The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-25
AN INDUSTRIAL COLONY
HAS THE ONLY SUCCESSFUL
COOPERATIVE COMMUNITY.
Swiss Residents OF Tell City Have
Combined and Made Practical
varfous Utopsnn Theories.
Special Correspondents Indianapolis Journal.

Speciai correspondence Indianapolis journal.
TELL CITY. Ind. June Elm this city Of
5000 busy souls. hidden away between the In
diana Knobs and the Ohio river. and so sit
uated that it escapes attention and med
ding, is being worked out the only sue
cessful Industrial colonization scheme in this
country. 1t is neither the cooperative
theme OF theoretical Bellamy. the Industrial
plan of Debs. or the social dream OF Owen.
but rather a modified and greatly altered
practical combination of the three The
theoretical has beeen laid aside and the
practical and successful made 10 predomi-
nate. Forty-four years have tested fts
strong and its weak points and, weatherinR
them all, 1t stands to-day not only the only
successful cooperative Industrial social COLI
ony, but also as possibly the most prosper
Gus municipality in Indiana. enjoying.
among many other konors, the distinction
Of being the Indiana city I'm which Is found
the largest per cent. OF home owners ana
the fewest drones and leeches on society.
1t is claimed % per cent. of the home occu-
pants own their homes. More than this
they own twenty-six manufacturing ~institu-
tions and work in them. They select their
own officers and superintendent and set
their own scale Of wages. The plan thus
carried out in manufacturing plants is
Al AAdAa6CALCnl 4 Al4Al(4Hald
The city was found In 1856 by the Swiss
Colonization Society OF Cincinnati. an or
ganization effected by wealthy Swiss citi-
zens of that and other American cities.
They sought a plan for the betterment OF
their fellow-countrymen who had come to
the States, but had not met with success
in securing remunerative employment. They
purchased the present site because OF its
location on the navigable Ohio and Its rath-
| er isolated situation. In the knobs three
hundred yards back from the Ohio was
| found an almost inexhaustible supply OF the
| best camel coal. 1t was named Tell City
in honor of William Tell. whom many recall
as the man who shot the apple from his
sons head.
In selecting the c~olonists the society
sought only TO assist the worthy. They first
inquired into the morality of their man
and then as to his industrial inclination
and ability. Found acceptable I'm these
points, with his family he was shipped TO
Tell City. When enough had thus been
gathered, the society effected the organize
ton of the first colony manufacturing conn
pany. 1t was put upon a strictly cooper
alive basis. The men were permitted to
select their own officers and bosses by popu-
lar vote annually, and made themselves.
voluntarily, subject to those whom they SCI
lected. When the plan was once drafted ft
stood.
From the first the policy of the society
was to minimize chances Of disruption by
making the Companies snall-from ten to
100 men The men left to the end OF the
year any changes Of policy and manage
ment. and settled all troubles at the an
pual elections The colonization society adj
vanced them funds. and in 1866 the FIRST
cooperative company erected the first
manufacturing concern In the colony. They
selected wood working, most OF them be-
ing expert cabinet makers and joiners in
the old country. The plant which they e.
tablished is now claimed to be the largest
chair making concern In the United States.
The cooperative plan thus worked out was
found to be successful beyond all anticipa-
ton. The men at first divided their earn
ings at intervals. but as soon as they had
discharged their Indebtedness and estab-
lished themselves in homes. they began to
fix a weekly scale Of wages. They set their
own wages at the annual meetings. dong
so by popular vote. BY popular vote they
have always adhered to a plan Of graduate
ing wages on a basis of efficiency In work
and excellence. The finest workmen were
thus given an advanced figure over the
others who were not 50 proficient. All work
was placed on a piece basis, and, II II
claimed, this was one Of the first plants
in the United States in which this plan was
introduced. BY a graduating scale every
man was urged to best effort BY every
man having an interest in the plant. az
veil as a desire to earn his weekly wag
for himself and family, all attempted 10
make the output excel in workmanship and
style, and in the furniture markets to-day
Tell City goods are referred to as a stand
ard of excellence in construction This had
much to do with the success OF this pioneer
and all of the cooperative plants. a. all
worked on the same line. Not only was the
father who worked at the bench interested
in the plant, but every wife, mother and
child had its heart in its success When
the son was old enough he was put to work
at the apprentice bench, and from that he
gradually worked himself to a place BE-
side his father on the master-workmaa'o
bench. AS he progressed he began to ac-
quire a proprietary interest I'm the plant
until, when he reached the place beside hse
father. he had as great financial interest
as his ancestor.
MORE COOPERATION.
The wonderful success which marked the
starting of the first plant urged the Colo
nization Society on. and another co-operatfve
company was formed on the same plan ana
money was advanced them. They also erect
ed a furniture-making establishment. and Ia
it's line Of specialties II Is to-day the great
est OF its kind in the State OF Indiana An
other and another and another were added
until twenty-six plants. all told. are now in
operation. All are operating on exactly the
same plan as drafted and developed by the
pioneer. Not a failure marks the long Lat
There has not been even a financial weak
ening. Every one Of them has been cleared
of all Indebtedness. including the original
capital upon which they were started. The
workmen, who have set their own wages,
have been receiving 10. and IN some cases
-, per cent. higher weekly remuneration
than workers employed at similar work by
companies which come into competition with
them. Besides this weekly advanced wage,
!, at the end Of the year they have had their
net earnings TO divide, and this generally
runs UP into the hundreds Of dollars for each
man. Last year there were employed IN
these twenty-six Tell City plants al work.
men. Their wages and the earnings dis
tributed among them amounted 10 SOS 600
for the year OF 1898. Besides the men en-
ployed in the factories among whom this
was divided over 15 men and women were
given employment at their homes Gaming
ohafrv what fhofr aarofngs w.ara A.. =.