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 CREDIT . . 
 FONCIER . 
 
 COMPANY 
 
 3IiV£it03, iyiEJCICO. 
 
 BWfAVAVAVJtSI<wiUTOMl7**AMKt1Ry/wik»Jl^ 
 
The credit Foncier Company 
 
 // 
 
 (THE HOME CREDIT COMPANY,) 
 
 A CORPORATION ORGANIZED FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES. 
 
 IK 
 
 SINALOA, MEXICO. 
 
 PROSPECTUS 
 
 fcowiNG THE Conditions that Called for its Formation, with 
 A Full DEscRirnos of thf. Plans, Location, and 
 The Work Already Accompushed. 
 
 OFFICERS 
 
 albert K. OWEN, 
 lOHN W. LOVELL. 
 I) D. CHIDESTER. 
 
 LHAIRMAN, 
 I RKASt'RBK, 
 SiCKKTAtV, 
 
 N'ew York Cily. 
 N'evr York City. 
 
 Chicago 
 
 COLONY OFFICE: 
 
 Topolobampo, 
 
 -Sutc of Sinaloa, Mexico. 
 
 Chicago, 
 New York, 
 
 BRANCH OFFICES: 
 
 Robert H. CowDREY, 806 Royal Insurance iJldg. 
 Albert K. Owen. - 33 Nassau -Street. 
 
 C. H. Hoi FMAN 
 
 t 
 
 ^3 "^3 
 


 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY 
 OF SINALOA, MEXICO. 
 
 The impression is as widespread as the globe that 
 monopolies are responsible for many of the bad condi- 
 tions that surround us, yet to reach and fully convince 
 the millions of people necessary to bring about a 
 change in the policy of any great government would 
 be a task not easily accomplished. It is possible, how- 
 ever, with much less effort, to gather a sufficient num- 
 ber of people together and form a colony where anti- 
 monopoly principles could be applied, and thus make 
 demonstrated fact speak with a force unknown to even 
 the best of theories. 
 
 An Anti-Monopoly Colony, 
 
 with this object in view, has, therefore, been started, 
 with a present membership of over five thousand per- 
 sons, by Albert K. Owen, C. B. Hoffman, J. M. Lim- 
 bocker, John W. Lovell and John W. Bridenthal, and 
 associated with them are Robert H. Cowdrey, Dr. M. 
 Fluerscheim, Marie Howland, Alvin J. Wilber, C. F. 
 Lindstrom, D. D. Chidester, G. C. Clemens, H. A. 
 Hart, VV. A. Porter, E. E. Thornton and William 
 Butler. 
 
 3 
 
4 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 
 
 To place the plan of this colony before the reader in 
 the clearest possible light two things are necessary — 
 first, the reason why any plan should be proposed ; 
 second, the plan itself must be so clearly set forth that 
 the reader can easily understand it. 
 
 For this purpose a concise statement of what the 
 social problem is has first been given. Following this 
 the cause of these evil conditions is shown, and from 
 these the conclusion is drawn as to what is necessary 
 to correct them, and, finally, the colony plan, by 
 which it is practically accomplished. 
 
 The Necessity for a Colony. 
 
 Even the careless observer must have noticed that 
 there is at this time a more widespread inquiry into 
 the causes that affect our social relations than ever be- 
 fore in the history of the world. We hear it from the 
 pulpit, in the banquet halls of the rich and the assem- 
 bly rooms of the common people, and in all of them 
 this question is discussed with such earnestness as to 
 leave no doubt that they consider it a most important 
 1)ne, even though all its details are not seen. 
 
 It was not until man was able to produce more than 
 a bare living that the social problem was made possible. 
 And, for reasons that can be clearly shown, there was 
 no social problem in those days when man produced 
 no more than was indispensable for his own use. As 
 soon, however, as he was able to produce more than 
 the bare necessities of life, it became the custom to 
 exploit, or take from him this surplus, and give it to a 
 favored few, who, it is claimed, were thus made able 
 to secure a higher culture, by reason of the wealth and 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 5 
 
 leisure thus obtained, than would otherwise have been 
 possible at that time, and that a more rapid advance in 
 civilization was thereby made possible. 
 
