The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
BEhLAMT COLONY AT EQUALITY.
An UnfAvorabIe Report Made on Eta Prospects
and Present Condition.

An UnfAvorabIe Report Made on Gts Prospects
and Present Condition.
DULUTH. June 15.-The biggest cooperative
scheme Of recent years.. the Bellamy project for
retaining tide water flats of Puget Sound,
seems destined to fail, according to a report re-
ceived here. 1t has been watched with inter.
est all through the country, and especially in the
central West, and It's town, Equality. has been
pointed out as the best example of q co-opera-
tive commonwealth. and the particular star Of
hope for all the believers in the Bellamy theories.
According to a report made by a man sent out
from this State to In vestigate the colony and its
prospects. a man who Is In sympathy with the
cooperative idea, the colony is a failure. tho
d" brothers" discontented. the lands unSuited.
wealth was organized three years ago after
the Coxey episode, and was expected by thou.
settling the disturbances then in progress. not
only by absorbing the idle but also by its ex-
ample and influence on other colonies to DO
One of the chief causes leading to the present
state OF affairs was the selection of q location.
The nearest railway station to tho colony Is
Belfast. on the Coast branch of the Great North
ern Railway, and from tbere to the colony head
road OF the most primitive description. After
two hours Of humping along the traveller ar;
G out fo at t the GiD1 so%S IN Of tf Edi %5Shbfy y f tbs an Sssysa
toned hands Of the men forming this associa-
tioll; Mighty frs and Gedsrs,. towering TO the
NV hhidlCo LCOL, hIlu lhlCh
ly set about with underbrush and tangled
shrnbs; covered the ground. Lying In pr9tusio9
away and burned before the ground was 1T for
cultivation. The officers of the cooperation arc
located Loo here n,nc Thrso y miles Ill further on in the for,
slumps. lodging trees and across q great swamp,
lies the 10 lP 81 d Of the S.S colony; Tho wagon road
a wagon must bump between Jagged rocks on
one side and stumps or roots on the other. with
scribinR a circle In the air. Ruts filed with
mud and water 80 deep that the wheel goes to
T TRS h hol;d to ao his s sas in as 81 MAKE max n ahis r ids
one never to be forgotten. Even II tho colony
had supplies to sell, 1t could not take them to
Efforts are being made to cultivate 400 acres
this year. OF this all but sixty acres Is cut:oyer
pine and other timber has been logged and the
tops and roots Of the logs ,cumber the ground.
1t is on 2 hillside and there Is an Immense
might be Of value IL near a market, but Is worse
than useless here. Immense stumps, some OF
them more than twenty feet IN diameter, fallen
remHins of what lum6ermen call slashinRs,
ton can begin. 1t is estimated that to clear up
an acre OF this timber land would cost 5000.
What land Is not OF this character is on the
constructed to keep out the sea water.
Sufficient time and labor have already been OK.
reasonably we'll forested lands. but not o foot
WAS In condition to plant a month ago, and
ha'uly All hCro VIII DO put IN crop tnlb year. a
resident brother has given a fow acres OF partly
improved lands and a few more acres OF land
has been leased, so there will be a little food
raised. but not a 1.-THE OF what the colony will
require for Its needs for the year. The colony
has received from membership dues some
Sl2 800, but in The past few weeks this income
has 6een but about a third, Of what was calcu-
lated on. The colony numbers about 800 at this
date, with monthly expenses OF about 81. 400.
Tho climatic conditions are such that malaria
some small fruits win grow. There could be no
market for a surplus OF these could they be
gotten from the ground and taken to the rail.
road, There Is no present prospect Of the
colony's becoming self-sustaining, says the
report.
Many members OF the brotherhood would
gladly go away. but they have not the means
Others try 10 make tho host OF IL. Some say
they came there TO work, that they could moi
get the privilege OF working In tho competitiys
world, and that now oil they produce by theil
own hands is their own. 10 an onset to thelI
depriVRtionS and isolation they say tho SociaI
advantages OF living with those who think Glikt
and work together for the common good arc Suf
hoient compensation. These people impress onC
with their eArnestness and self;aacrInce. Theii
leaders are-many of them-theoristB void q
practical knowledge. The ofiCers and many o
future with oORndeROA. nevertheless