The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1890-12-20

Latest Rspsrs srsn thst oenswhss Dis
sppsintins Ensrs - cemmurism'
Some sIx years ago Mr.. A. K. Owens
wrote q book out Of which grew Co
operative movement 10 found colony
aud city ut Topolobnmpo on the Pacific
coast, II the province Of Sinaloa. Mex
leo. Mr.. Napoleon Hoagland. who
has Just returned from visit to Topo-
lobampo, has this to say about the col
ony as It Is Mt present:
During tho entire time that the coll
ony has been on tho 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 aud basic principles Of the
company. Mr.. Owen has himself de-
clared 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 chad neither been tested nor
MARRIED" The colony has been nm ex-
emplitication. not Of integral or entire
cooperation, but of u mild or partial
form Of communism. For instance.
they have had equal wages for equal
numbers of hours work. Tue OK
driver and the skilled cabinct-maker
receive equal pay for days work.
The pay consists in labor checks or
company credits, and are on the basis
F.. 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 tho company.
| The colony Is not In debt, but II has
very little money. At present there
are only about $50 people in the col
ony. This includes women, children
and invalids. There arc perhaps
thirty or forty ablc-bodied productive
workers. In such small community
1t is impossible for 1t to become self
supporting without exchanging prod
ucts with the outside world Conso-
luently, for the purchase OF such COM
modities rs are not produced by the
colony. the labor checks are worthless,
for the colony has produced very little
to sell to outside markets. 1t has been
estimated that from 500, 600 to $780,
600 worth OF labor ''credits" have
already been issued. Nevertheless, l
am told that their value. once very
low, is now on the increase. The
''crcdits" have always paid for food ut
the company's store, at the public res
taurant, or ut the private tables. They
have always been receivable for wash
bills, and 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
ing or mending 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 house. The
people have no house rent to pay.
They own their own houses. They
pay for them in their own labor. where
they do rot build themselves; then,
too, they have no taxes to pay. The
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 10 get 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 their doctor
by the year. He is ut least expense
when people are the healthiest. 1t is
not to his pecuniary interest that any
one should be sick. 1t Is to his finan-
cial interest that all the colon lists
should keep well. There has been no
police, no Jail, no calaboosc. no ex-
change of blows. no theft or robbery.
no sednctions, no wife beating. no
drunkenness to speak Of. Drinking
intoxicating beverages, smoking or
chewing tobacco, cruelty to animals.
profanity and indecent language are
unpopular. among the men as well as
Nhhoh3 tuV "ohSbt hNhNO WIG oOOo 10
little OF any of these vices as he would
find at q well-regulatod Sunday school
picnic. The life in the colony resem-
bles nothing so much rs long-drawn
picnic where excuses have been
avoided. but where the Ice cream and
cake have all been consumed. The
grounds where the houses stand ut La
Logia. with their thickets and bowers
OF fragrant Towering vines. bushes and
trees and winding paths and open
spaces. seem not unlike park run
wild.
Fully one-hnlf or two-thirds Of the
people on the ground came during the
first year. They came to stay. Very
few would return to remain IL their
expenses to the states were free to
them. They like the climate. the
country and the life, though they have
suffered many privations. The COM
ing year will decide the fate Of the col
ony, whether lit is to be or not to be. I"
During that time there is every reason
to hope that permanent organization
will be effected, on solid basis, the
organization now in force being but a
temporary makeshift. with but little
authority and little to support it,
Globe Democrat.