 Whether this theory was true or false in those days 
 when the production of wealth was not great enough 
 to supply the higher needs of all the people, matters 
 but little to us in this age, for now we have so far sub- 
 dued the unlimited forces of nature that we are able to 
 produce enough to supply the highest wants of every- 
 one, and, therefore, the conditions are not the same. 
 On the other hand, however, the continuing of this 
 system of exploitage under these changed conditions 
 has produced evils that now threaten the very existence 
 of our civilization. And the question of how these 
 evils may be overcome is the social problem that must 
 be solved. 
 
 This enormous increase in our power to produce 
 wealth not only makes this system of exploitage un- 
 necessary, but, as will be shown, even the favored few 
 are no longer benefited by it, and the further progress 
 in civilization is checked. Because this system of 
 exploitage limits the actual production of ivcalth to 
 bare necessities for the masses, and to such luxuries 
 only as the favored few desire. 
 
 As this proposition maybe said to involve the whole 
 question, it will be necessary to establish it beyond the 
 possibility of a reasonable doubt. 
 
 We easily understand that the actual production of 
 wealth must depend not only upon the power to pro- 
 duce, but also upon the demand. Things for which 
 there is no demand are worthless, and therefore will 
 
6 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 
 
 not be produced even though men starve for want of 
 work to do. 
 
 This system of exploitage always reduces the de- 
 mand, because it takes a part of his production away 
 from the producer and leaves him less able to buy. 
 
 With the masses thus made unable to buy as much 
 as they produce, and the favored few unable to con- 
 sume the surplus, it naturally follows that the actual 
 production of wealth must be greatly reduced, and 
 also that it must concentrate more and more in the 
 hands of the few. And the fact that this tribute must 
 be paid in money instead of in products produces a 
 most unhealthy congestion of the whole system of com- 
 mercial exchanges, whereby an enormous part of the 
 whole of our industrial energy is consumed in trying 
 to exchange goods for money with which to pay this 
 tribute. 
 
 Under these conditions the demand for workers 
 must grow less and less as their producing powers 
 increase. By this means they are forced into a des- 
 perate struggle to secure such work as there is, in 
 order that they may live. And because of it even the 
 successful ones are compelled to accept any pay that 
 may be offered for their work, while those who fail to 
 secure it must either steal or starve. 
 
 We need only glance at the actual experiences of 
 our every-day life to be convinced that these things 
 are true, and, being thus assured, we must recognize 
 that this system of exploitage, which is a " relic of a 
 barbarous age," is responsible for these evils ; and, 
 further, that it also fails to give as many blessings to 
 the favored few as they would otherwise receive under 
 
THE CREDIT TOXCIEK COMPANY. 7 
 
 conditions where the production of wealth was un- 
 limited. 
 
 These facts force us to the conclusion that this 
 system of exploitage is unnecessary. That it produces 
 most distressing evils, and defeats the very purpose for 
 which it was instituted. Because : // is impossible to 
 despoil the masses ^ without also reducing the production 
 of wealth to a much greater extent. 
 
 The Social Problem, 
 
 therefore, is : How to secure the full product of their 
 toil to every member of the community. 
 
 Thanks to the untiring efforts of those who have 
 
 •ivcn this question their earnest attention, it is not a 
 
 iilTicult task at this time to clearly point out the means 
 
 by which this may be accomplished, and rich and poor 
 
 alike be blessed by a hig^her civilizatior than man has 
 
 ever before known. 
 
 To enter into the long line of reasoning that has led 
 up to these conclusions would be tiresome as well as 
 needless. It is not so important to know how these 
 conclusions have been reached as how near correct they 
 are. To decide this we have only to measure them by 
 the actual experiences of our every-day life, and, find- 
 ing that they stand this test, wc may safely rely upon 
 their being correct. 
 
 Hy this test we have found the cause of the evils ; now 
 let us proceed to the practical application of these prin- 
 ciples, so that in our day and in our generation their 
 beneficial results may be secured. 
 
