The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-05-03

After the next election we hope to live under
an organic law which will give us an efficient
responsible, honest and economical municipal
government, and put stop forever to the
plunderings of corrupt corporation.
The Oneida Free Lovcrs-The Tribunc's New
Republican Platferm.
Are we approaching the golden gates of the
millennium, or are we driving headlong down
the broad and dusty road to perditionf Let
the thoughtful reader ponder well the astound-
ing revelations from the New York Tribune,
which we publish this morning, concerning the
Oneida free lovers, and he must conclude that
"the devil and his angels" still hold their own.
If woman of the town, paraded in triumph
for public worship in revolutionary Paris as
the Goddess of Reason, was to the Christian
world horrible spectacle, what shall we say
of these Oneida "Christian Perfectionists 7"
To the religious, the moral and the political
philosopher here is comprehensive field for
reflection. As the Tribune, however, is
political journal, always casting about for
some lofty moral landmark from which TO take
new departure, we will accept this opening
chapter on the Oneida free love colony as the
initial lighthouse from which the mighty hosts
of the republican party, like the Israelites
through the wilderness, are to be led to the
promised land Of milk and honey and perfect
equality and free love, and all without money,
specie or paper, and without price.
Let us see. Some twenty years ago the
Tribune philosophers thought they had found
in Fourier's system of industrial equality and
liberty and tree love phalanxes tue secret
of establishing heaven upon earth. en-
braood the divine mystery Of making lsbor
attractive. and the two polar stars of Tit
tlebat Ttmeuss everything for everybody
and nothing to do Very soon Fourierits pha-
lanxcs began to spring up from Massachusetts,
to the Ohio river. But they were shortlived.
Acting upon Titmouse's maxim these commu-
nists soon devoured their stock Of supplies, and
with nothing lett them but old clothes and
empty stomachs, they were rapidly broken up
and dispersed. The consumers 30 far outnum-
bered the producers in these voluntary labor
phalanxes that the best lands, the most favor
able seasons and the finest crops only expo
di!ed collapse in encouraging laziness and
all the demoralizng indulgences Of everything
for everybody and nothing to do. And so, in
due course of time, Fourierism, being proved
delusion and dead loss to all concerned, was
abandoned
Our Tribune philosophers then proceeded
more cautiously to cast about for some new
platform Of universal happiness. They nibbled
at bran bread and squashes for awhile, but
only TO fall back upon pork and beans. They
tried the mysteries OF spiritualism, only to find
that If we were all to become spiritualists we
should all starve to death. Women's rights
and Bloomerism puzzled them for some time;
but there were 20 many distractions in the way
TO the accomplishment of these great blessings,
of boards and breaches for the women and petit
coats and long curls for che men, that they were
postponed for q more convenient season.
The Pittsburg initial republican party conven-
ton of 1854 gave the Tribune philosophers
practical platform, which opened the way to
still better things in "the abolition OF those
twin relics Of barbarism, slavery and poly
gamy"-negro slavery in the South and Nor
mon polygamy in Utah. Under this banner
the republican party has gone from victory to
victory till slavery is abolished, negro equality
is established, and polygamy Is declared by
law null and void. With the mission Of the
republican party thus fulfilled its leaders and
chief apostles were called upon to mark out
new programme Of progress In the ascending
scale.
Thus II happened that among the yankee
notions" of Connecticut the republican man.
ayers there hit upon the extraordinary notion
Of new departure on the platform Of p. T.
Barnum, Joyce Heth, Santa Annals wooden
leg, the "nigger turning white" and the
woolly horse. Bat the experiment proved
dcplorabls failure, and Bamum and his follow
ers wjiS Swhissied down the wind" This
brings us round the circle to our starting point
Of these Oneida free loveTfS Here the n15.sss
philosophers invite Us to the happy valley Of
Rasselas, or rather to the groves, gardens and
fountains, the hours and all the delights Of
the Caliph's palace in Damascus This Oneida
community consists Of two hundred and any
persons, Of which there are only twenty-five
under fourteen years Of age. In beautiful
and healthy region they own six hundred acres
Of fertile lands, cultivated and adorned with
''all the modern improvements" They have
scores Of acres devoted to vineyards, straw 1
berries, rsspberies, orchards, &C.; they hsvs
mills and factories, improved breeds Of cattle
andsheep and everything required 70 complete
grand model establishment They caa al kids
Of huit and prepare jelliss 10 - valns -
twenty thousand dollars year. Their nsts-
nal prosperity eclipsss even that Of shs Nor
mons, who have made the "desert blossom Hike
he rOse.r This Il the result Of = svukem where