New-York daily tribune., 1844-08-07
sodus Bay Association.
Private Correspondence of the Editor.


then you will be engaged in higher and hoiier
cause than the elevation OF any man to the Presi-
dency-Associati on / was at Sodus Bay about
two weeks ago. 1t is the prettiest spot in the
world. came away perfectly charmed with the
place. and perfectly satisfied that the great enter
prise of emancipating Labor must succeed. You
are aware that an Association was formed in
the carly part of this year, and that it purchased
the Sodus Bay tract, the old Shaker settlement,
embracing some fourteen hundred acres of as
good land as can be found in this State
The Domain lies directly on the Bay, which is
the best natural harbor on the whole chain of the
Great Lakes. Its commercial and agricultural
advantages cannot be equsled, and for all presen.
purposes their Hydraulic power is sufficient
Some three hundred acres of the land Is now un-
der improvement. An orchard, on which arc
thousand or more Of as choice grated fruit as can
be found, gives to the place additional value and
from it a revenue of $500 is annually realized
The Domain cost thirty-ive thousand dollars. and
is clean bargain Of ten thousand dollars at that,
as any Judge will say who will view the property
and observe all its advantages.
The first family moved on in April, and there
are now on the Domain about two hundred and
sixty persons, one hundred of whom are men;
and such set Of determined and resolute men
never saw before. Beside being strictly tenn
perate and moral, venture to say that they com.
bine more talcu: and intelligence than can be
found in the same number elsewhere, pick them
where you will. For the little time they have
been ;here-say at the outside an average of two
months-and with all the Disadvantages OF get
ting ready to begin, they have to my mind ac-
complished wonders. They have not, of course,
in SO short time realized the immense economies
of Association, but they have done enough toward
it to make the minimum cost of living come at
such price that, if l should name it, the enc
mics of Association would pronounce 1t a hum
bug so let Time tell the story, as it WILL tell
YOU the men who have gone into this Association
know what they wcnt for, and out of the whole
one hunlrea-and conversed with nearly every
one-they each said that he came there calcuia-
ting to be the last man on it.
found the President up to his knees in mill
run they were digging; and the next day ionnd
him raking hay IN meadow. spirit of emu
lation pervades the place, and the only fault
found, if any, was that men, women and children
worked too much. This, however, will regulate
itself. They have all the implements of husband
ry and mechanics tools. In fact, they have every
thing necessary TO go on with; but at the same
time, cash means would be of great service in
their infancy, as it would purchase raw material,
that cannot be had short of cash, and which in
fact they want TO give employment TO their least
productive labor that would afford immediate re.
turns and good profit; but the capitalist has
been so schooed to see his money come out of the
hard hands of the poor and miserable operatives
that scheme of making money and enjoying
- "a. md
that he will avoid Association as he would pest
house. The poor man has to commence thegreat
reform, and thank God. the poor men who need
it have commenced reform that will not stop till
it shall have reached the center. c. c. b.
r.rpros,aso.
The franking privilege has become such bur-
den on the great mass of the community, that 1t
oup h. not longer to be borne. Its immediate ebo
Ii,ion should be demanded. If small class Of
the people must be taxed to support the z. .. de-
partment which was intended for the prosperity
of the country at large, they should not, at the
same time, be taxed for the provision that must
of course be made to carry the immense number
of franked documents that are now sent to the
remotest sections of our country. Perhaps lew
are aware of the great weight of franked matter
that is sent by the mail.
The number of free letters mailed in the Post
Office in Washington, for three weeks, during the
session of Congress in April, lS4O, was 466,345
Number Of documents ...................4 4,3l4,94S
Weighing. rg...........359,5 $40 pounds.
Here were lS0 tons of franked matter sent out
from Washington in weeks. And all this as
it has been before observed, is paid for by those
whose business compels them TO use the post Of
fee.
The franking privilege is also abused to a
shameful extent. ] will give one instance lately
related in the Boston Morning Chronicle. A man
in Paris wished to write TO his friend IN Boston.
He wrote the letter and enclosed It IN another to
a member of Congress at Washington, and he
enclosed it in his frank and forwarded 1t to The
Boston man. This is but one of ten thousand
instances of the abuse Of the privilege.
To favor class of men who are abundanl!y
able to pay their own postage, what is the conse-
quence Why, simply this-The rate OF post
age is so high that people in moderate clicum'
stances can neither do any thing toward sus-
tanning the establishment, nor derive any benefit
from it.
A friend Of mine lately related to me distress
ing instance in proofof this A letter was sent 10
a woman living at the West, but cs she was eS-
ceeding'y poor, she could not for long time lake
it from the office for want Of means. her anx-
iety 10 hear from her Eastern friends, was very
great, but the necessity of stopping the cnes OF
her children for bread, prevailed, and the letter
had lo lie unread At length, when she raised
funds to take it from the ofice, it contained mo.
ney to relieve her distress. But OF This she had
been long deprived, in order to sustain the frank
ing system, that the members of Congress, Sec
retaries of Bureaus, and other wealthy iuncuona-
RIGS, might have the privilege OF communicating
free of expense.
Another friend informed me that he had occa-
sion lately to stop at farmhouse in the country
and stay during the night. He heard the head
of the family say in the evening, that there was
letter for MIN lyisg in the Post Office, and that he
had not the means of paying for it. Notwith
standing the great anxiety the family had to get
their letter from the Office, it was with difficulty
that he could induce them to take enough Tor bis
nights lodging topay for it
Another friend from st. Lawrence Co. Informed
me that woman, whose husband had gone to
the West IN look ont for settlement for his family