 History tells us that in former days the privilege of 
 exploiting the masses was granted to the favored few 
 
8 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 
 
 by the sovereign power, or king. Thus backed by the 
 throne, as well as by the ignorance and superstition of 
 the people, the favored few were able, at that time, to 
 despoil the masses openly, by levying tribute directly 
 on the product of their toil. As the intelligence of 
 the people increased, however, and they gradually out- 
 grew their superstition, it became necessary for the 
 favored few to change their method of collecting this 
 tribute, so that the people might not be able to see that 
 it passed directly into the hands of their despoilers. 
 
 Methods, therefore, often change, but the tribute 
 never grows less. On the contrary, as the method 
 has been improved the tribute has been increased, 
 until now the amount taken from the people is greater 
 than ever before in the history of the world. The 
 method by which this tribute is taken at the present 
 time is so well hidden under the regular usages of com- 
 merce and trade that but few of the people realize it is 
 being taken from them, and the hundreds of millions 
 of tribute thus taken each year hardly produce more 
 than an ill-defined feeling that something is wrong, 
 while rarely, if ever, is a protest made directly against 
 the system itself. That this tribute is taken from all of 
 the industrious classes; that high and low alike are in 
 its grasp, admits of no questioning. The present con- 
 dition of all the industrious classes, our merchants, 
 farmers and laborers, testifies to its unlimited power. 
 
 The Remedy. 
 
 Taken in its broad meaning, the word " monopoly " 
 represents this power which gives the favored few the 
 legal right to levy tribute on their fellow-men without 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 9 
 
 giving an equivalent in return. The remedy is, there- 
 fore, to do away with monopoly in every form. This 
 remedy is easy to understand, the reasons for it are 
 clear, and in its application it is far from being compli- 
 cated. 
 
 Take away these special rights and privileges, 
 backed as they are by the armed forces of the govern- 
 ment, and monopoly will die. Remove this element of 
 force, and tribute will not be paid ; the system of ex- 
 ploitage will cease, and the people will be free. Then 
 industry will prosper; the production of wealth will 
 rise to meet the highest needs of the people, whose 
 demand will then be equal to their full producing 
 power. Then work will not be hard to find; grim- 
 visaged want will no longer stare the willing worker in 
 the face, and charity will be unknown. 
 
 The Practical Application. 
 
 Unaided and alone these colonists have thus far paid 
 in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, with which they 
 have secured and partly paid for their colony lands, 
 situated on the Pacific coast in the State of Sinaloa, 
 Mexico. Great care was used in selecting this site, 
 which combines the great commercial advantages of a 
 fine harbor with unlimited natural fertility of soil. The 
 perfect healthfulness of the climate, evenness of tem- 
 perature, and natural beauty of the site make this a 
 location that would please even the most exacting 
 person. 
 
 The pioneers are now preparing the way for those 
 who are to follow so soon as suitable accommodations 
 have been made. They have already constructed an 
 
lo THE CREDIT FONCIEk COMPANY, 
 
 irrigating canal eig^ht miles in length that under ordi- 
 nary conditions would have cost at least two hundred 
 thousand dollars. This canal when completed will be 
 thirty miles long, and run direct from the Fuerte river 
 through the colony lands, through Pacific City and 
 empty into the bay of Topolobampo. The entire cost 
 will be about $350,000, nearly all of which will be 
 paid for with their own labor. The water will be 
 ready for irrigating several thousand acres of land by 
 May, 1892, thus putting the colonists upon a self sup- 
 porting basis, without any danger of drought or risk to 
 their crops. The work and all the necessary funds 
 have been given by the members' without either 
 begging or borrowing a dollar. Thus far the work has 
 all been preparatory rather than productive. But now, 
 with a finished canal to irrigate their lands, it is possible 
 for the community to begin to be self-supporting, and 
 from this time on the members can go forward as fast 
 as shelter can be provided for them. 
 
 The coast steamers, which are under contract to 
 make regular trips to and from the colony, are the 
 only means of transportation at this time. Arrange- 
 ments for raising the necessary funds have been com- 
 pleted, however, and the work of construction has 
 commenced on a thousand-mile railway that wilL con- 
 nect this colony on the Pacific coast with the harbor of 
 Galveston, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico. This line, 
 as surveyed, runs through a well-peopled district that 
 is rich in agricultural products, and filled with coal, 
 timber and the precious metals, all of which are simply 
 awaiting transportation to the markets of the outside 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIEk COMPANY. if 
 
 world. In this connection The Railway Age of a 
 recent date says: 
 
 " A trans-continental railway. 1,200 miles long, con- 
 necting the Pacific Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, is 
 lieing constructed by the founders of the colony at 
 Topolobampo Bay. • • • It will be a new thing, 
 and a pleasant one, to see a railway built, owned and 
 operated by its employes, each clerk, trainman and 
 section hand being at tlu- s.mu* time a stockholder, 
 more or less bloated 
 
 With this line completed, the transportation facilities 
 will be of the best to and. from all parts of the world. 
 
