Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-06-10
The Part Colonies Should Play in
The Great Social Movement.

This is certainly an era of coopera-
tive colonies. From every direction
we hear of their being formed, organ
lied, and sometimes, alas, disorgan-
lied.
They, however, will not down, and
it is an extremely significant fact that
the people who are most ready to en-
gage in a cooperative venture are
those who have been in them before,
and in capitalistic parlance have "fiz-
zled out" manifested their incOmpe-
tency" and the "untenableness Of the
idea, (" land failed"
This fact seems to indicate that
large portion of the human race has
reached the point in evolution where
they begin to feel the desirability of
closer relations with their fellows and
wish to profit therefrom.
However, for veal or for woe, for
better or for worse, cooperation is
here with us to stay, and large per-
centage of its force is bound to be ex-
pended in the direction of cooperative
colonies, and to determine the manner
in which to derive the most and great
est benefits from them and their stat
us in the great work is an important
duty not to be neglected.
That they are an important part OF
the movement cannot longer be denied
by friend or foe. The principal differ
ences being as to their effect thereon
and the particular line or lines of work
they should be devoted to in order to
render them the most effective agencies
in the great work of bringing econom-
ic freedom and equality of opportuni-
ty to mankind.
There seems to be among the adher-
ents of the colony plan three different
ideas as to the part they are to per-
form. One class of colony enthusiasts
firmly believe that they are destined
to supplant corporations, political
parties, and about all the present
means for carrying on social, political
and industrial work.
A second class believes that they are
to be means to an end, but put the
end so far in the distant future that
they expect a long era of colony con-
troll of industrial affairs to succeed
lllC DlOSClll wi pOi ctlloll NOlllOl tlNlS-
Of and both these classes often point
to the Rochdale association of Eng
land as an example of what may be
effected through cooperative methods
outside of politics along purely bust
ness lines.
The second class in their intense in
terest often lose sight of the end alto
gether their minds being too much
crowded with thoughts on the means
to the same
A third class, to which the writer
unhesitatingly claims to belong looks
upon the colony movement as but a
temporary means to an end, one of
the surface indications of the mighty
conflict that is raging beneath the
comparatively placid exterior of
of things, but which is destined to
break out in different form and with
immensely superior force within few
years.
Were class No. / correct in its con-
illusions the outlook to me would in
deed be gloomy. The competitive
spirit, instead of being quenched,
would be merely intensified by becom-
ing more universal, for each colony
would, to a great extent, feel called
upon to conduct and offensive and de-
fensive commercial and industrial
warfare against every other colony,
and each member thereof must of ne
cessity be imbued thereby with the
competitive spirit in an extreme de-
gree, for each colony would be like n
feudal lord and his retainers, arraved
against every other, except that the
colonist being more intelligent, and
more closely interested in the matter
personally than the old time retainer
would naturally become a sharper
competitor.
There Would be Danger that Each Colony
Would Compete With and Deyour Ev-
cry Other Colony, just as Corporations
Do Today.
Class No. 3 would.be nearer right
from my point of view, We're il not
that in its great interest and earnest
belief in the great efficacy of colonies
as agencies in social progress they, in
their intense earncstncss, are almost
certain to mistake, temporarily at
least, the means for the end, and being
so wrapped up in the matter are in
danger of narrowing themselves down
to mere colony socialists, and narrow
ness, in this advanced age Of the world
when the whole earth is becoming
through our rapid improvement in
means OF communication, and the con-