Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-09-24

against the financial interests of the B
&c, such products as vegetables, beans,
peas, oats, hay, milk and apples that
are produced by the colony would cost
the Board and their employees much
more than with us, while we would be
deprived of that much of a market.
Did we break up homes, sacrifice prop
erty, sever associations both near and
dear, and travel hundreds and thous-
ands of miles to spend the hard earned
remlttances of our reserve comrades in
paying hated profit, that bette nOir of
all true Socialists, when there is any
possible and feasible means of avoiding
the extortion?
Until headquarters can be moved in
to some B G G colony it would be the
part of wisdom to continue them at
Edison which has the great advantage
of being in close proximity to the prin-
cipal b c G colony making communica-
ton between us cheap and easy besides
eliminating the cost of removal to some
other profit seeking burg.
The sentimental, intellectual and
moral reasons in favor of our position
are stronger than the material.
The pessimistic spirits among us
think and say that we are drifting apart
into two distinct classes, that the chasm
will eventually become so wide that we
shall split asunder as nearly every
other reform organization has done.
while outsiders are prone to look upon
the Board and their employees as dis
tinct and somewhat above the colonists.
These baseless ideas would soon be
wiped out and disappear by removal to
the colony, and a hearty cooperation
between the two pioneer elements.
There is another phase of the question
we should seriously consider.
Socialists, as rule. are firm believ-
ers in progress. They strongly desire
to improve themselves, and still stron-
ger is the desire that the rising gener-
alton shall enjoy the benefits of high
er civilization. To do this we must. as
fast as possible, have the requisite in
situations established within our de-
main, and among these institutions
none stand higher, if properly conduct
ed, as means of intellectual and moral
advancement, than the printing press.
The press forms the nucleus of liter
airy centre, is sort of thought bat
terry, and we ask, shall we and our chill
dren, not only we but you reserve COM
rades who are to come later and be
pioneers in your turn, be deprived of
its civilizing influence while the deni-
zens of Plutus-ruled towns enjoy the
same?
Shall our B c c colony continue to
be a rude primitive backwoods settle
ment while the hard earnings of our
toiling comrades as well as our own 90
to swell the Golfers of the upholders
and opponents of the very system we
aim to overthrow and destroy?
In brief, what is this movement for
and why are we here?
Plutocracy owns thousands of towns
with their inhabitants, soul and body.
Is it not possible for the thousands of
Socialists who are believers in colonies
tion to establish one town here on Puget
Sound that will be credit to the cause
and an "object lesson" in truth?
If so we have got to mass our forces
and stop giving unnecessary aid and
comfort to the enemy, Friends we have
lots of them in the towns in this vicin-
ity, but they are not of the profit mon
ger class, bot believe with us in the up
building of Equality until it is on a
solid basis and then the founding OF
other colonies as fast a. feasible.
a removal to Equality means that we
shall probably secure our own post
Office through the increase in the bust
ness. 1t has been wrongfully refused
us, but We doubt il. even this admins
tration could in that case coniure up a
reasonable or unreasonable excuse for
further refusal. G. E. PELTON.