Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-10-14
A PROGRESSIVE L

Fairhope, Ala, on the Shores Of One
of the Most Beautiful Bays of
the Southern Coast.
Correspondence of the Ledger. +
FAIRHoPE, ALABAMA, Oct. 8, 1897.
of your subscribers who is in
terested in our colony at this place
suggests that readers of your pro-
gressive paper would be glad to hear
something of our colony. A marked
feature of the present social unrest
is the disposition of those who rebel
against existing conditions and who
think they have discovered rules, the
application of which will bring hap
piness and prosperity, to get together
with others Of like mind and in colo
MES attempt the immediate practical
application of their theories. This is
certainly a commendabie disposition.
1t shows that they at least have faith
in their own remedies and are willing
to test them upon themselves before
trying to force them upon others.
There have been similar eras of col
o~ny-founding in times past, and,
strange to say, though not one has
has ever made what may rightly be
called a success-has shown the abili-
ty to exist independently and by the
cohesive and attractive power of SUI
perior advantages secured for its
members, retained its original adher-
ents and drawn to it in ever-increas-
ing numbers the victims of conditions
prevailing outside. The colonies now
existing OF projected, with the single
exception of the one of which I write,
are travelling the same path which has
90 often led to failure. ~
The exception to this rule is the
Fairhope colony, which, organized at
Des Moines, Iowa, in the winter of
1854, has since January, 1895, been
in practical and successful operation
on the eastern shore of Mobile bay in
BALDWIN county, Ala.
The essential differences between
Fairhope and other colonies arise
from al entirely different conception
of the causes of the deplorable condi-
tions of which all complain. Other
colonies have located the trouble in
the possession and direction of capital
by individuals and in "competition,"
and their remedy involves the elimi-
nation of the private ''capitalist'
without regard to how his capital may
have been acquired and the substitu-
ton of an enforced ssco-operation,"
so-called, for competition. The
founders OF Fairhope colony, on the
contrary, located the seat of the
trouble, not in the possession of Soap
ital," "stored-up labor" by some, but
in the possession of special privileges
which enable a few to demand and
secure the products OF the labor of
many without rendering any equiva-
lent in their own labor. And instead
of deeming competition" an evil,
they believed the trouble to be the re-
striction of competition by these mo-
ncpolies.
In framing the plans, therefore,
which they believed would bring JUS
tice and happiness, they only sought
by them to secure "equal freedom"
Equal freedom in the administration
of their colony; equal freedom of
access to all the natural opportunities
bound up in the land under its con-
troll; equal freedom in the enjoyment
of all public services and equal free
dom to secure a medium for the pay
ment of their obligations to the COM
munity and the settlement of their
balances with their neighbors.
To tell how this is accomplished
would perhaps trespass too much
upon your space for this time; but
should any of your readers express a
desire for further information, 1 will
be pleased to crafty it, either through
your columns, If permission is kindly
granted, or by private mail.
Our location is a beautiful and
healthy one on the shores of one of
the most beautiful bays on the coast
of the United States. We have a daily
connection with the city of Mobile by
landing at our own wharf,
which stretches out into the bay 1900
feet, and was built by us on the
market-house" plan. We
have our own postofice, with a daily
mail. There are upon Dur land TWEEN
dwellings, q store, hotel, black
smith shop, saw mill, cigar factory
and public hall. Our lands are suited
for q great many varieties of fruit
and farm crops and especially for
early vegetables for northern
We own our lands free of
incumbrance and interest bearing
debt Of any kind is forbidden by our
constitution.
The cost of membership in the col
ony is 500, but several hundred acres
Of land, comprising some of our finest
farming lands and most beautiful bay
view building sites, are open to appli-
cation from desirable persons with no
other financial requirements than the
payment of the annual rental charge,
ia based on the value of the
land exclusive of improvements, and
all of which is expended within the
limits of the colony for the common
benefit of those living in it.
Yours Very Truly,
e. B. CASTOR.
From head to foot you feelthe good
that's done by DR.. Pierce's Golden
Medical Discovery. 1t purihes the