 That all this has not been accomplished without 
 spending much in care and hard labor, is not denied. 
 That much more will be required, is also true. But 
 actual e.xperience has shown that, under the inspiration 
 of the new hope that actuates these men, they work 
 like tigers, and accomplish almost marvelous results, 
 happy withal, for they see bright visions of what the 
 future has in store for them and their children. 
 
 This colony has no visionary scheme to try; no new 
 religion to establish. It simply makes exploitation 
 impossible, by shutting out all monopolies. 
 
 STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES. 
 
 The land and all other natural resouices, as well as 
 all public utilities that are in any way monopolies, or 
 that would in any way confer an unjust advantage if 
 left in private hands, are owned and controlled by the 
 people for their mutual benefit, subject, however, to 
 such rules and regulations as may be made by the 
 members from time to time. Provided: That under 
 
12 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY, 
 
 no circumstances :.hali any of these natural resources be 
 sold, mortgaged or alienated in any way by the com- 
 pany or by any of its members. . 
 
 By this means monopoly is entirely shut out and ex- 
 ploitation is made impossible. In all other matters, 
 however, the people are entirely free to work together 
 (co-operate) or to conduct their private afifairs as suits 
 them best, so long as they do not infringe upon the 
 equal rights of others. 
 
 The Basis of Exchange 
 
 is " a service for a service;" but the adjustment be- 
 tween the members as to the relative exchange value 
 of their products is left to their good sense, and to the 
 general economic laws that govern the cost of pro- 
 duction. With those who are not members, however, 
 the usual custom of supply and demand will be the 
 basis of exchange between them and the members. 
 
 A Temporary Organization, 
 
 consisting of nine directors, with Albert K. Owen as 
 chairman, has charge of the colony affairs until the 
 first Tuesday in February, 1893, at which time a 
 stockholders* meeting will be held for the purpose of 
 making 
 
 A Permanent Organization. 
 
 At this February meeting, each stockholder per- 
 sonally, or by written proxy, may cast one vote for 
 each share of stock held by him in The Credit Foncier 
 Company. In the meantime, it is the duty of the 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIEK COMPANY. 13 
 
 temporary directors to draft the principles, charter and 
 by-laws for the guidance of the permanent officers and 
 for the guidance of the business affairs of the colony. 
 A copy is then to be submitted to each member to 
 elicit suggestions and alterations, and when these have 
 been received, the directors shall make a second draft 
 in conformity with the suggestions thus made, and 
 present it to the meeting of the stockholders for them 
 to act upon. At that meeting they shall also elect ten 
 directors, who shall have charge of the business affairs 
 of the colony during the term for which they are 
 elected, subject, however, to such rules and regulations 
 as will maintain and perpetuate the fundamental prin- 
 ciples of the colony. These fundamental principles 
 are as practical as they are simple. To apply them no 
 unnatural or even unusual conditions are necessary. 
 The steps required to shutout monopolies having been 
 taken, all further rules and regulations are left entirely 
 in the hands of the people, with absolute liberty to say 
 what they shall be as time and experience show their 
 needs. Voluntary co-operation will be encouraged, 
 but no one will be forced to co-operate against his will. 
 The best advice that experience can furnish will be 
 obtained, but the power to decide the course to be 
 adopted will rest entirely in their hands. In all things, 
 therefore, the people will have the most perfect 
 freedom, except in those things which would confer 
 unjust advantages upon some to the disadvantage of 
 others. These must be owned or at least controlled 
 by the people if all are to be equally free. Under 
 these conditions, who can doubt that most beneficial 
 results will follow? Who can doubt that each one will 
 
14 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 
 
 receive the full product of his toil, and that perfect 
 justice will be done? 
 
