The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
POP COLONISTS ~ STRAITS.
General Prosperity Said to he the Cause Of a
SOCialistic Failure.

SOCiaIisttC taIure.
From thc 81. Lopis Globe cnocrGi
DtNvER, Nav 3-One Of the most promising
experiments of the Western Populisis was an
organization that was formed four years ago,
the cooperative colony at san Miguel. col
II had two years ago 3W people, but this mum
Der i now much smaller. The colony, organ
wed under the laws Of Colorado, i made up 81
Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado families prin-
cipallN, and most of the leaders of the PopuliSt
party IN the States mentioned have stock in il.
! 100 shares NJ SEQ being authorized, though
only about $50 were issued The colony had, to
start with, $3.50 acres of land along the san
| Miguel River. and the only thing growing on II
was saSe brush However, II was manifest
that with irrigation there could be raised I'M
| msnse crops, and 10 the end Of securing the
artificial moisture did the colonisi- turn
/ their attention. \ Board of Directors is SUI
| preme IN the management Of affairs after being
| elected, and this has caused strife. The lands
being ten miles from the river proper. a ditch
10 cover the distance was begun n once, and on
this the coloniSts worked supporting themselves
by cutting wood and selling the product of n saw
mill on the grounds
The principal portion Of The colony is near the
| meeting house. or colony headquarters, whore
all gather for the discussions and the distribu-
iion Of wages and food The management "i
the colony was on a purely cooperative plan, 10y
which the coloni>ts received from the directors
| scrip AZ the rate Of 20 cents an hour, regardless
| of the kind of labor performed The credits go
into a paS-hook, and This il all the money the
COlOni~;N sea from one wear Ia The IeNt. VI ihe
colony store The cash money called for IN tho
pa>Shook j. good for anything AZ u fixed price.
The store Is stocked 10y the work of HE oolonists.
u IA IFa il H.I ii nInll IAF lI1vtaI.r ArnA IA p
ing II up in the Sawnlll
The plan of the managers was simply to
keep the c%olOnlst> supported until they could
dig the ditch, and then, with III" water turned ON
their land~ Government lands open to pre-
emptinn they could begin 10 rcRliIa the b"ne-
fits Of IL" PROSPEROUS farmer In the m~"anwhlI"
Ia" plaiue-t Of living wa> r%raCti-ed mono Of The
Injuries OF liz" bong known, while some al the
Colonls'S were really on the verge of poverty,
- little did they have Tn" cainp. with III"
name Of PnOn, was moved along the ditch ~
the mon tOiled al II. and 80 iragil" were tho
houses that they could be- taken along with the
remainder of the tools and aCcoltrelnent-
About fifty horses were held by the COlOniSiS
~ Tho last report, some of them by individuals,
aud these re'eivod g. a day for The Use of TN"
animal, and ranked rs pIutocrdts among Their
brethren.
Religion j. BY tho rules of he company barred.
bur there l. plenty of amusement. such ~ II
IS. The assembly house l. the scene Of a dance
several times "A month. and on sunday. IN lieu
OF services. the people gather and discuss m"
matters Of the colony a. well rs debRr" on the
questions Of the day. one OF the torrmen waS
a Methodist. and Nv" proposed to carry his re-
llglue teachings, mo the camp life, much TO
the dislike of the other members. one nigh'
his devotlonS n the main sleeping room We're
disturbed by the widest kind of a fight. and
10 the row that followed and filed the camp
with excitement h" decided to leave tn" men
would not work under hum and said that there
would be- worse measures than This If hr did
not leave them.
The foremen being all powerful. knowing
10 other laws than tho>' laid down 10y the board
.t a root ~ aud tnf rA..att M t. t....., - ul,a
than the laborer>. had trouble with heir men,
One of the earliest member Of m" colonN
wa-eN-tOngressinanJ. q Otis, Who was elevated
To political heIght~ by the SllLinC" wave and
represented the Fourth district Of kansas la
the House. He worked a. a common day labor.r.
and when hr tried TO think for himself lr was
called down rs sharply a. any other toiler IN
IN" gang One day he was LETT with four men
TO dig on the ditch The Instructions Of the fore
man being 10 dix around a certain rock OTIS
argued with the men that II would be easier
10 20 through the soft sandstone, and when
The foreman came back the ditch was nearly
through the obstruction
i thought | told You To go around that rock.
he numbered
Can't i go through it if want to. and it is
the easiest way asked th. ~, congressman.
"Nu. YOU cant in dI>OhedI"ICe of my orders
Then wont 20 at all, and Otl> p!t ola his
best clothes and started on foot for the railroad
tifty miles away. II" never Went back to
the camp.
The losses that came in the early days were
mostly OF this sort, and the new members that
came In were not enough to keep np III" interest
and the funds n IA" antlgoniSm grew though
there were no losses OF consequence until about
n year ago. The leading farm journal Of tolu-
RADIO now says that vi" C%olonl,i~ are IN dir"
straits. that they are selling ih" umber for
food. and Tint the Denver members have re-
fused to send IN contributions Tor several Wee r..
Many families living on IN" cominon land
have moved away and those remaining are
running matters 10 suit themselves The
diich i in bad order and the future of tho "N-
pertinent look dark, The plan Wa modelled
on that of IN" famous TopolOhRrnpo colony on
the west coast OF Mexico that Ca,ne to such
an untimoly end and cost tO it, advocates not |
less than q. JO.O 900 tirt and last all of II wasted
and the colony given ny. The ditch required
there is duplicated IN III" new experiment and
the plans Of The COlOnl>tS to have the lands |
warered a, the cost of the labor Of the colony |
i Of the same model The a%ltruran principles
that the Colorado ~cOlOuist~ eX peCtpd to real |
ne seem 10 ~" about a. visionary n those of |
the earlier scheme. There are Touring mills. |
steam railways, factories and Other good things |
IN sight. hut ONT on tho prairie. viii no rain and |
life j. NOT an attric'iv" one 10 most Of the p"r-
plr. Il was n refuge ~ the dav- Of hard times. |
but the good business conditions prevailing |
in the West have made this unnecessary.
The end Of the COLONY when the ditch * m |
working order and the lands are all under
irrigation i for the C~OlOniStS TO take up farms |
and own them "a fee simple or turn them into
the colony and cont ,nle on IN" cooperative !
rlan. a. A. present. A. they SEQ n. II M" latt' =. |
the labor will be uatd for NJ Nh" COMPANY store
a. before, and n there are any profits they are
70 he divided among IN" stockholders NJ tho
such A. remain in it for the future. |
Meetings are being held 10 straigh'en ont he
affairs and win back the disafect"d members.
and II this succeeds the experiment viii I've