The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-19

or of longer hours Of work for less wages,
the 1,I light broke IN upon the befuddied So
They are now using their best efforts to
stop the socialistic factory which their
former best efforts were given TO estab-
ish- They are appalled, to find that they
who contributed to STARE the new factory
are wiling 10 contribute to maintain it in
definitely, as they happen to be persons
who are thoroughly imbued with the beau
tiful doctrines of socialism. These mon
eyed Socialists see that they are crushing
the Carmaux Socialists. whose only CAPT.
tai is their skill and muscle, but they are
utterly Indifferent to the fate of the sui
cidal sufferers. They are illustrating the
power of socialism to smash established in
dustries and TO render production wholly
improbable. and they are likely to keep
on until they can no longer afford to con-
tribute towards the maintenance of the
costly farce
UNHAPPY SEQUEL
The sequel to this interesting tale is
found in the following cable dispatch in
the New York Sun of May IS last:
Paris, May 27.-Forty workmen have
left the cooperative glass works that was
started by the Socialists at Carmaux about
year ago, and have applied 20 Nj. REESE
guieT, a glass manufacturer and capital
ist to re-empoy them. They declare that
the pay of the men at the cooperative
works is months in arrears; that the CAPT
tai of 100000 francs ($100 0O0D, which was
obtained by means Of a lottery is exhaust
cd. and that the society is heavily III OeD~
THE misery of those belonging to the
society is appalling, the wives of many OF
them being. obliged to beg in the streets.
The elected directors are anSwerable for
this condition of affairs, not the fraternity
"The applicants for unemployment by
NJ. Resseguier have issued a manifesto to
their comrades. which concludes:
1--WE have lost all illusions, and feel
bound to bring the facts to the notice OF
the workers.
OF a somewhat different order was the
experiment carried on for nearly two years
at Altruria; in the Santa Rosa valley, Cal
in many points to the Brook farm com
munity in Massachusetts, a half century
ago s described BY one OF it's its admreTsd
Monthly for June. He tells US that this
colony was to be a refuge for those
strained and tired by competition or de-
feated in the struggle. The terms of en-
trance were therefore light, $50 and a moral
character being sufficient passport TO mem
bership. The association proposed to buy,
sell and hold land, erect buildings, insti-
tute agriculture. mechanical and manufac-
turing industries: establish schools libra
ries and institutions of art, found coop
erative colonies, and otherwise labor to
illustrate and extend the cooperative
method The first year was purely exper-
mental. finding out the right basis. A
probationary residence OF SIX months was
required of each applicant for admission.
The members found that the colony meth
cd of cooperation had not reached a stage
that would insure success to any comblna-
ton of persons formed at random VINO
might be drawn to the community plap
of life. After reorganiZing they sought to
complete such an experiment, to use 1t TO
teach the Importance of national co-opera-
ton. or national ownership OF industries,
as we'll as of community cooperation.
The colony never got any. farther in the
above programme man TO d,vide1 n asrl-
cording to the preferences of each one,
and ''all ate in common dining room
and the members, particularly the younger
in waiting the Ia
bles." Mr.. Swift sums up the matter thus:
BY ANOTHER NAME.
Taking a general view, the colony was
strongest as an educational foundation.
California is stirring for something better
in the social line, and it listened attentive
ly to those who came from Altruria, be-
cause the Altrurians had the distinction of
daring to put their theories into practice.
There is still some lingering prejudice
against the term socialism in California,
but here were these Altrurians, hard
working, intelligent and just like other
people, only better, and there was no pref
udice against them. They could explain
why the United States should own Its. rail-
roads and trusts and nobody took offense.
The members of the experiment from the
beginning say that it exploded one famous
a priori theory-that men will not work
under other stimulus than private prop
erty. The colony at length came to an
honorable end, the debts contracted IN the
beginning proving too much OF a burden.
1t did much for socialism in this State,
more indeed, than for colony cooperation.
On the whole, it was healthy experiment,
which was thoroughly respected.
1t is quite conceivable that Californians
would take no 'offense" at having the doc
trine of public ownership of railroads and
trusts explained to them by a colony of ex-
perimental farmers who could not even
carry on cooperative agriculture success
fully for more than two years. 1t Is
trihe less clear, however, that the pleas
ant camping-out experience of this con-
genial little company has exploded the
theory that men will not work under 9TH
er stimulus than private property. Men
reduced to the necessity of earning mere
daily living will work with that as the
only incentive to their efforts The exer-
mensurate with the end In view, and that
is all that the Altruria experiment demon
strated No incentive to higher effort was
offered. and no such efforts were put forth.
not enough even to pay off the debts con-
tracted in the beginning" AS result
able end" This is the epitaph engraved
on the tombstone of Altruria's many prede-
cessors Brook farm in the forties, how
ever lived some years longer than did AL
truria in the nineties
THE DEBS SCHEM J.
The latest and most pretentious attempt
in this same direction is the social democ-
racy scheme launched by the American
Railway Union under the leadership of Flu
gene v. Debs 1t was proposed to collect
an army of colonists numbering several
hundred thousand men, women and chill
dren, and march them across the continent
to the State of Washington, where they
were to establish a huge socialistic COM
munity, as the first step in the great work
of Sociaiizing the entire Nation. The gov
eminent of the State of Washington was
first to be revolutionized, then that of ad-
joining States, and so on. This scheme
seems never to have gotten beyond the
point of enlis sting recruits. After about
twenty-five thousand men had responded
to the general invitation, the plan was sud
denly given up, owing, it was stated, to
the many difficulties which were encoun-
tered. such as legal obstacles, adverse
prejudice and Jack of funds. 1t was an
nounced however, that a few colonists
would be sent out at time, as rapidly as
means would permit, and meanwhile an ed
ucational campaign would be carried on
among the masses of the people.
An educational campaign, based upon
false economic premises, cannot be perma-
nently successful, and as for the expert
ment which the few struggling coloniStS
are to make, there is no reason to expect
any different outcome from that which has
befallen its numerous predecessors. What
ever else the evolution of society may bring
us to- history is constantly adding proofs
of the utter impracticability of socialism
as a panacea for the imperfections in ex-
listing economic conditions.