The San Francisco call., 1897-05-21
THE DEBS
PLAN To
AID LABOR
A Local Branch Of the
Cooperative Common
wealth.
TO FOUND A COLONY
THIS YEAR.
Hope Seen in Inducing the
Masses to Go to the Land
for Aid.
MANY WILL CONTRIBUTE
THEIR MITE.
An Elab rate Plan of Manufacture
and Exchange of Products Is Part
of the Scheme.
MANY WILL CONTRIBUTE
THEIR MITE.
An Elab rate Plan of Manufacture
and Exchange of Products Is Part
of the Scht

V. Debs and other mem bers OF the Ameri-
can Railway Union think they see in
sort of cooperative commonwealth, is
reaching the formative stage in this City.
The work is being carried on by M. E.
Morse and band of hopeful converts to
the commonwealth idea.
The society of which Mr.. Morse is the
leader meets at P. NJ. every Sunday at
4lS McAllister street and it has hopes that
the idea will soon be popular all over the
State.
The cooperative commonwealth Is the
specific remedy that the society proposes
for the congestion of population In busy
centers, and the Iobor-exchange idea, as
organized by Stale Organizer Clark. is the
scheme Debs recommends as solution In
part of The money problem.
In a recent letter to the society Debs
described the plan as follows:
Industrial cooperation as the basis OF
higher type OF civilization will be the princl-
pal object.
Soon after the work is under way it is pro-
posed to begin active operations in some West
ern State. The State viii lie colonized by our
people, the leaders will converge there, full
ticket will be nomina ted and we Will undoubt-
edly have votes enough to secure compete
possession and control OF the State Govern
ment We will then esta blish the cooperative
commonwealth ana the State Government
will be in harmony with it. The laborless
thousands OF the country will be invited to
the State and will be given equal oppo-tun1-
ties with all others TO develop its resources
and enjoy '1ife, liberty and the pursuit OF
happiness"
The headquarters of the organization
are at Thomaston, Me-. and the following
are The officers: President Myron w.
Reed; secretary, n. w. Lermond; organ
izer, Eugene V. Debs; dean, Professor
Frank Parsons; editor, A. S. Edwards;
master workman, W. j. Smith.
The following excerpts from the local
prospectus show the plans in view:
In nearly every branch OF industry thousands
of men and women are being displaced by
labor-saylng machinery, owned by a few
money lords, and cast out as driftwood 10 float
up and down in a-to them-cheeress world.
A few thousand dollars invested in land,
buildings and machinery will provide means
whereby these people, by cooperating and
employing themselves upon their own farms,
in their own factories and mills, may produ; e
all the necessarles and many luxnries of life
and. retaining the wealth thus created, gail
freedom.
should 10000 men ana women, uniting
their efforts and means, eacn on an average
contributing 800. come together in a favor
ably located section OF the country, while they
mig hit not be able TO establish the cooperative
commonwealth entire, yet they could carry
on cooperative industry on sufficiently
large scale TO be practically Tree from outside e
com pc tition. With u cash capital of $1,OOO,-
600 these 10 600 industrials can buy sufficient
land and machinery to start them on the road
to industrial freedom But until such time as
they can raise their own iood and provide
themselves with OF her necessaries these pioneer
coionis,s will need help from the reserves.
Let those who are holding lucrative posi-
tions under capitalist employers and who do
not wish to enter the bro lherhood community
at first contribute monthly from their earn
ings such sums. from 10 cents 10 $lO, as they
can spare or duty dictates. Ii, when the ln-
dustrials are ready to begin actlVe WORK, tnere
are 25, 600 reserves, each on an average con-
tributing monthly 81, $25,OOO Will be avalia-
BILE each month to Snstaln tneSe pioneers
while '.breaking ground" ana gettng unueT
way Since, however. no active industrial
work will be done for at least nve months
contributions 10 the colonization fund being
paid in during that perloo-a sum Oh NJ lea,t
S36 900 will have accumulated. II the growth
of the brotherhood is s.ower than here esti-
mated, yet, nevertheless, 1t Is only question
of time when these figures Will pc reached
At any rate, should there be only lOOO INDUS
trials and 5000 reserves beginning can be
made next spring.
The local brotherhood is very hopeful
that relief will come to thousands within
another year, and members who are sup
posed to be close to the National leaders
say that there are prospects that start
will be made somewhere In middle len
nessee. 1t the plan succeeds there. with
the aid of members all over the Union,
the next proposition will be to organize
| branch colony in California for the ac-
commod alton of the overflow.
There is great confidence In local circles
| that the movement, already given an i'm
petus by Debs. will soon prove very popu-
| lar in this City and throughout the West.
| The plan is to assess each member OF
the National organization 10 cents per
month, this sum TO go ultimately toward
establishing and maintaining the colony
until such time as it shall be placed on a
| paying basis. It is the purpose OF the in.
| dustrial department to build factories,
m ills and shops. The function of the ex-
| change department is to have charge of
the distribution of all products and COM
moditie., establishing warehouse in
each colony for the products of the facto-
| ries, farms and mills. The superintend.
ent of this department shall keep accounts
W ith each colony, and all orders for goois
shall pass through his hands. This de-
partment shall act as central clearing
house.
Leaders of the local order say they are
well pleased with the progress made up
to date and they believe there IS bright
fuf uro for ho ordor