News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-12-16
A COLONY OF SOCIALISTS.
FEATURES OF AN EXPERIMENT
ABOUT TO BE TRIED.
Establishing a Cooperative Com
munity i'm MeXico-The Outlines
of a Curious Scheme.

Establishing a Cooperative Com
munity i'm MeXicO-The Outlines
of Curious Scheme.
1t is not generally known, says tho
New York Commercial AdceytiSer, that
there IS organizing in this city colony
OF several thousand men ana women who
Will soon attempt TO put into practice
me OF the soclalistic ideas which have
attained especial prominence and i'm
portance in this country during the last
few years. The scheme is that of the
Gre lit toncier, a company incorporated
under the laws of ColJrada, aud having
for it's purpose the establishment Of CO
operative community at SinalOa, Mexico.
The company's headquarters are at pres
ent in New York, and it is from here
that the work of organi ing the proposed
colony is directed. Within the last
thirty days the work has taken definite
shape, and upward of 400 persons, in
different parts of the country, have sub
scribed shares in the concern. This
week the first instalment of 500 share
holders from California and Colorado
were to start for Silaloa, and, upon the
arrival in New York of Mr. Albert X
Owen, a civil engineer and the chief pro-
moter of the enterprise, another delega-
ton of 500 from thi immed ate vicinity
will take it's way thither
The proposed cOony is very elabo-
rate scheme on paper. The general idea
is that OF a community, the control of
whose affairs is absolutely in the hands
OF a board Of ten directors chosen by the
sha eholders of the company. The pros
pective capital is 81, 900, 900 in 100, 900
shares of $40 each. Sufficient has al
ready been subscribed to purchase the
site for the city, farming lands, agricul-
tural tools, to build large hotel 10 ac-
commodate the first settle and for other
necessary purposes. Sinaloa, the site
cho en-, is on Topolobampo bay, at the
lower end o the Gulf of California, and
ON the western coast of Mexico 1t is
said to have beautiful harbor and to
possess great natural advantages for the
develormen of "a great city. 1t Is IN
genial climate; the soil is said to be rich
and productive, two or more crops being
secured yearly; the waters of the bay
abound IN fish, and, above all, it is
claimed for the site that in time it must
become the chief de- OF for the exchange
of the commerce of Am rica. Australia
and Asa. 1t is 500 miles nearer New
York than is San Francisco.
The Sinaloa company has some novel
id as in the ma, ter of municipal govern
ment and social relations. These are ex-
p.esse in its creed and bylaws to which
ca h subscriber must sign his name be
fore he is allowed to become a resident
member The statement of the COM
pany's principles starts out with the as
sertion that 1.-The usefulness and happl-
ness of mankind depend upon their phys
ical, intellectual and moral develop
ment." The motto is: Independence,
Duty and Equity. 1t is considered the
duty of the corporation to provide sub
stantal and permanent home for every
family. individuality is recognized, but
originality is not. Livery idea ana me
chanical combination belong, not to the
person who framed them, but TO man
kind as whole, for such ideas and com
binations are re tly the result centuries
of though, The members of the colony
are expected to labor, but the labor Is co
operative and its fruits are eNchang q
by the corporation. The corporation
buys and sells and divides its profits
above the amount needed for carrying
ON the city pro rata among the stock
holders. Thus there can be no specula.
tive enterprises within the colony. The
houses belong to the occupants and their
descendants forev>r. Debt cannot de
prive them of their homes and mortgages
are to be unknown. The corporation
proposes, however, to buy holdings of
any member who wishes to leave the
colony.
A curious feature which the colony, If
established, will have, is that the use OF
the precious metals as money will be
discouraged, the company issu ng its own
units of value. The corporation itself
will need little metallic money at first,
it is believed, for the payment of the ex-
cess of imports over exports but wheu
the native resources are develofed it--isa
expected that the exports will then ex'
ceed the imports. The stores for s1pplei
will be under the managem mt of the di-
rectors, and hence there will be no com
petion. There viii be no such things as
employers and servants. The corpora
tion will be the great employer, and each
member of it will be its servant. The
owner of household will be no different
in this respect from the domestic i'll his
house. Men will work eight hours day
and women six.
Another feature of this scheme is that
there will be no physicians, save a few
employed on salary by the corporation.
1t will. of course, be to their interest to
keep the people in good health The
services of the do>tors will be paid for
by the individual and the corporation.
There will be no lawyers. This is G.
cause, under their theoretical, politi al
and social system, no litigation can oc-
cur.
In the domestic relations of the colony
there are quite as curious features. In
each block of associate homes there will
be one kitchen, laundry and nu sery
which will be under competent manage
ment, appointed, of course by the com
pany. Thus the women of the hOu sehold
will be saved from drud2ery. The nine
directors who are to manage the muuici-
pality will each have charge of a depart
ment and are to be paid a salary for their
services. The corporations will publish.
a daily paper, in which every member
will be given facilities, "free of charge,
to publ sh over her or his name any crit
icism, idea, nomination and argumeut'
The land system of the Credit ltonc er
differs from that of Henry George in i'm
portant particulars. Henry George would
have the general government own the
land, but the Sinaloa theory restricts the
ownership to the municipality. Under
the latter system the man who wishes to
become resident in the proposed colony
subs ribes a ertain amount of stock, for
which he receives a house and lot. Tho
profits which he makes on his farm or
on whItevef industry he engages in goes
into the corporation treasury. The nc
cumu atcd profits here, as has been be
fore mention d, are divided pro att
after they reach certain surplus re
than the expenses. The company will
not be interfered with bY Me leo.