Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-04-28

'SSSei DlobleI IlOugafd: When | lett
you in Mohawk, N Y, ten months AGO
remember, | told you that if things did
not materialize in Canton, Ohio, |
would go to the Llano Cooperative
Colony to find out how things were
there and to find out how our breth-
rem were getting along in the new
Commonwealth, Well, things went
from bad to worse in Canton, lust the
same as elsewhere under capitalistic
mlsrule, so, | left it on March 2, 1921.
What Found.
1t was with sinking heart that |
went through the States of Kentucky.
tennessee, and Mississippi and looked
out over the barren land and rock
not enough vegetation to feed spar
row, There were snow drifts vet in
Kentucky along the roads: horses and
COWS were turned out, and everybody
wondered where they found anything
to fill their dinner pals. In Tennessee,
along the Southern Railroad, we saw
nothing but mountains, small streams
of water, and tunnels. | believe we
passed through a hundred of them,
some of them so long that the cars
were filled with sulphur smoke and
smell SO that we nearly suffocated AS
| said, my heart was sinking, so | lay
down to rest until we reached Chatta-
noga, Tennessee, where we changed
for .-etidian, Miss. The country is
more level there, slightly rolling and
more fertile; their gardens were al
ready planted and the farmers were
working in the fields. When we reach
ed Vicksburg, Miss, we were ferried
across the river, train and all, to Delta
Point, Louisiana. Now the sun shone
bright and nice mild breeze was
blowing; so knew | was under south
ern skies, and | began to feel better.
From Delta Point to Monroe, La, for
a hundred miles along the railroad the
land is as level as a pancake and very
fertile. For miles and miles not
stone could be found. This is called
the Richland County, or Parish). Ar
irving at Shreveport, La, | had to wait
E hours for my train for LeesvilIe and
the Colony, which is | 10 miles south.
The railroad Union Depot is up-to-date 4
in every way, with big outside recre-
alton balcony, where we passed the
time waiting; and must say more
pleasant evening | never spent. was
highly surprised by not finding any
mosquitoes or flies. | asked several
about it; they laughed and replied,
well, see if you can find any" |
could not. louisiana and all thy mo-
squitoes" IS all big lie. There are no
mosquitoes here because there is no
stagnant pools Of water for them to
breed in.
| arrived at the Colony at $3.50 in
the morning, and | was met by the
Waterman, our Comrade Chas. Ander-
son, who took me to the hotel, where
| at once went to bed, for needed
rest after travelling two days and three
nights. In the morning | was greeted
by a man coming in from the field, |
with his shirt sleeves all folded up,
full of activity, directing some of the
comrades to work. Hello. Comrade |
Kaas,' he hollered, 81 knew it was you.
Come and have breakfast | am Com
rade Pickett" Comrade Pickett, the
great organizer, the great leader, the
man who has brought this colony to
its present footing and its success.
always imagined him to be big man
and he was not one-half inch taller
than | am, and bald-headed, too. "Ha,
hal" he laughed, you are bald-head-
ed, too. like bald-headed men: they
are thinkers" You see, Bro. Hougard, |
that made me feel at home right away. !
After breakfast | was introduced to I,
Comrade Rhodes, Uncle Jake the
big man with the millionaire front
where he carries all the good things
he eats and big heart and big brain
where he carries all the good ideas and
ideals which will bring this movement
to its fulfillment in the great Common
wealth, the standard bearer of the coH'
cooperative colony movement. Uncle
Jake Is now II. yet he is as lively as
at II. By him was taken around
the new world, as he called it, and ev-