The herald., 1898-02-28
A COLONY OF THE POOR
CAPTAIN FRAZIER OUTLINES
HIS PLAN OF WORK
He Proposes to Relieve the Crowded
Quarters of the Poor in the City.
Settlement Near Anaheim

I Captain J. A. Frazier, the manager OF the
Good Samaritan mission on West Sixth
street, has thought of a new system o.
colonization. His system differs very ma,
terially from the usual lines that have beer
suggested, but its effects will, 1t is thought
be better. He intends that the member.
of the colony shall reside together ant
work similarly to other organizations Of
the kind, but 1t differs in that the members
are to reap the benefit of their work ant
not the. colony as an institution. Each
members products will be applied to his
credit until he shall have purchased ths
land he occupies and then he receives &
title to his home.
Captain Frazier sees in the focking oil
people to the cities a cause for much
poverty and suffering and he proposes te
relieve the overcrowded towns by remov.
ing the surplus population to the country
His idea is to take a number of worthy
families from this city to the vicinity Of
Anaheim and there parcel out tract Of
land he has had promised him.
The size of each tract will depend upon
the size of the family. Captain Frazier has
farmed considerably and he states thai
five acres can well support a family OF
seven or eight souls. They will be given
larger proportion, though, in the colony
about three to four acres to two persons
being fair average. One acre will be
given free. to enable their families to
plant garden to raise vegetable for heir
own consumption. The tract is to be d.
vided into forty acre sections and in each
section will be placed a windmill to supply
all necessary water. There will be COM
munity store, blacksmith shop, Union
church, school and such other institutions
as may be required. The land Captain
Frazier thought, would not be valued bit
over $40 an acre. The members of this
colony will be given ten years in which
10 pay for their land and outfits and the
rate of interest will be low. There will bs
no binding terms in the contract and onk
can pay as much as he feels able. The
money to pay for this land is expected
to come from the proceeds of farming the
small tracts. While the results of Cap.
tain Frazier's scheme are somewhat DIFF.
ferent from others, the management of the
colony Is to be very similar to a commu-
nifty form of government.
In the first place, Captain Frazier says
that the success of the plan depends
largely upon having a perfect system.
There will be a superintendent appointed
to direct the affairs Of the colony and see
that the business is properly conducted
and all are treated fairly. There will be
consultations between this officer and the
members of the colony to determine what
shall be raised on the land. The variety of
products is question of detail which will
not be determined until the colony will
have been started and the nature of the
land and the character of its tenants are
known. The products will be gathered
and controlled by the superintendent, who
Will pay the owner of the land with the d.
rect crops. Each year they will be acquir-
ing title to small homes.
The scheme has been explained to land
owner of Orange county, and SO favorably
impressed was he with 1t that he offered to
give Captain Frazier the necessary aid. A
tract OF land from 600 to 500 acres will prob
aply be secured near Anaheim, and to 1t
viii be removed the colonists. In the first
place. the idea is to relieve the city of
Los Angeles by caring for as. much of its
poor as possible. and no candidates from
other places will be taken. Only families
are to be permitted to join the colony, and
In addition to furnishing evidence as to the
excellence of their morals, must supply
reference at their previous homes. 1t will
not be required of any to deposit money.
put they Will be provided with small tracts
OF land houses. barns stables and the i'm
piements to work this land. Each producer
is to be credited pro rata with whatever he
may have contributed to the output turned
over to the land owner, and whenever he
shall thus have paid for his tract and the
interest he receives a title. Bylaws will
be made to meet all details, but of course
there are many matters which will
have to be surmounted before the scheme
can be put into operation.
"