The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-10-07

any colonist looks over our broad lands
or views our town and our buildings,
shops, machinery, store, stock and
mules, and fields of sugar cane, rice, or
growing crops of any kind, he Cor she)
can feel that these are his Cor her) pro-
perty.
We now own and have free of en-
cumbrance, in the name of our Colony
community, some over 5000 acres OF
land; and the lumber company from
whom we bought has our agreement
to buy $4,000 acres more at a very
low price, making 10000 acres in all.
We have bought other land, and have
offers very advantageous of still more
that is, there is every prospect that
every opportunity is open to US; but
despite the tempting offers, good man
agement has obliged the setting aside.
at least for the present, of these oppor-
tunities to expand.
Over a year ago, Bradstreet's me-
camille agency gave us a rating OF
$250,000; but, since then, our land
possessions has probably doubled, new
buildings have been installed, new ma
chinery set up, our tractor power more
than doubled, an electric light and pow
er house installed, and industries run
/ by electricity, the new State Highway
runs 100 feet from our store, and we
lare building two-story brick building
facing the highway go x l20 feet
long), to house the best and most fully
equipped garage and filling station in
100 miles. Here also we shall have
the best machine shop and wagon shop
within 100 miles. What rating Brad
streets will give us now remains to be
Iseen-the highway will add to the val
lie of cur property, probably double
its value. At the rate Bradstreet's rat
ed us d year ago, we should now be
rated for over a half million or more,
as we have in the year acquired | 900
acres of good land on the Isle of Pines,
south of Cuba.
Up to the present, few of the radical
or reform element have known of our
, work; but should our management
take up campaign Of publicity and
: acquaint the active labor movement
: with our work, no doubt we should
: grow much faster; but there is a con-
: sideration that holds that in check, and
: that is our experience has proved that
great care must be taken in acquiring
: new membership, as our system is SC
S Numerically opposite morally and psy-
Y chologically to the ideals that perme.
Y ate through and through, even uncon,
= sciously, those who have been born anc
= have lived under the immoral anc
e vile system Of capitalism, that, unit
they are morally born again, they arr
] not prepared to understand and work
: harmonious y under our methods. Thi
: may sound to some as a sort of "holi
J, er than thou attitude, or an assertion
: of superiority; but it is in accord witt
: our facts and experience, and we there
: fore prefer to grow in membership slow
: ly and surely. We have found tina
d the selfishness, suspicion, jealousy
+ self-seeking and. in fact. all the evil
Il bred by competition and capitalism, ar
i even unconsciously inbred in most pee
: pie, and the best of them need to liv
n here and work with us at least yea
t to get all the meanness Of the old sys
o TEN purged out of them.
', We are Of the opinion that the mos
e effectual way to defeat capitalism an
=, institute the new and coming system,
is to proceed to build up the new
IS groups such as we are doing; and, i
y the doing of it. we are assured of fooc
.e shelter, clothing, guarantee for pre-
D vision in old age, good education fc
lie our children, and harmonious cond
If tions of life and self-employment, FIRE
h from the dictations and oppression
l. of the owning-class or their hirelin
e, foremen and bosses. As to the futul
ID of new system of society, we ca
ct gather from history that it was jul
f. such method that undermined the En-
S, pire of Rome, the most powerful tt
o. world has known, and it was alone tt
is jesuitry of Emperor Constantine an
IN the corruptions of superstitious ae
TT that prevented its success. Those 81
lie perstitions no longer hold sway, and "
I'd think the time has come when the co
" lective and communal life will tai
al root and grow.
le MEN AND WOMEN UNITED