 Membership. 
 
 The membership fee of $ioo pays its full share of 
 the cost of the land and all immediate expenses for pub- 
 lic improvements. The earnings of railways and other 
 public businesses will pay the future public expenses. 
 Therefore no taxes will ever be levied on the people of 
 this colony. Thus a home and sheltering roof, when 
 once obtained, will ever after be secure. 
 
 The only expense to the member, therefore, is the 
 membership fee, the whole of which may be paid at once, 
 or only so much as may be agreed upon, and the bal- 
 ance paid out of future earnings in the colony; but it 
 must be remembered that the workers in the ditch are 
 to be supplied with food and clothing; that horses must 
 have feed, and that payments must be made on the 
 purchase price of the land, all of which must come from 
 these fees. For these reasons it is necessary that each 
 new member shall pay in a considerable part of his 
 membership fee before going upon the colony lands, all 
 of which goes into the public treasury, and not into pri- 
 vate hands. No salaries are paid to any of the officers 
 outside the colony, and every dollar of the investment 
 is used for colony purposes only. 
 
 Security. 
 
 In this connection it may be well to state that, even 
 under the most unfavorable conditions, the security of 
 all investments will remain as strong as could be de- 
 sired. The chance of failuj-e to pay for all the land 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 15 
 
 may seem like a very remote liability, yet it was 
 deemed best to secure absolute title to such portions of 
 the land as might be paid for, rather than take any risk 
 of losing all because all had not been paid for. This pre- 
 caution has been taken, and the colony owes nothing 
 on the land, neither are any of the members held liable 
 for the balance remaining unpaid. This has been ac- 
 complished by making The Kansas Sinaloa Investment 
 Company a trustee to hold the lands as a whole, to re- 
 lease them in such portions and so fast as they are paid 
 for. There remains, therefore, no chance of loss, even 
 though we failed to pay another dollar, for in that 
 case the proportion we had paid for would be set off to 
 the colony, free of all debt, and the balance not paid 
 for would simply go back to the original owners. Yet, 
 after all this has been said, we realize that it would be 
 much better for the colony if the whole amount needed 
 to fully pay for the land could be secured within a short 
 time, and thus place the colony where no power on 
 earth could dispossess them. To accomplish this is the 
 principal cause of this pamphlet being issued. Mill- 
 ions of dollars are freely given each year to charities 
 that, by their very nature, must degrade and destroy 
 the finest and noblest qualities of manhood and woman- 
 hood by making public paupers of those who receive 
 this charity, which, at best, gives only temporary 
 relief. 
 
 If this colony offered only temporary rchef the 
 founders would not have the heart to work for its suc- 
 cess. That it does offer a practical means of obtain- 
 ing most beneficial results, by giving all an equal 
 chance to prosper according to each individual's indus- 
 
1 6 THE CREDIT FONCIEK COMPANY. 
 
 try and ability, is a conviction that makes it seem to 
 them to be worth Ihe work of the best years of their 
 lives to bring about. In seeking for the co-operation 
 of others they ask no more than they have already 
 given in proportion to their private means. They 
 seek no contributions in the name of charity. They 
 simply ask that others shall join in the work of pre- 
 paring the way that will give thousands of honest and 
 industrious men and women the opportunity to help 
 themselves. They believe the work in hand is grand 
 enough and broad enough to enlist the active support 
 of every one who loves justice and his fellow-man. 
 They see thousands of weary mothers and struggling 
 fathers who make them wish for the " Queen of Sheba's" 
 wealth with which to give these people homes and 
 replace their worrisome care with hope of something 
 more than a mere existence. They have progressed 
 so far that ultimate success is now assured, but not- 
 withstanding this, they realize that much more rapid 
 progress might be made if their efforts were re-enforced 
 by those of others who could aid them if so inclined. 
 Their sole aim has been to found an anti-monopoly 
 colony pure and simple. This is the whole sum and 
 substance of their desires, and, as previously stated, no' 
 new scheme is to be tried, no new religion established. 
 The utmost liberty of thought and action is guaranteed 
 to every one. The private affairs of the individual 
 members will not in any way be interfered with or 
 changed from existing conditions except that no one 
 can obtain an unjust advantage of others, and every 
 one be able to secure an equal chance to prosper accord- 
 ing to their industry and ability. The founders of this 
 
THE CREDIT FOXCIER COMPANY. 17 
 
 colony court the closest scrutiny of all their acts, both 
 past and present. They have guarded every point so 
 that speculation has been made impossible in all matters 
 relating to the management, and so that not a dollar 
 can be made out of it by those in charge of its affairs. 
 They desire, and will accept with pleasure, any and all 
 suggestions that will tend to permanently establish and 
 secure the peace, prosperity and happiness of the peo- 
 ple in this colony. 
 
