The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-12-20


Some six years ago Mr.. A. X. Owens
wrote book out OF which grew CO.
operative movement TO found n colony
and city at Topolobampo on the Pacific
coast. In the province of Sinaloa. Mex
leo. Mr.. Napoleon Hoagland. who
has just returned from a visit TO Topo-
lohampo, has this to say about the col
ony as IL is at present:
During the entire time that the coll
ony has been on the ground. now
nearly four years. it has had no home
or permanent abiding place of its own.
Strictly speaking. the history of the
| Credit Foncier Company's attempt Is
neither for nor against the successful
working of Integral cooperation.
the original and basic principles OF the
company. Mr.. Owen has himself de-
clarcd that no part of his plan has yet
been tried. Director WILDER. chairman
of the resident board of directors, tells
me that the original plan of co-opera-
| ton "had neither been tested nor
married" The colony has been an ex-
emplihcation. not of integral or entire
cooperation. but of mild or partial
form of communism. For instance.
they have had equal wages for equal
numbers N hours work The OK
driver and the skilled cabinet-maker
receive equal pay for days work.
| The pay consists in labor checks or
company credits. and are on the basis
/ OF IS, or three units of account for
eight hours work These are ex-
changcable only through the company
for the labor or the labor products
commended by the company.
The colony Is not In debt. but Il has
very little money. At present there
are only about 1870 people in the coll
ony. This includes women. children
and invalids. There are perhaps
thirty or forty able-bodied productive
workers. In such small community
il is impossible for 1t TO become self
supporting without exchanging prod
ucts with the outside world Conse-
quently. for the purchase OF such COM
modties as are not produced by the
colony. the labor cheeks are worthless,
for the colony has produced very little
10 sell to outside markets. Ii has heck
estimated that from 800. 600 To $780,
600 worth OF labor credits" have
already been issued. Nevertheless |
am told that their value, once very
low. is now on the increase. The
credits" have always paid for food at
the company's store ut the public res
taurant. or at the private tables. They
have always been receivable for wash
bills, aud have paid educational and
school expenses They are illegal
tender for printing, subscription to the
colony newspaper. and photographs In
limited quantities. They pay for max
luz or mendng clothes boots and
shoes. for jewelry work. for physi-
clans care and medicine. for music for
social occasions. and in fact for any
services that one member can do for
another. from the making OF loaf OF
bread TO the building of n house. The
people have no house rent 10 pay.
They own their own houses. They
pay for them in their own labor, where
they do not build themselves; then.
too, they have no taxes to pay. Tho
company, by special concession, is not
taxed for period OF ten years, but
after that time the individual member
has no tax TO pay, for the company
pays the taxes.
The social life OF the colony has been
its chief beauty and charm. The
morals of the community have been
quite superior. The people did not
advertise themselves as saints They
declared on the other hand that they
meant TO ret along without priests and
churches. The leaders do not mean
by this that they intend to get along
without paying any attention to relig-
ion. Lawyers and secret societies are
also tabooed. They hire thoir doctor
by the year. lie IL at least expense
when people arc the healthiest. 1t IL
not 10 his pecuniary interest that any
one should be sick Ii is 20 his finan-
cial interest that all tho colon lists
should keep well. There has been no
police. no jail. no cnlaboose. no cx-
change Of blows no theft or robbery.
no seductions, no wife beating. no
drunkenness 10 speak Of Drinking
intoxicating beverages. smoking or
chewing tobacco. cruelty 10 animals.
profanity and indecent language are
unpopular. among tho men as well rs
among the women; hence one sees as
little of any Of these vices ms he would
find al well-rogulatcd Sunday school
picnic The life in the colony reSem-
bles nothing so much 50 long-drawn
picnic where. excuses have been
avoided. but whore the ice cream and
cake have all been consumed The
grounds where the houses stand nj La
Logia. with their thlckets and bowers
of fragrant towering vines. bushes and
trees and winding paths aud open
spaces, seem not unlike park run
wild.
Fully one-half or two-thirds Of the
people on the ground came during tho
A.