The Portland daily press., 1893-10-13
SOCIALISTS PA RADIsE.
TopoIobambo is Excited by fractional Con-
troversy, with Starvation Menacing

A few years ago several people from
this vicinity went to Mexico to found a
sociaIistic colony at Topolobampo. Mosb
of them came back after a few months
experience with practical socialism. A
New Jersey paper gives some particulars
of the present status of the colony
A good deal is heard nowadays OF the
Topolobampo colony in Mexico and
as it is usual when anything is talked
of or written of to any great extent
good deal that is erroneous is spread
abroad. There is Newarker who re-
turned from Topolobampo no longer ago
than last June, after stay OF some
eighteen months there. He has made
investments there, and is, therefore,
personally interested in what goes on in
that locality. He says there are not
1. 900 souls at Topelobampo, as has been
reported; that the total number has
dever gone much above 500, and that now
there are not more than $50 or 400. He
is now keeping a saloon in this city,
but while in Topolobampo he acted as a
physician, having had some instruction
in medicine in England. Besides he
painted the entire outer surface OF the
1SSot
assistance His experience in the colony
is, therefore, a varied one. and he IS well
informed concerning the true situation
there
The reason he left was because things
were at skies and SevenS on account OF
the dispute between two factions. Col
onel AK. Owen, the founder OF the col
ony,..is on one side, .and a goodly numb Der
of the colonists are on the other. The
latter faction has organized company
OF it's own, and is engaged in vigorously
fighting Colonel Owen and his support
ers. One odd feature of this trouble is
that each faction prints paper, which
is it's organ. Both papers are printed IN
the United States-Colonel Owens'sheet
in New York, and that OF ms opponents, a
in Enterprise, Kan. Each denounces the
other in every issue, and warns the.pu bile
of the intrigues of it's rival. The papers
print yoluminous correspondence from
the colonists, in which everything is
done to decry the opposition and to laud
the particular faction in whose interest
the sympathies of the correspondent are
enlisted. Which part has the right q
it and which the wrong it seems almost
impossible to determine It is a wise
man who keeps out of it and espouses
the cause of neither. If all the truth
were told it is likely that neither fac
ton would escape blameless.
But the squabble Is unlnterestlng 10
the general public, whose verdict seems
to be that it is shame that an enter
prise manifestly possessed OF SO many en-
couraging features at the start should be
allowed to waste it's substance in this
manner. The colony is situated in
Topolobampo harbor, Sinaoa, Mexico.
The climate is beautiful, says the New
arker recently returned. There has been
considerable sickness, he says, but no
epidemic; nor has the prevalence of dis
ease been greater than it might be any,
where. The great trouble is the lack OF
water, says the Newarker. There are
very few wells and little prospect of there
being more in the immediate future.
| The colonists have grown but little
| produce of any kind, and have to receive
much of their sustenance from outside
sources. The Newarker thinks there
| is some danger of the colonists being
reduced to the verge of.starvation and he
saw some evidences of the scarcity Of
| food. All this is somewhat difficult tc
understand, for the vegetation at Topo
lobampo is luxuriant. 1t would seem
as if the colonists have either been idle
| or have devoted much of the time te
squabbling, and that the crops have
suffered in consequence.