CHAPTER VI.
“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 standingwealth 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.”