The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-02-07
SOCIALISM TESTED.

Marshal BUGEAURD, the following account OF an
experiment Of communism which he made while
Governor Of Algeria:
| Wishing 10 make trial ofmiitary colonization,
that might support by facts some propositions
which had to oi!er to the Government, / founded
in .he vicinity Of Agers, in 1912, three villages
OF soldiers. One OF them, Fonka, was composed
OF men who had served ont their time; the two
others, Mpred ard Mahelma, Of those who still
owed the State three years of service. subject
Ell the coionsts to labor in common; this was the
more practicable, in my opinion, because, as they
still drew their ra'ions and pay, they would al
iribnte less importance to the proceed, oil their in
dustry. These proceeds were 10 form common
fund destined, at The end ofthree years, to defray
the expenses olmarriage. and TO proc re for them
all, after q uailorm pattern, house furniture and
agricultural tools.
| AT this time knew very well what were The
difficulties in the way oftIie association Of labor
ers; nv agricultural experience had revenled them
to mr; but hoped that discipline and the habits
| ofmiliiary life, which form sort Of community,
would dissipate, or at least would diminish these
| Iirconveniences. "You are les and broth
ers,'' said to the colonists; "fnr two-fod rea-
son, therefore, you would suffer, If, at the time
favorable for marriage, some OF yon should not
have the means OF establishing yourselves on ac
count Of sickness or some other accident" re-
marked that they received this proposition (of
working in common) very coldIy, and that in fact
they accepted it only from Difference and discp-
line.
caused division Of the land 10 be iade in
| order 10 excite emulation through the love o,
property, and each colonist had permission to
work one day in the week OH his own land. Du-
ring the first year there was zeal enough; but few
complaints were made TO me against the idle Il
is true that kept mp their ardor and content
ment BY frequently sending them ilocks which
we had brought away in our rassios among the
Arabs These focks formed the greater part Of
the common fund, and oneh ID no he Ter claim 10
them than another, as they were not the result Of
labor.
| On my return from long expedition, went 10
visit my three little colonies. beginning with hat
| Of Mered. II was at the end Of September. i343
| Usually was received with Joy BY the mill ary
colonsts, who considered me rs their benefa cior,
and called me their father This time. il was on
Sunday. found them gloomy and almost rude -
They stood leaning agains; the door, and did not
crowd around me as they were wont to do |
saw that there was something unusual on their
minds Isent for their commander, and, as be
was absent. applied TO the sergeant-maiof, to
know the cause of the detection, the signs OF
which were so obvious. ssMy men have good
cause 10 be gloomy, answered the sergeant;
sthey are losing he greater part OF their harvest;
they att, ibute this loss to laboring in common;
lNPV want no more OIL is anu NY NOW ask Won 10
break up their association" s.Bpt how is it that
they are losing their harvest! They reaped heir
crop in the early par, of June, and il ia now the
end Of September; the grain ought 10 have been
| in the barn long ago. "Yonare tight, Gcvfr-
| nor il ought to be so. But labor has been leg
lected, and have not yet thresii-d third part
| OF the barley or the wheat. Relying upon the
| usual continuance of fine weather, we h dnot
taken the precantion to remove the sheaves fom
3 ~ 81 havo faEon xxh AZ
formed the covering Of the whole oblong surface.
The two rair -storms ha, have lately fallen hive
soaked our sheaves, and the grain has all sprot-
ed,
| Iwent to the sheaves. and found that they lad
gesm;nated on all sides. I immedael. called
the co!onists together :they formed circle sro,td
| me, and we had The following dialogue. s'fi,w
happens it my friends that, having reaped in luie
Won have not threshei the grain at the end OF Sp-
! iembel?'' erhe reason is,' they answered me,
| ssthat we have not been al work. "And why
| have you not worked!'' because we all relied
upon each other: because no one was wi ling 10
do more than another; and thus We have alire-
dnced ourselves 10 on eqn1tty rith TIE lazy oses.
You may well believe, Governor. that ifeaco
us had owned his share Of the grain. il woulda.l
have been threshed long ago. We should bv
| this time have done more hantwice as much II
cannot 70 on SD any longer: we ent,eat you to
break up our community" yes." crec all
the colonists, even the most indolent. Thrse
word san equality with the lazy ones, haduade
so much impression upon me, that had aire,dy
determined TO give up the plan Of laborng in CON-
mon; bnt thinking that ought not 10 yield TOO
quickly I appealed to their feelings of fraternity,
the strength Of which was well Known 10 ms -
"tlow is this, my friends!'' repiied;"you are al!
comrades OF The same regiment, (fhe 4eth;) son
have chosen eacl, other of your own accord; you
are all young and strong; you foiin, as il were, a
family Of brothers; and yet oudo not know how
| to live together and work forthc common good,
without calculating whether onp dres more than
unother!" ssGovernor, we love each other very
much; and, in spite OF that, We do not feel an.
emulation in labor. II does not seem as il we
were working for ourselves when we arcworking
fo ourselves when we are working for common
stock II will he much worse when We are mar
ried for our wives will agree with each other
mnch less than we do in regard 10 labor and the
common stock. 1t will be perfect hell II we
prove TO yon that we have produced more IN one
day out oil the week that you have granted 10
each one 10 labor for himself thanin the FIVE days
OF the community, you will not refuse to break up
our association
proceeded Immediately to verify this fact. =
| / obtained successiveiy the amount ofeac, OF the
sixty-seven individual harvess; the officers wrote
down my valuation OF them, and on adding them
together the sum was actually found TO exceed
by one fifth the total iiarves, Of the community.
This operation being finished, assembled the
coionists anew. informed them that the results
ofthis inquiry had determined me TO establish
individual labor among them; but warned them
thai, as they thought they were capable OF pro-
vidng each one for himself, | shonl! deprive
them Of their rations and pay. They received
this declaration with unanimous assent.
Mered had taken up my whole day. On the
morrow I visited Maheima and Fouka. I found
there the same repugnance for labor in common
They expressed il to me in the same terms. a'le-
ging the same reasons. Yetthis agreemen! could
not have been concerted; the villages, six leagues
distant from each other, had no communication
together. Idepnted an overseer to distribute the
common stock and the focks as equitabiy as he
could, and the association was broken mp. I'm
mediately great emulation sprung up among most
of them and at the close of l45 these three villa
ges were lar the most prosperous in Sahel. Only
there were great inequalities in this prosperity