 The Natural Resources. 
 
 Unless some explanation is made, the first impression 
 of the reader will naturally be that the colonists must 
 enter a new and wild country, where they will have to 
 battle with rugged nature for supremacy. But happily 
 this is far from being true. When they cross the 
 border line they enter the old, and leave behind them 
 the new. The wild beast and desolate wilderness are 
 nowhere to be met with on the colony lands. On the 
 contrary, the deep green waters of the Pacific Ocean 
 bound their lands on the side toward the setting sun, 
 and all about them the sloping plain that reaches to 
 the far off hills of the Sierra Madre mountains, is dotted 
 with towns and cities that are inhabited by a generous 
 and even wealthy people, who welcome them with a 
 hospitality that knows no bounds. That the quiet 
 contentment of these well-fed and well-housed people 
 contrasts sharply with the restless activity of the north- 
 man's life, is true; but the contrast also shows that, if 
 measured by results, the advantages are not wholly on 
 one side. The lack of transportation has made it 
 useless for them to produce more than they required 
 
i8 THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 
 
 for their own use; of this, however, they have abun- 
 dance, and, as may be seen in those districts where the 
 " Iron Horse " has entered, their industry increases fully 
 as fast as it becomes profitable for them to do so. To 
 these people the colonists appear as brothers, and by 
 them and their government they have been welcomed 
 as forerunners of a higher progress and a greater 
 prosperty than they have ever before known. The 
 wealthy and educated classes show them every con- 
 sideration possible. The colonists, therefore, do not 
 enter as strangers into a wilderness, but more as mem- 
 bers of an old community in which much of the hard 
 and trying work of the pioneer has already been 
 accomplished. The natural resources for the produc- 
 tion of wealth are unlimited. All the building material 
 needed is ready at hand in inexhaustible quantity. With 
 a rich soil sixteen feet deep, and a climate neither hot 
 nor cold, it is not surprising that all kinds of vegetation 
 should grow with marvelous rapidity. Surrounded by 
 these conditions, and with every natural source of 
 wealth simply waiting for the hand of man to turn this 
 into a veritable paradise, in which his labor will be 
 rewarded a thousand-fold, and all that is best, all that 
 is noblest in his nature developed to its full fruition, 
 can we doubt that good results will be att^Hned; can 
 we question the advisability of making these things 
 possible? If not, then let each one do his share, and 
 it will be speedily accomplished. 
 
 Now, in closing, let it be said that here for the first 
 time in the history of the world, so far as known, it is 
 found that industry is organized upon the basis of natu- 
 ral law; or, to put it in other words, the shackles that 
 
THE CREDIT FONCIER COMPANY. 19 
 
 iwinicrly bound and crippled industry have been cast 
 aside, thus leaving it free to produce unlimited wealth. 
 Think for a moment what this statement means. Let 
 your imagination grasp the far-reaching results that 
 must follow if this broad assertion be true. Broad as it 
 is, however, the founders of this colony assert that in its 
 practical application the plan must stand this test or be 
 considered as a total failure. They hold it as a car- 
 dinal principle that no industrious person, either man, 
 woman, or child, who is willing to work must ever enter 
 this colony and find that there is no work for them to 
 do. Not that all can at once find the way open for 
 them to enter just the occupation that suits them best, 
 but that all persons at all times will be able to obtain 
 such employment as will give them an abundance of 
 the necessities of life, and that such a thing as scarcity 
 of work will be unknown. To those who ask " What 
 will I find to do?" the reply is " you know best what 
 occupation suits you, and therefore, with the assurance 
 that some kind of work will be ready for you to do at 
 anytime you come, you can safely go. and view the 
 different openings for yourself without risk to those 
 •who are dependent upon your work." 
 
