Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-08-23
A LETTER FROM EGHxICo.
An Interesting Description OF the
Integral Cooperative Ccl-
ony Of Mexico.

1883,
Ed. HERALD have wondered If /
you would adjudge a letter from me,
OF this country, and more
Of this colony, Of sufficient
interest to your readers to justify /
a publication in the HERALD.
A party Of Us, q In number, left |
Strong City, Kansas, on June LIST, ar
irving at Nogales, on the boundary
!, tween Arizona and Mexico. on June
9Th. A day or two after Mr. w. A.
Brown, formerly Of Agra, arrived in
charge of a car of freight Then we
we're detained some ten or twelve
days at GuaymOs on account Of get
ting the goods through the Mexican
custom house. Then we were five
days on a schooner sailing on the
Gulf Of California, against adverse
winds, to TopolObamPo, arriving there
on June 25th.
The purpose Of the party was to
join the Cooperative Colony. located
here in November, 1886, by Albert K.
Owen.
La Logia IS a farm of some $50
acres, located about Is miles from the
shore of the Calf of California, and
about 200 miles southeast of Guaymos.
It is on the Fuerte river, on a plain
Of nearly level land from 35 to 1875
miles wide, lying between the great
Sierra Nevada mountains and the
Gulf Of California. This plain, which
slopes toward the glnf, is crossed at
intervals by streams Of considerable
size, which have their origin in the
mountains, and this combination Of
streams and vast stretches of fertile
lands gently sloping to the gulf,
makes irrigation easy on a small or
extensive scale, and fits the land for
homes for thousands of people.
One travelling through Mexico can
not help noticing that the methods Of
the Mexicans are the methods of two
thousand years ago. Old bible pic
lures are suggested at every turn
Here we find the people carrying
water on their heads in round bot
toned earthen jars, as the people Of
Palestine did when Paul preached the
gospel Of Christ. Here are the same
kind Of wooden plows; the same fash
ion Of two wheeled carts; the same
way of yoking oxen with a straigh
stick bound to the animals head
with leather thongs; the same sort o
wells dug with steps leading down Il
the water, down which the women g
for water. instead Of using the mean
g more modern civilization has devel
oped for drawing the water up; tn
same sort of rude appliances 70
| grinding corn and cutting wheat, an,
| generally all the methods OF ancien
days. OF course this cannot last al
ways, nor for very long for the in
crease Of population will compel tn
| adoption OF modern methods.
Within a radiOus Of $50 miles fFou
this point can be produced nearly al
the articles which enter into th
worlds commerce. The sea is full 0
fish Of all kinds, the mountains full G
ores and coal, while the agriculture
lands will produce all the crops Of tn
temperate and semi-trOpical zones
also a large number that are eonsid
cred purely tropical plants, as COTE,
cocoa nuts. etc.
The colony here Is based upon th
principles Of what is called ''Integrs
Cooperation, which includes co-ope
ration in agricultural produce, Ian
holdings. merchandising, transports
tion, lighting, schools, building, libra
ries, irrigation, powers, sanitation
sewerage, etc. In practice these theC
ries, which to many seem vague an
indefinite, If not absurd. have alread
/ been tested sufficiently to demon
strate their usefulness and availability
To Illustrator A man may wor
for himself or the oompany-the co
ony-ss he pleases. The compaR
owning all the land Is enabled 60 CIV
constant employment. If at work Il
J the colony he receives credit on Cd
compsny's books for the value of b
services, and so if he sells anything
the colony he receives credit at q
price sgFeed upon. These credit
are similar to depOsites IN the BAN
and are funds against which he ma
check for things he needs. Thus Il