Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-06-05

In 1885 n number Of persons started a
cooperative colony In Tulare county,
Cal, on government land that hal ircn
opened to sciiienont They intended to
build civilized settlement on the plan
o. share aud share alike, and vote and
vote alike, men and women. They
meant simply 10 try tho cooperative In
stead Of the competitive plan Of civiliza-
ton. They had no "yiows," either long
hatred or shor, haired. beyond this.
Thcy were decent. law abiding people,
mostly married, who paid their tNres
and took carr Of their families.
The able bodied men Of tho colony
went first. and after complying with tho
government requirements for settlers
proceeded to build road and otherwise
improve the property they hal signifcd
their intention Of purchasing from tho
United States When they offered pay
mont for tho land they had settled on,
however, u was refused by the land Of.
fee at visaiia. A telegram had been TO
ceived from Washington that their lands
had been withdrawn from entry. after
they had been permitted 10 enter them,
,hA, Is. on tho ground that there were
fraudulent entries aud erroneous surveys
In that locality. Tho colonists any In
thcii own behalf that they know there
was no fraud In tho land they had en-
tered. for they had satisfied themselves
on that point before locating. They pro.
occdcd, therefore, with thor cooperative
colony. relying on the good faith Of tho
government that IN due tino tho lands
would 10 theirs by clear title.
Time went on. Tho colonlsis lin.
proved their lands, planted orchards and
vineyards, erected sawmill, started n
school, library and gymnasium, and
looked forward TO prosperity after some
years Of such hardship as pioneers must
necessarily endure. The Tularo County
Times, which has no connection with
the Kawcans Ia any shape. says Of them
In a recent number
The citizens of vl.aiia and u I'aiare county
look upon tho coloniaia ~ desirable clAaa "
cmistania. a. they bshase themselves aud
have shown b. tho work airnady done under
such diniculiics that thcy arc industrious,
hard working people. They -.ttisd on the land
IN good faith. and tho ru,vruinsnt ought "
fulnil the promise made whom Il invited hcm
10 iaka up he land. and Issue patents 10 them.
Il 4 very likely that u tho matter was lcii 10
the authorities u TulAfu county tho coi0nlila
would Rri n title 70 their lands within twenty
four hours. The people here do bot look ulun
ital crima Tor a man 20 die updn government
land. ply his debts aud live nnlrflY. What
ether crimes Tho colohiata have committed We
are not informed.
The particular charges brought against
tho Kawcanl at present. are tina, they
have been cutting timber on government
landsi that they have bccn destroying
the big rcdwoods In tho government
scquoia park, aud that they have sci.
tied on lands within tho limits Of the
Scquola park. To every ono u these
charges the colonista offer Hat denial.
and avow tho falsity thereof can 30
proved. so far from destroying the red.
woods. thoy have repeatedly. by night
and day, oxtinguiahcd forest frs kim
died by careless hunters Moreover. eau
man with an ax cut down aud handle
atruo sixty foot In circumforcnce; Furth.
crmorc. their road has not yet been built
nearer than within iivo miles Of The gov
crnmcn, park where tho rudwoods are.
aud tho lands they hayo settled and made
valuable aro not anywhere included In
tho park The preservation Of tho red
woods Ia as dear to them A. II can 30 TO
anybody else For every tree Of any
kind that they cut down thoy plant an
other. This Il one Of their rules
Secretary Noble has rendered. do
oision adverse 10 tho Kawcans recently.
They believe that no has been misln.
formed by q combination that haA ma In
tercst In prcjudicing him against them.
namely. great lumber trust that de-
rirca TO crush them. hrs,, because they
can furnish lumber 10 tho trade cheaper
than tho trust IL willing 10 DO, second,
because II hopes In time TO g., their
lands itself. For this rcason they earn
ea,ly pray tho honorable secretary Of tho
interior 10 suspend his judgment until
ho further investigates tho caso.
II tho Rawcans are in the right II will
be n pity and shame to destroy thelr
colony. Cooperation IN ita various
forms IA looked on as tho solution Of
many Of tho terrific economic problems
that now confront society. II the Ka.
weans by their experiment can throw
any Light on cooperative methods. and
"a long as they arc honorable, law abid-
ing citizens, by all means they should b.
permitted to 80 on with their colony to
tho end. They ought 10 30 helped In
stead Of hlndsrod.
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