 Having thus given an extended statement of nearly 
 every important detail of the work we now urgently 
 solicit your co-operation and aid in proportion to your 
 resources and abilities. 
 
 Address all communications and make all remit- 
 tances payable to 
 
 The Credit Foncier Company, 
 
 806 Royal Insurance Building, 
 
 Chicago, IP. 
 
The followi-ig pages, from " A Tramp in Society," by Robert H. Cow- 
 drey, F. J. Sclurite & Co. , Publishers, Chicago, answer so many questions 
 thai naturally arise in this connection, that we have ir.duced uhe publishers 
 to allow us to insert them here. 
 
 THE OLD DU PAGE FARM. 
 
 The old Du Page farm, with its many hundred acres 
 of land, remained intact, as a relic of the days when 
 all the country round about it was a beautiful prairie 
 studded here and there with farm-houses, and the 
 thriving young city of Chicago was yet miles away. 
 
 The hale old farmer and his wife had left the land 
 to their children as an inheritance that gave promise 
 of supporting them in luxury for the balance of their 
 natural lives, without work or a thought of care ; for 
 the great city had grown wondrously, and its borders 
 had extended until now it was pressing close upon 
 the boundary line of the farm. The broad acres were 
 ripe for subdivision into city lots. 
 
 Mr. Bartlett had a scheme that called for just such 
 a place as this in order to perfect it, and when the 
 estate was settled and the farm was offered for sale, 
 he readily became its owner. It was a big price to 
 pay, and he felt the strain on his resources; but he 
 willingly took the burden on his. shoulders, for the 
 results that he believed he could accomplish would be 
 worth the sacrifice. 
 
 When the arrangements had been completed and the 
 transfer made, he poured many thousands of dollars 
 into the hands of the heirs, for the land that their 
 father had bought, only a few years before, for a few 
 dollars an acre. And when the deed was placed on 
 record, there were added to it the significant words: 
 
 "This land shall be free forever. Occupancy and 
 use shall be the only title." 
 
 13a 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 1^^ 
 
 It was not long after the news had gone abroad that 
 land could be freely had for use at the Du Page farm be- 
 fore men were on the ground busily engaged in digging 
 up the earth, forming it into beds and setting out plants 
 for vegetable gardens. Then farmers came, and, looking 
 over the level meadows stretching away as far as the eye 
 could reach, they plowed and sowed their grain, and the 
 old farm looked prosperous once more. The workers 
 V .re encouraged, for the future seemed filled with hope. 
 I o those who had not the means with which to 
 build them homes, Mr. Bartlett pointed out how he 
 had built his store, how he had paid for it out of his 
 profits as the payments became due. It was easy to 
 find men who would trust to their future crops for 
 payment, and so an army of masons and house-build- 
 ers were soon busy at work, and buildings grew and 
 multiplied with amazing quickness, although at first 
 the people were compelled to house a number of fam- 
 ilies in a single building till time would permit each 
 one to have his own. Then came the merchants with 
 stocks of goods, ready to supply the men and exchange 
 with the gardeners and trust the farmers until their 
 ops were out of the ground. Then the large manu- 
 iacturers were attracted to the busy town. They 
 -looked with longing eyes upon the land that was free, 
 and as soon as their buildings were completed their 
 wheels were set in motion, and the hum of these busy 
 hives of industry was added to the rapidly increasing 
 prosperity of the community. 
 
 Mr. Bartlett was never happier than when he was 
 among these busy people, and every new improve- 
 ment, every happy face he saw, made him rejoice 
 when he thought that their world was brighter and 
 they were happier because he had lived. 
 
134 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 The old farm had been transformed by the rapid 
 increase in population, and the business portion was 
 known as the suburban city of "Freeland." The rail- 
 way accommodations made it so easy to go and come 
 that Mr. Bartlett found no trouble in inducing Mr. 
 Sears to go with him to see the wonderful city. 
 
 It was a glorious day in autumn when they stepped 
 from the cars at Freeland Station. The farmers' 
 crops had been gathered, and the industry of the peo- 
 ple had been so richly rewarded that they were not 
 burdened with debt, and were able to enjoy the luxu- 
 ries the other producers made, thus increasing the 
 prosperity of all. 
 
