Evening journal., 1912-07-01
PEOPLES COLUMN
MRS. BEANIE EXPLAINS TROUBLE OVER LEASE

To the Editor Of THE EVENING
JOURNAL
Sir. Since YOU have treated me 10 An
important place on the very front page
Of your valuable paper, J am going
70 be presumptive enough 10 ask II l
may be allowed TO say q few words
for myself, Just 20 set tho matter
straight before the public and TO de-
stroy any impression which may exist
among your readers that ] am fero-
cious female bandit | am just a lone
and very sorely tried young woman,
fighting for what firmly believe 10 be
my rights. tryins TO preserve what
can Of The very little possessions 7
have for myself and my two little
children When your reporter asked
me the other evening what ! should
do " anyone attempted to take pos
session Of my house 7 answered him
seriously enough that ! meant 10 con-
test the case 10 the end. and added
that I still had the rife ! had used in
the circus which would carry two
miles.
II would take up TOO much time and
space n I should attempt 10 tell how
We came 10 this place. eager 10 work
and make . home for ourselves, how
We hadn't been here long before real
izing that our impression Of the man
agement, etc, was all wrong We had
understood that this was the ideal
place for a poor man II he WAS only
willing to work, that IL was run demo-
cratically. that each person had an
equal voice in government, in making
laws and fixing rentals We we're
among the pioneers and one Of the
first families 10 stay here through the
winter. We appointed a committee in
town meeting TO draft constitution
and bylaws, which was made for our
protection and adopted by a large ma
jority At last We had home where
We were safe. where we could make
our living from the land and CLOSE
TO nature" where our children could
have all the advantages of outdoor
life under ideal conditions The
leases provided for the use Of all mon
eys left. after payment Of taxes. on
public improvements The second year
We we're here we ,tod in meeting
with the majority, to increase the rent
ais so per cent. in order to have
enough money to carry out the i'm
provements planned. The next year
there was another increase proposed
which we voted against, but it was car
ried by the majority We we're wor-
I ried but were still able to make oul
payments. However, We began TO real.
ize that we couldn't afford TO use
! ground for agricultural purposes
which cost so much in rent
You published. believe, an
/ account Of the meetings last
/ yesr in which we attempted TO hold the
rents down. and in which the increase
was made in spite of our protests Al
that time when we cited our constitu
tion as a. authority. we were informed
by one Of the .ruetees that il WASH
worth the paper II was written on
That we would be allowed to govern
ourselves as long as we did so in ;
manner agreeable 10 the trustees, bu
that If we took too much into OUT
own hands they would act as they saw
1T Long before tlis we had had bust
ness difficulties with those in author
ity here and my husband had beer
aware of adverse influences at worl
to keep him from obtaining employ
men- He had sold his inheritance ir
MARYLAND and put all he haL into i'm
proving this place. in the hope Of be
ing able eventually to get OF of i
al least what he put into IT,
When We contracted the debt viii
the lumber dealer who is now prose
cutting US. we fully expected TO he abl
10 pay it out of the proceeds Of sale
and he must have thought so too, o
he wouldn't have given US so mucl
credit worked side by side on tn
house from foundation to roof l hav
2 hill against it for labor. whicl
amounts to s125.00 at 25 cents al
hour
We couldn't afford 10 hire oths
help and everything in it is labor O
our hands We offered IL for sale
advertised. etc, and several time
new comers in Arden we're interest
ed, investigated the property. wer
pleased and semed on the point o
2