The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
B%OOTH-TUCKER'S SCHEME.
n IN ShLTlTIoN ARMY COLONY
PLlNTED IN CALIFORNIA.

Tho NEEN Vue III NJ IN !" = 'hhU
IN Csioruae-Enthusisstic Rseeptien Of
Coumnnder asd Mrs. Booth-Tucter on
Their Trip TO California; 90 SPY out the Band.
Commander Booth.Tuckcr has planted the
FIRST Of n chain of farm colonies with which no
proposes to girdle tho earth. This first one Is
at Solcdad, CAL; the second one will soon be
organized in the Arkansas Valley in Colorado.
The Commander has an option on n 3,000-ncrc
tract in that section and It is very probable
that the end of the present month will SEQ tho
transfer made and tho improvements begun.
Il Is more than a year since the colonization
soAemo OF tho Salvation Army was first
preached. During that time much has been
written in it's favor and some things have been
Baid against II. OF course the Army people sup
ported 1t rom the start. but there were plenty
of skeptics on tho outside. Ono of those skcp-
tics, now transformed into an ardent supporter,
told q Sun representative the other day how he
happened to change his attitude. The former
skeptic is James A. Davis, Industrial Commits
sioner Of the Santa Fe Railroad, a hard-headed
business man with an avowed prejudice against
colonization schemes.
'As n rule" he said, ~ do not believe in
them and ! do not consider them desirable
agencies IN the development Of n locality. Tho
cblonists generally have no money and no back.
ing. They 60 into debt for their land. no. one
tides them along until they are established, they
make n miserable failure and the section in
which they have settled suffers from the odiun
of TINT failure. Mr.. Morton, our Vice-Presi-
dent, spoke to me about the Booth-TNicker
scheme over a year ago and / frankly admit
that l didn't believe then in its feasibility. i
knew nothing definite about it, but 1 Judged 1t
from my knowledge Of the worthlcssncss Of
other similar schemes.
'Finnlly, however. 1t was decided that 1
should go out with n party including Booth.
Tucker and some OF his friends. We were to
start in the evening, 1 was to talk with the
Commander. and, IL ! didn't believe in the
scheme ] was to turn the party back mt Kansas
City, where we would arrive at 8 O'Clock the
next morning. We started as agreed. That
night l sat up with the Commander until .
O'Clock and-well, VIC didn't come back from
Kansas city. We went on. and not only did
the Commander convert me to his scheme. but
he converted every man. woman and child with
whom he came in contact.
REALLY, 1t was sometimes amusing. I
would get hold Of some rough old farmers or
stockmen and tell them l wanted them to go
into tho car and meet Booth-Tucker. oh, no!
they wouldn't do it'll He was too pious! They
didn't want to have to talk to him! But l
wouldn't take a refusal. l got them in there
somehow md that was all I had to do. In
fifteen minutes I'd go and look in and there the
old fellows would be. sitting out on the very
edge of the scat. with jaws fairly dropping,
tears perhaps in their eyes, and ready to give
time and:money to help the new plan.
That's the way he did with everybody We
ran across. I've seen queer gatherings in that
car-farmers, stocknen, minister's, traders,
mechanics, college professors, politicians, State
officials. And that simple, magnetic earnest
ness OF Booth Tucker convinced them all 1t
wasn't simply his personality which did 1t,
either. He has so perfected his scheme, has
foreseen and provided for 30 many possible
contingencies, has so mastered every detail of
tic work, that even the hardest business men
could not refuse their respect to the plan.
1T was a year ago last August that we made
the first trip together and last SUNNI er We
made q second trip. In the meantime the
Commander had talked it oyer with Consul
Eva Booth-Tucker, whose position in the Sal
s sSa,Sn i6rmy N ofSnnl1f Is don rs t Ritho oi a 6sf ar.
proval. She Joined us in the second trip we
made II IN guest Of the best Location ,sSidS r for q the col.
!. sSFs meet a US. evf they save" ~efe i mot Simply MaS = e SI9Se
ing ot.respect, almost Of affection, for the Com.
mander and the Consul. AT every station. our
meeting and when they went down on their
knees IN the gravel or on the dusty platform,
sae sroS quit T their u engines ssoi the 's section es / Inc hands sh,
straggle up to the circle, and all listen eagerly |
to the speaking and plump down upon their
which is a successful colony upon somewhat
walton Army scheme. ROCKFORD is the result
of one mans shrewdness and answering de-
colony. and through his energy a locality
which was onGe a barren waste Is now q per.
Eco SsHfSasn; IN ms ses sasdar 70 t aS5s ssii Tlt q a that far9 OF
or to make a comfortable living out Of a Ave
Fl SIS ten 1i SGFG R tFSSti Il HPP SsS Sn E f doubts n,ot that Il Iss
had a great time there. The townspeople put
their experiences ct our service, and the Com
mander probed every detail Of them.
made upon me and upon every one with whom
to put to every human being he met. and from
each one he gained something to add to his
When We left Rockyford in a procession of yyehii.:
Giles Of all descriptions, we were not taken
S S5S1nS to i RoSs q tb few fr show %,I places and The hs
went wherever he led. At every feld or farm:
house, the e, farmer or bis T Sns,S would q, be called
ticuiar place. What tho trials had been. what
sRou idU never have thought. uG He won a. the @n cSnf.
dsnce of people who would have shut up like
an ordinary Conner. l re@ember one Old fei.
low that was at work in the field when we
came along; He had only one hand. and when
eary but lonely member was extremely dirty.
Some one explained to him who the uniformed
wiped bis one hand on his trousers and his face
lighted up with q pleased smile.
,':WulI, Wpll' he'said. I'm pleased to sec you.
I'm ten minutes he had told the Commander
the history Of his work there. When some one
asked him II, he thought . man could make a
hying on q ten-acre farm, he said;
well, I'm more'n 20 year old an I amt
got but ono hand an make a Twin. The able
bodied man that couldn't had better get on
this earthv
The first colony was started at soledad,
pear Monterey. last month. II is to be a beet
farm. and will be settled entirely from. San
Francisco. Over 800 families have already ap.
piled for the privilege OF joining the colony, and
over 90 per cent. Of them have had some agri-
thing about i. Many skeptieal people seem 70
the riHrafr Of the cities, from people who know
absolutely nothing about the country and who
will not want to stay there any way. That Is a
tremendous mistake. The motive OF all of
Booth'Tuckers discussion Of the project is the
phrase he uses SO often: Back to, the land In
originally aRriculturists and belong in tho
country, by right both Of their training and their
inclination. Many Of them have come from Eu-
rope and have stranded in the cities through
drlfted into the citics from arms in this coun.