The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-02

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under the laws of Colorado, is made VI
of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado fam
| lilies principally, and most of the lead
ers of the populist party in the states
mentioned have stock in it, one thou
sand shares at one hundred dollars be-
| ing authorized, though only about three
| hundred and fifty were issued. The col
ony had, to start with, twenty-five thou
sand acred of land along the San Mi
guel river, and the only thing growing
on it was sage brush. However, it was
manifest that with irrigation there coulo
be raised immense crops, and to the end
of securing the artificial moisture did
the colonists turn their attention. A
board of directors is supreme in the
management of affairs after being elect
ed, and this has caused strife. The
lands being ten miles from the river
proper, ditch to cover the distance was
begun at once, and on this the colonists
worked, supporting themselves by cut
ting wood and selling the product of a
saWmill on the grounds
The principal portion of the colony is
near the meeting house, or colony head
quarters, where all gather for the dis
cussion and the distribution Of wages
and food. The management of the colo
ny was on purely cooperative PLAN,
by which the coloniSts received from
the directors scrip at the rate of twenty
cents an hour, regardless of the kind of
labor performed. The credits go into a
passbook, and this is all the money the
colonists see from one year to the next.
bn ST. he
called for in the passbook is good for
anything at fixed price. The store is
stocked by the work Of the colonists,
who are employed in hauling lumber
and working it up in the sawmill.
The plan Of the managers was simply
to keep the colonists supported until
they could dig the ditch, and then, with
the water turned on their lands-gov-
eminent lands open to preemption-they
could begin to realize the benefits Of the
prosperous farmer. In the meanwhile
the plaineSt of living was practised
none of the luxures Of life being known,
while some Of the colonists We're really
on the verge of poverty, so little did
they have. The camp, with the name of
Pinon, was moved along the ditch as the
houses that they could be taken along
with the remainder Of the tools and ac-
coutrements. About fifty horses were
held by the colonists at the last report,
some Of them by individuals, and these
received two dollars day for the use of
the animals and ranked as plutocrats
among their brethren.
Religion Is by the rules of the compa-
ny barred, but there is plenty of amuse-
ment, such as 1t Is. The assembly
house is the scene Of a dance several
times a month, and on Sunday. In lieu
of services, the people gather and dis
cuss the matters of the colony as we'll
as debate on the questions of the day.
One Of the foremen was a Methodist,
and he proposed to carry his religious
teachings into the camp life, much to
the dislike of the other members One
night his devotions in the main sleeping
room were disturbed by the widest
kind of a fight, and in the row that fol-
lowed and filled the camp with excite
ment he decided to leave. The men
would not work under him and said that
there would be worse measures than
this If he did not leave them.
The foremen being all powerful. know
ing no other laws than those laid down
by the board Of directors, and yet re-
ceiving no more wages than the labor
ers, had trouble with their men.
One of the earliest members Of the
colony was ex-Congressman J. G. Otis,
who was elevated to political heights by
the Alliance wave and represented the
I;,+pi at 81 T. I,
He worked as a common day laborer,
and when he tried to think for himself
he was called down as sharply as any
other toiler in the gang. One day he
was left with four men to dig ON the
ditch, the Instructions of the foreman
being to dig around a certain rock Otis
argued with the men that it would be
easier to go through the soft sandstone,
and when the foreman came back the
ditch was nearly through the obstruc-
ton.
Il thought I told you to go around
that rock" he Numbered
Cant | go through it if I want to,
and it is the easiest way?" asked the
ex-congressman.
mo, you can't in disobedience of my
orders"
Then l wont go at ALL" and Otis put
on his best clothes and started on foot
for the railroad fifty miles away. He
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 We're not
enough to keep up the interest and the
funds as the antagonism grew, though
there were no losses of consequence un-
til about a year ago. The leading farm
are in dire straits; that they
ire selling the lumber for food, and that
he Denver members have refused to
send in contributions for several weeks.
Many families living on the common
and have moved away and those re-
are running matters to suit
themselves. The ditch is in bad order
lark The plan was modelled on that of !
he famous Topolobampo colony on the !
vest coast of Mexico that came to such |
IN untinlefy end and cost to it's advo- |
'ates not less than $1,500, 900 first and |
asst all of it wasted and the colony CIV !
n up. The ditch required there is du- |
dictated in the new experiment and the |
yatered at the cost of the labor of the |
olony is of the same model. The altru- |
ian principles that the Colorado colo |
lists expected to realize seem to be |
bout as visionary as those of the ear