Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-11-12
Historical Sketch of 3. G. G.

pOrtant movements are wrapped IN
more or less obscurity, and there is
generally more or less dispute, after
a movement becomes successful and
of great magnitude, as to when and
how it originated, and who was the
Observation-Disclosures =
In view of this fact, and in order to
do Justice to all parties concerned. the
writer will endeavor to give an approx
imately correct history of the move
ment from it's earliest inception, de-
pending, to great extent upon his
recollections as one of the actors in
the movement from the beginning.
The first person, who is known,
to make a public proposition to
capture state by colonization, was
F.G.R. Gordon. of Manchester, N. H.,
who, however, has since opposed the
idea as strenuously as he at first advo-
Gated the same.
During the year 1894 there was
manifested great interest in thepro-
ject of forming cooperative colonies
by the reformers of the Eastern states,
the prevailing idea being to establish
the colonies in chains as far as posi-
waters to secure cheap transportation,
and in that way, as was hoped, grad
ually leaven and disintegrate the CAPT
talistic system and substitute therefor
the socialiStic.
The twentieth Century of New
York took leading part in the agita-
ton of this proposition, as also did
N. W. LermOnd, then editor of the
peoples Cause" published at
Thomaston, Maine.
While the discussion was at it's
height, Gordon appeared on the scene
with proposal that the reformers of
the country concentrate their forces
through colonization in some one state
selected as best adapted to the pur.
pose, and as far as possible within
state lines inaugurate cooperative
system of production and distribution.
He also suggested Texas as splendid
field within which to begin operations.
Strange as it may SEEM GordOn's
plan met with little or no encourage
ment. Lermand, who afterwards be-
came the most prominent champion
of the idea, actually threw cold water
upon it when preached to him.
No more, to the writer's knowledge,
was said or done in the matter until
bout September 1, 1895, when the
writer while in the employ of n. w.
iermond, at his residence, The Will
f)ws, near Thomaston, Maine re-
marked to him that in thinking over
Gordon's proposition of late he had
come to the conclusion that it was
good, common sense plan. perfectly
feasible and in many ways much bet
ter than the chain of colonies idea.
Lermond replied in the same vein,
stating that he had changed his mind,
and we thereupOn decided to enter
upon a voluminOuS correspondence
with all the reformers in different por
tons of the country, as far as our
means would allow, seeking to enlist
their sympathy and cooperation in
such a movement.
After two or three weeks of almost
continuous writing, and the reception
of quite number of answers, vary
ing, but for the most part encouraging
in tone, the writer was forced to quit
and HE him to his home twenty-fOur
miles distant, and carelessly neglected
to keep up anything but a desultory
correspondence.
Not SO, however, with the indefa-
tigable Lermond. Lack of sufficient
assistance only caused him to work
the harder, and caused him to burn
not only the midnight oil !" but the
"all night oil"
Sometime in February, 1896, the
writer received letter from Lermond
the first word of which that met his
eye on opening the same was "Eu-
reka. 1t then went on to state that
the organization of the Brotherhood
of the Cooperative Commonwealth
was already formed, the first local
union of which was organized at War
rem, Maine, October Is, 1895, (which,
by the way, is the town in which Ler-
mond lives, although Thomaston is his
postoffice address) and urging that
myself and friends take hold of the
work, which we did to the extent of
forming L. u. of Maine, which was
also the second L. U. in the country.
1t having been decided to hold ma
tional cooperative congress at st.
Louis July "a, 1903 a call to perfect
the organization of the national Bro
therhood, signed by 143 leading re.
formers among whom were such
names as Henry d. Lloyd, Prof Frank
Parsons, ct al, was issued and given a
wide circulation.
Owing to the fact that most of the