Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-04
TELL CITY.
An Indiana Town in Which There is
Real Social Equality.

Correspondence the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Tell City is town with a remarkable his
tory 1t is cooperative industrial colony
which has been in successful operation for
forty-four years. 1t has survived the wreck
of scores of aitruistic settlements founded
on the BelIamy or Debs plan Perhaps one
reason for this is that it is Swiss town,
founded by Swiss people for Swiss colonists.
Out of a population today of 5000 fully one
half are Swiss and / 200 are Germans. In
politics the town is entirely republican, al
though neighboring towns are mostly
democratic.
Tell City was founded in 1856 by the Swiss
Colonization Society of Cincinnati an or
ganization of wealthy Swiss people. They
sought a plan for the betterment of their
countrymen who had come to this country
and had not Jared as well as themselves
The town is named for the Swiss hero, Will
liam Tell. 1t now has twenty-six factories,
each employing from ten to 100 men. 1t is
said to be the greatest chair-manufactur-
ing center in the United States. In furni-
ture making Tell City factories stand high.
The desks in the White House at Washing
ton are made in Tell City, and last week
the government ordered all desks for the
Cuban government offices from there.
The principal products of the mills and
factories are house furniture, chairs, desks
wood mantels, wagons, hub blocks, hubs
spokes, brooms. baskets, shingles, railroad
ties flour and meal, names, slaves barrels,
toys, wooden goods, veneer, sashes, doors,
blinds, brick, rough and dressed timber
brandy, whisky, beer and wine.
All the industrial establishments are own
ed by the municipality. City officials, SUI
perintendents, managers and foremen are
elected by popular vote once year. The
piece system is adopted in paying for work
and thus each worker earns according to
his ability At the end of the year the net
earnings above these wages are equally
distributed on stock. Ninety-three per cent
q 10 neOnla homes he
of the houses ranging from $500 to 81 600
Young men are advised to marry early and
settle down. They are advanced the money
to build their homes, most of them taking
about $500 as a beginning. They pay 81 80
a week of their earnings for three years
and ten months, or $1,25 a week for seven
years and eight months. They also pay 6
per cent interest, which is about $115 From
the start they participate in the earnings of
the institution, and when they have paid in
the $115 and their borrowed capital they
find they have an earning of about $75
which leaves themrOnly $40 out in interest
The people are unusually Industrious, and
person entering the CITY during working
hours would readily mistake it for the
deadest town on earth, No one can be seen
on the street. Every child, as we'll as every
adult, has duties to perform, and loafers
close from to II :s6 and from i until G.
But when the whistles blow there is a
transformation Almost instantly the
streets are crowded with people hurrying to
of the business of the town is done at night
The people are frugal and saving. but
their frugality does not reach even the
borderland of parsimohy. Though there
are some very wealthy citizens, they can
not, from their daily habits and mode of
life, be told from those who have just be-
gun to store up a fortune. The equality as
shown by mannef of living, interests in
common and by dress is striking. The
present MAJOR Of Tell City, Albert P. Fem.
was worker in one of the furniture fac
tories.
by electricity. The tax rate is 30 cents
There are five churches and good system
of common and high schools. German In
although the children receive English edu,
cations. -