Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-08-20

Salvation Army in America, made re-
Gently to settle 5000 Russian Jews in
a farming colony in the south, to make
every one of them financially indie
pendent in ten years and to pledge the
credit of the Salvation Army for the
repayment Of the 100000 necessary
to carry out the plan was due to the
results perceptible in the three farm
colonies established by the army in the
west within the last few years.
Commander Booth Tucker returned
recently from a tour of inspection
among the colonies and it was the
things he saw during this trip which
encouraged him to make this offer. The
business men of Fort Amity colony in
Colorado have formed a commercial
club, which dined the commander on
his visit. This little association OF
business men, nineteen or twenty of
them, turned over 100000 In the last
year and paid out $4,000 in freight
One Of them has just completed a
$4,000 store
This is extremely significant to
those who understand what went be.
fore. This volume of business has
been built up by men who four years
ago were without capital The first
colonists arrived in Amity in April,
1899 Here and there one who had
been a farm laborer had a team of his
own. Most of them had their own
household furniture. Aside from that
they were propertyless men. not
hoboes, or even men out OF work, but
simply workingmen from the large
cities. mainly New York, who under
existing conditions had been unable to
accum uiate any property.
Well Provided For
Their goods were shipped to Amity
for them. Their railroad fare and that
of their families were paid, They
were settled in plots Of from ten to
twenty acres apiece, received house
to live in, the necessary tools and i'm
plements, one or two horses each, one
or two cows, pigs and poultry.
Every penny of the cost was debt
charged against the colonist by the
army. 1t is the way in which this
debt is being discharged that en-
couraged the commander to make the
offer he did. On April 81, 1902, the
first colonist discharged his entire
Indebtedness to the army. He had
come to Amity in March, 1899. his
sole accumulation of capital after ten
or twelve years of married life being
a team and ais household furniture.
He has now twenty acres free from in
cumbrance. On this land is a neat
stone cottage built by himself. His
entire debt to the army amounted to
5000. He paid It in three years be-
sides supporting a wife and three chill
dren and building his house.
The colonists are not put into good
houses and money to live upon is not
furnished them until their first crops
are harvested The first were set to
work making Indispensable improve
ments. constructing fences, lrrigating
bitches. and so on. The army allowed
them the rate of wages current in the
section. 81 day. Half OF that was
set down to their credit on their debt.
The other dollar day sufnced for
them to live on until their first returns
began to come in They lived in mere
shacks until they were able to build
better houses of their own.
Now that these necessary prelimi-
nary improvements are all made the
men are accepted as prohationers
first, If they prove industrious and
persevering they assume the full
status of colonists, During the proba,
tionary period the army takes a GER
tain per cent of their produce II the
land on which they are settled is un.
der cultivation. If it is unbOken the
probationer takes il and makes what
he can from it, the improvements he
puts on it, being worth from IS to $40
an acre To the army
Only three colonists have ever left
Amity and those for sufficient reasons
Not one has ever shirked his payments
or refused to work. The fact that the
army has at times had as high as
nearly $4,000 of excess payments or
hand indicates their eagerness to dis
charge their obligations.
Yet there Is hardly one of them who
could not have been sold out at some
time during the last four years or who
under ordinary business method.
would not have been sold out The diff
ference came in the fact that while III,
army was under strict necessity TO get
its money back. having borrowed The
necessary capital. its object was moi
to make money out of the colonists
but only TO see them financially inde
pendent II has tided them over hard
times. Il knew the circumstances and
character of each and whether he
could pay or not II money was tight
with them II took their hay or their
calves or their hogs and. when Il had 8
car load. shipped at an advantage
which the individual oolonists could
not command.
Better Than Money.
The army has given the colonists
no money. but it gave them the power