“The society receives the profit over and above the expenses incurred
for buildings, improvements, street pavements, etc., or any necessary
expenses that are required for the convenience of the colony. Out of all
the profits so obtained, there is still a balance that is used to
increase the standing wealth of the society. Then I told them to look
around and see the buildings in the cities and to realize if they could
how few are owned by those who built them. The society not only secures
to every member a profit on his earnings, but the net earnings of the
society as a whole. When a man plants fruit trees and is paid for his
labor his individual claim is satisfied, but the society owns the fruit
each year, and the same applies to their labor in the building. The
society will exact rent from the builder, if he should occupy the
building until he owns sufficient shares to represent his right to
occupy the house, and the man who plants the fruit trees belonging to
the society will have to pay for the fruit of those same trees, if he
eats it.
“Then I explained that the society must own everything and govern its
own interests, and when they realized its strength, they were sure to
desire its protection, for each individual is a part of the whole. The
buildings alone are a sufficient guarantee. You have direct returns for
any amount you leave with the society, no matter how large or small, I
told them, and those advantages are not given in any other society.
There is no bank to fail here. I said, ‘My friends, money is not wealth,
for money scatters your wealth in most instances and gives it to others.
You need your labor, which is really your wealth, protected, and that is
what we are doing.’ Then I asked, ‘Do you still want money for your
labor?’ The only one who answered said, ‘I don’t know. You have a good
theory, but—’
“At this point, an old member came in to see the treasurer and naturally
the attention of all turned to him, for he had his hands full of scrip
that he wanted to exchange for money. The men listening to the
transaction were amazed at the large amount the roll of scrip
represented. ‘Oh,’ said one of them, ‘then you do use money. I thought
you only used them homemade tickets and that they were no better than
milk tickets.’ ‘Neither are they,’ I said, ‘nor are they any better than
railroad tickets. We use our “tickets,” as you call them, to protect our
interests; the railroads do the same. If every one paid the conductors
the companies would often be robbed (except with five cent fares.) Those
large combinations study economy in every way and so do we. In signing
our agreements to pay for your labor in scrip or shares we do it to
protect the society, but very often we haven’t as much scrip as we have
money, so we do pay a portion in money at such times. Then of course we
know at the present time, you need it for some things that we cannot
supply, so we usually pay you a percentage in coin. We cannot even issue
scrip until we have its worth, either in product or some wealth that
would redeem it. This is where your labor is valuable to us all and
scrip becomes a medium of exchange and is safer than money, for it
cannot be lost as money can, but each year our standing wealth will
increase and of course every season will find us in a position to issue
that much more scrip as well as shares. That is the way millionaires
were produced. It was the labor of the people. They banked their money,
the banks loaned it to the rich and in turn they became millionaires by
speculating with it. We have no right to their wealth now, though, for
we gave it to them. Now we are producing for ourselves and intend to
keep these millions for our own necessities.’
“If we didn’t have the land to build upon or produce building materials,
or grow our food, we couldn’t issue scrip as we do now. It is from the
ground that our wealth comes, but labor is required to produce it. After
we had first secured the land we were ready to bring those here who
could work upon it and those who were capable of making good roads. The
Government granted us such a small sum in comparison to what we needed
that of course the real laborers came first. Now we need you builders.”
“Well, what have they done about it?” Nellie asked.
“As they realize it is about the only way they can live, now that trusts
and combinations are hedging them in on all sides and strikes are only
bringing them poverty in the long run, the most of them have arranged to
come. Some have actually signed to do portions of the mason work, and I
expect we will be getting the buildings erected immediately.”
“Did you read those letters, Nellie?” Tom asked.
“No. What are they about?” she inquired.
“A number of old people have applied to be taken in the society and
while most of them have enough to pay for the permanent shares entitling
them to live here, many have not enough to pay for their consumable
shares; they are able to do a certain amount of work; but they want the
protection of the society. Others again wish to place their savings in
the society and live where they are with their relatives until the
amount required is decided upon. Of course we cannot tell to a certainty
how much will be needed to keep one person. Their ideas are so varied,
but after they have secured their permanent shares that entitle them to
one room, then we can place to their credit what is left and give them
employment so they can earn sufficient to make up the balance on their
consumable shares. They will have to judge for themselves as to the
amount they will require. This they can do after living here for at
least a year, for in that time they can calculate from what it has cost
them in that time to buy food or other necessities.
“Here is a very pathetic letter:
“‘Mr. Vivian.
“‘Dear Sir:—My wife and I are alone. Our children are dead and now that
we are old, we feel the noises, heat and other discomforts in the city
more every year. The intense cold this last winter has been terrible and
we want to get to the country where we can have the necessary comforts
within our means. We have been investigating your society and want to
join if our means are sufficient to buy the permanent shares that will
give us two rooms.
“‘We have been trying to get in several places, but in every one we
would be separated. We have only five hundred dollars between us in
cash, but I am still able to work, if you think you can find something
we can do to make up the balance that we will require for our consumable
shares, as you call them.
“‘If you can help us to be together for the rest of our lives we will be
very thankful to you. Yours truly,
“‘JOHN G. SMITH.’
“Here is a portion his wife has written separately, as a postscript to
his letter:
“‘I am as able to work as he and if we could have a little garden and be
allowed to keep chickens and a goat, to supply us with milk, we would
not be a burden to any one.
“‘We both lived in the country in our early life and know how to work
and would be willing to do anything to help, we are so anxious to be
together while we live.
“‘MARY SMITH.’”
“Well, Tom, I really think we will have to do something to meet these
cases. I have heard that the usual amount for people over sixty years of
age is about $300 each and is kept up by charitable societies. Of course
this not being a charitable affair, it must be not only self-sustaining,
but self-respecting as well.”
“Well,” replied Tom, “we could place a certain sum of money as the
lowest amount that we could accept, and in that way we could reach a
large number. The ready money just now would be sufficient to secure
them a home together and would be a benefit to the society. As they are
able to work we will not be running a risk. We will bring it before the
board at our next meeting and hear what they think about it.”