The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-08-04
Continued from last week)

Continued from last week.
THREE ACTIVE DISSENTERS.
John Eckelmann is one of the three
men on the grounds who do not think
that Ruskin solves anything. Ruskin
does not care much what Eckelmann
thinks, claiming that he entered the as
sociation under false pretentiOns, and
was not willing to work for the good
of himself or anybody else after he got
in. Eckelmann is the man bringing
suit for receiver. His colony of dis
senters includes the family of E. G.
Schultz, a Montana car repairer, and
of Albert Hoist a Cleveland iron mould
er. Eckelmann bases his case upon
demand made upon the treasury for
his $500 initiation fee, the money to be
paid to him at once. This the associa-
ton decided not to do, first because
there was no specification that the
money should be refunded in case of
withdrawal, and second, because Eckel-
s. of the sale of that property. The thing
mann took the matter into court with all
possible speed.
Eckelmann was Milwaukee saloon
Keeper, although he was admitted as
a carpenter. He soon became tired of
hard work.
1--WE insist that the association is not
meeting it's obligations and has no
money with which to meet them says
Eckelmann, who has not moved away
although suspended. I'VE want an ac-
counting of the money already spent,
and we want our share in the profits
of the sale of that property. The thing
is busted and we want to get away
from here.
This is the burden of his tale of woe,
and it is echoed by the other twCA both
of who were loyal to the association
until they fell in with Eckelmann. This
trouble gave the loyal members
chance to show practically how much
brotherhood -of-man spirit they really
possessed. A vote was taken and by
unanimous verdict the children of the
dissenters were allowd to continue in
the schools until such time as the par.
ents should leave
j. X. Calkins talks about the work
like the books of socialism read This
is civilization of tyranny, greed, prop
erty demons and corruption. He will
never leave Ruskin, if he is forced to
go into one of the caves and live on
herbs and sweet briers. The assOcia-
tioh made him secretary, which would
pay good salary were not TIE ability
of the man who runs the business rated
equal to that Of the man who boosts
the logs in the sawmll
Calkin is secretary, but he gets no
more beans and hour checks than
Broome, who teaches the sons Of AL
truria to draw and work in clay, or
Sturgis, who keeps the hair oil and the
shaving soap.
I'VE are in the courts, but the rea-
sons we are there make no argument
against our ideal commonwealth" he
explained as he started to open the
daily mail, which averages more than
100 letters, and some days has been
known to average dollar bill to the
letter. I'VE have filed series of our
monthly reports with the court has an
exhibit to show that the money has
been accounted. We paid few weeks
ago $4,000 on a farm mortgage, which
we think will show that we have money
with which to meet obligations as they
shall mature. 1t is probable that Eek
elmann would have been paid before this
had he not sought aid in the courts. We
have made 1t business to pay back
the initiation fees to all who have con-
cluded that socialism is not for them
The desertfons have been Invariably
p among men who had no business in
such colony in the first place. We
took back $500 worth of stock last
year. The books show that less than
15 per cent of the remaining stock to
be redeemed is yet to be paid. We have
initiated fifteen new mmbers since Jan
uary, and four have left us. One be-
cause his wife had consumption and the
climate was not suited for her; three
because they did not like the plan
ASuohlA pIONCS ludl utopia is q DOS
sible, actual fact-not dream.
"The list shows that two-thirds of all
who have come to us have stayed. The
larger part of the remaining fraction
left us during the awful times of the
beginning. Five who left have applied
Tor readmission. This record ought to
satisfy any thoughtful man that broth
erhood and justice are not mere fancies
among consecrated men,
WHAT RUSKIN DEMONSTRATES.
"Ruskin demonstrated that our plan
OF relief for the wage-worker-a word
we never hear here-is practical. Rus
kin believes that the bounties of nature
belong to the whole human race; that
to the producers belongs the product;
that to guarantee to them this product
they must own the means of produc-
tion-both natural resources and ma