The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-02-13

$450,000 to buy out certain settlers,
leaving their ranches and buildings
as present to the members of this
new colony.
The Socialist members of the col
ony also were group of hardy pio-
neers from Australia. Never were
4 men more united, determined, con-
s vinced and enthusiastic Everything
that nature could do for them, thru
rivers, forests, herds and fiocks, had
been done by friendly sky, album
i dant rains, rich soil, lush grass,
{! abundant cotton, rice. sugar, corn.
4 The tradesmen, carpenters, farm
ers, herdsmen, joining, often, contrib
4 buted from $4,000 to $4,000. Money
rolled in upon Lane for the purchase
| of tools for the fields, goods for the
shelves of the common store. The
/ New Australia cooperative colony
/ started with approximately $780,
i 600.
i Lanes last message to the people
OF Sydney and Melbourne was this:
i What do we expect? For every
/ man the right to work. to every man
| friendship and justice, for every
man and woman fair share Of the
result of common work, for each and
fall, the opportunities to marry and
Ihave a comfortable home; to live
without fear to fill all life with the
pleasures and joys that can be for
each where all are content to labor
honestly. For children the healthy
rearing which is every child's right.
That as what we expect and what we
can be sure of, for labor never fails
to produce plenty where it is able to
work. y S t @
At first everything went beauti-
fully. On landing in Paraguay
committee of the government met
them and turned over to the colonists
la great building for their temporary
home. Wagons were placed at their
disposal; goods were sold to them on
long credit; certain experts who
knew the country were given them
as advisers. Reaching their colony,
they built great common building
144 feet long and twenty feet wide.
The house looked out on orange
trees loaded with fruit, while banans
ipineapples and guavas were near at
hand. But, as usual, the serpent
soon entered the garden.
! Then came the startling discovery
that socialism to the disillusioned
pioneers, ruled with an iron rod.
Lane soon found that someone had to
apportion the work. Unconsciously
he gave the easy jobs to his favor
ties. At first each man was allowed
to do the thing for which he felt he
was especially suited, but after try
ing this plan and realizing that it
was complete failure, Lane an
nounced the policy of benevolent
despotism.
Envy, hatred, uncharitableness,
SANDER, thrived in this paradise as
in hotbed. Lane became tyrant.
With stern hand he put down the
revolt; at last, no settler could leave
the colony without Lanes permits
sion One member wrote to Australia
saying:
We have lost all civil rights and
become mere cogs in the wheel. We
are no longer active factors in the
OShCLhO VI LdAC uOCS
the thinking and the colonists do the
'werk. A man is practically slave;
result, barbarism.'
The next thing that all the Social
lists found out was that instead of
socialism abolishing poverty it pro-
duces poverty. With $4,000 acres
of the finest land in Paraguay and |
pasturage for 10000 head of cattle,
which should have paid 20 to 80
per cent profit under individual
ownership, this colony. after twenty
years, had reached the point where
members would have starved to
death, but for the assistance of the
government of Paraguay.
Then the family life began to 60 to
pieces. Half caste children began to
be seen in the colony. The suicides
became common. Three out Of |
ninety Socialists during year and |
half committed suicide. If that |
proportion kept up~there would be !
100000 people in the United States
to take their own lives every eight
cen months, and in terms of forty |
years, for every man that died a
natural death there would be one to
commit suicide.
FOreseeing his expulsion and the
breakup of the colony, Lane with
drew to found another and rival
center
: Finally the members of both col
onies rebelled and petitioned the
government of Paraguay to grant |
them private ownership.
1t was as if a magician had en-
tered the scene and waved wonder |
working wand.
All talk about an eight hour day
ended. From sunrise to sunset, once
they were assured of the sanctity of
their private property, that the house
they had built would be their own as
a shelter for old age, they began to
work like bees and beavers.
Benjamin Kidd, the philosopher
witnessed the beginning Of that new
era. He. tells us that men who were
INDECENT and worthless under social
ism became enterprising. In an in
credibly short space of time houses
shot up, surrounded by we'll titled
gardens, with carefully fenced crops,
and soon once more the pastures
were covered with herds and focks.
Single individuals prospered so mar
velously that in short time they
0Wnnd q lorCror mn r,ohor IF ooff1o opd