
portunities, it was their boundless ener-
gies and commercial ambitions that first
created those opportunities and made a
people comparatively affluent who had
been buried in isolation and in the
depths of poverty. Thus considered,
the biographies of our commercial men
have a peculiar charm of interest which
gives a dignity to the personal record of
their lives far above that of the ordinary
history of self-made men and successful
financiers. Indeed, the history of our
commercial men is substantially the his-
tory of Utah commerce.
But the initial exposition of Utah com-
merce is undoubtedly that derived from
her peculiar commonwealth, and the ex-
traordinary history of the Mormon peo-
ple who settled these valleys; and this
will lead us directly through various
phases of development to the commercial
culmination to be illustrated in "."
To type our commercial history for the
popular understanding, it may be de-
scribed as Israelitish; and so its char-
acteristic inscription of "Holiness to the
Lord" is neither fanciful nor presumptu-
ous, but fundamental and typical. It
may be confessed that the inscription has
been often burlesqued by the "Gentile;"
but the sociologist would quickly read in
it a volume concerning the genius and
commonwealth of a people expressed in
a gigantic commercial institution which,
in its vast activities, influence and special
methods, may become famous as the
greatest marvel in the history of modern
commerce.
And, just in this initial view, we must
keep in sight the men who founded the
Institution and especially those who are
the proper representatives of the com-
merce of the Mormon people. It would
be a very false-sighted view to consider
"Z. C. M. I." as a colossal commer-
cial monument of the Church apart from
those commercial founders. That insti-
tution, in fine, is the organic embodi-
ment of the life-activities of such men as
, ,
, ,
, and
TULLIDGE'S
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.
No. III. -- APRIL, 1881. -- Vol. I
UTAH'S COMMERCE AND CO-OPERATION.
CHAPTER I.
THE INITIAL VIEW OF OUR COMMERCE.
THE history of Utah commerce is
very unique. In some respects,
there is not a State or Territory in
America whose commercial history will
compare with that of our Territory. Its
character has been as peculiar as its commonwealth, and that has given to it a
typing quite uncommon in it genius;
yet the typing in accord with the co-operative policies which the age has devised in solving the problem between
capital and labor. There is also much
stirring romance in its history. Its
story and incidents are almost as romantic as the commerce of Arabia whose
mammoth caravans, in their journeys
acr ss the deserts, have given subject and
narrative to the most gorgeous romances
in the whole range of literature. The
journeys of the trains of these merchants
of the West over the Rocky Mountains
and the vast arid plains between Salt
Lake City and the Eastern States, and
their arduous task and adventurous experiences will fitly compare with the history of the merchants of the East in olden times when civilization herself was
fostered by commerce; and, moreover,
in the early days of Utah, it took as
much commercial courage, perseverance
and ability to establish the commerce of
this Territory as it did that of any nation known in history. On the very
face of the record, we may discern that
the men who did this work were no ordinary men. They were capable of making their mark in any land; and if Utah,
in the early days, afforded them great opportunities, it was their boundless energies and commercial ambitions that first
created those opportunities and made a
people comparatively affluent who had
been buried in isolation and in the
depths of poverty. Thus considered,
45
the biographies of our commercial men
have a peculiar charm of interest which
gives a dignity to the personal record of
their lives far above that of the ordinary
history of self-made men and successful
financiers. Indeed, the history of our
commercial men is substantially the history of Utah commerce.
But the initial exposition of Utah commerce is undoubtedly that derived from
her peculiar commonwealth, and the extraordinary history of the Mormon people who settled these valleys; and this
will lead us directly through various
phases of development to the commercial
culmination to be illustrated in "Zion's
Co-operative Mercantile Institution."
To type our commercial history for the
popular understanding, it may be described as Israelitish; and so its characteristic inscription of "Holiness to the
Lord" is neither fanciful nor presumptuous, but fundamental and typical. It
may be confessed that the inscription has
been often burlesqued by the "Gentile;"
but the sociologist would quickly read in
it a volume concerning the genius and
commonwealth of a people expressed in
a gigantic commercial institution which,
in its vast activities, influence and special
methods, may become famous as the
greatest marvel in the history of modern
commerce.
And, just in this initial view, we must
keep in sight the men who founded the
Institution and especially those who are
the proper representatives of the commerce of the Mormon people. It would
be a very false-sighted view to consider
"Z. C. M. I." as a colossal commercial monument of the Church apart from
those commercial founders. That institution, in fine, is the organic embodiment of the life-activities of such men as
William Jennings, William H. Hooper,
Horace S. Eldredge, Hyrum B. Clawson,
William C. Staines, Godbe and Mitchell