Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-02-04
Past Work, Present Standing and
Future Prospects of the b. &C.


since actual colonization work began
here in Washington it seems to a
man up tree as though it was time
for us to look around, take an account
of stock, survey the whole field past,
present and prospective and determine
what changes if any are needed IN our
plan of work in order to hasten the
glorious elimination thereof, the CO.
operative commonwealth.
If the material results look and seem
small it must be borne in mind that
more than half of the time since our
organization has been spent in purely
propaganda work, that much money
has been spent in the same way, and
that our pioneer work has been to
quite degree experimental IN its ma
ture and hampered more or less by the
inexperience and weaknesses of many
who have come to the front overesti-
mating their ability in claiming the
title and assuming the responsibility
of pioneers while not possessing the
necessary stern enduring stuff in their
composition, or more strictly speak
ing, said stuff had not been brought
to the surface by the two great fact
ors-oppression and education.
The amount spent in actuel coloni-
cation work by the B c c is under
rather than over $4,000, much of
the colonization fund having been ne
cessarily spent in propaganda work.
For this we have to show over 600
acres of land more than half of it ex-
tremelv frtile, and 16O acres of it COW
cred with the finest kind of timber,
a fortune within itself when worked
up, about 100 acres partially cleared
and ditched, fairly good printing
outfit including a press costing us
nearly 81, 800 after beeing set up, 10
horses, 10 head of cattle, 26 swine a
fairly good lot of farming and other
tools, wagons, harnesses, stump ma
chimes, knitting machine etc. To all
these add the saw mill and donkey en-
CINE together with the necessary va
rious shops, kitchen, Dining rooms
etc. hay, oats and vegetables sufficient
to carry us through the winter, and
the buildings with which last most
of our readers are sufficiently familiar
with to render description thereof SUI
perhuous, also the sloop, few hum
bred dollars i'll the treasury and fair
stock of supplies on hand, and alto
gether it would seem as though our
Stewardship would bear inspection
from fair minded people who will take
all the difficulties, unavoidable at the
inception of such an enterprise, into
fullest consideration.
Now comrades let us turn our faces
resolutely to the future and firmly re-
solve, that in results it shall transcend
and totally eclipse the past.
Nothing but faint
IT CAN BE DONE, heartedness can
AND MUST BE DONE. prevent it, and SUI
rely those who
have STAYED with the movement up
till this time are free from that con-
temptible disease.
The spring time will soon be here
and many acres of Equalitys rich soil
must be put into crop the coming sea-
son. The clearing of the land furnish
es fodder for the mill in the shape of
logs and shingle bolts together with
an abundance of fuel. Building of
houses and shops must go on in order
to furnish homes and employment for
the new Corners, and altogether there
will be tremendous increase in the
volume Of rustic and hustle already
prevalent at Equality
But. to some people there is a very
dark side to this picture. There is
laundering lot of hard, dirty, disagree
able toll connected with and a part of
it that will stay with it too for years
to come.
No ideal" looking Backward" condi-
tons will be experienced here, nor
think anywhese else, until Socialism
becomes universal.
We are still to a considerable degree
under and subject to the extortions
of Plutus Lee Paunch
We can only offer you, for the pres
ent, better association than on the
outside and fighting chance to main
tain the colony as drawing back and
recruiting camp for the Surely-coming
Can't-be-stopped Cooperative Com
monwealth.
Is that inducement enough? 1t is if
you are brave, if not the cause does
not need you, has no use for you,
Will state right here in plain English
that while many noble men and wom-
EN- have come to the front, that we
have been cursed with q superfuitv
of would be pioneers who either want
ed too much, or knew not what they
did want.