 As Mr. Sears stood on the platform with Mr. Bart- 
 lett, watching the passengers leave the train, he no- 
 ticed several who were evidently new arrivals, for 
 they stood looking hesitatingly about them. A pleas- 
 ant-faced man stepped toward them and inquired if 
 they were looking for work, and after a moment's 
 conversation directed them to the "Bureau of Infor- 
 mation." Mr. Bartlett and Mr. Sears followed them. 
 
 "We may as well begin with these new arrivals," 
 said Mr. Bartlett, "and watch how they succeed in 
 their first efforts to obtain a living." 
 
 "There seem to be a good many^of them," said Mr. 
 Sears in reply. "You must find some trouble in get- 
 ting work for all? " 
 
 "You can see for yourself," said Mr. Bartlett com- 
 placently. "Of course this was all an experiment, 
 and I had nothing to guide me in forming plans for 
 them to follow. So I have made no effort to check 
 the natural course of events, and every one is perfectly 
 free to do as he desires so long as he does not in- 
 fringe on the rights of any other. The result is we 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 13r> 
 
 find that man is naturally good and inclined to be a 
 happy animal when he has perfect freedom." 
 
 Mr. Sears looked puzzled for a momant, and then 
 said: "I can't see how you get along that way. Cer- 
 tainly there must be some who are careless, or ugly, 
 or mean enough to trample on the rights of others if 
 not restrained by law." 
 
 "You must keep in mind that the conditions and 
 surroundings of the people here are vastly different 
 from those you are accustomed to deal with. Here 
 no one feels the fear of want. They are not careworn 
 or over-worked, and you must admit that these things 
 
 nd to reduce bad temper and increase the desire to 
 deal fairly. Then, too, the future is full of hope, and 
 life is worth living. They see that in order to be 
 happy it is not necessary to rob others of their hap- 
 piness, but rather that it is necessary for those about 
 them to be happy in order that they may enjoy the 
 highest good. To these people it is evident now that 
 *an injury to one is the concern of all.' We have 
 had cases of careless intrusion, but none that could 
 be called willful trampling on the rights of others." 
 
 "How do you account for it?" inquired Mr. Sears, 
 evidently somewhat mystified. 
 
 "It will seem natural enough if you but think a mo- 
 ment. If you invited the most careless, mean, or 
 ugly man you know of to your home, and he acted 
 like a gentleman, would you be astonished? Nol 
 But you would be if he did not. Or suppose a woman 
 who had never been accustomed to refined society were 
 placed among the guests at your table; would she 
 willfully do an act that would offend in the slightest 
 degree? No. Her whole attention would be absorbed 
 in trying to act in accord with the law that she knows 
 
180 A TRAMP m SOCIETY. 
 
 by instinct as we.'l as the most cultured do. But 
 change the conditions that surround your guests. Let 
 them be in fear of want. Let them realize that 3'ou 
 have not provided enough for them all, and you will 
 be unable to discern any difference in the actions of 
 any of them as they struggle to satisfy their hunger. 
 All the laws you could make would not restrain your 
 cultured guests from grabbing that which they fear 
 to lose. You cannot make men good by enacting laws. 
 You cannot prevent crime by punishing the offender. 
 You cannot keep children out of factories by making 
 laws that punish the parents whom hunger has com- 
 pelled to make their children self-supporting. By law 
 you cannot force the housewife to be neat and clean; 
 but the unwritten law of public opinion makes it a 
 pleasure for her to excel in neatness. Without this 
 public opinion to enforce your laws, they are useless. 
 When it is present, law is not required. All laws 
 that would prevent, by force, the unseemly scrambling 
 of your guests for food, would seem to be necessary 
 just so long only as you do not change the conditions 
 that surround them and take away the cause that 
 produces this result. But it would seem to be the 
 better plan to put them in a position where such a law 
 was not required." 
 
 "But you must have some laws for the guidance of 
 public affairs," said Mr. Sears, almost bewildered by 
 the statement Mr. Bartlett had made. 
 
 "Oh, certainly, but you will recognize the difference 
 between such laws as are intended as m^re instruc- 
 tions for the guidance of the people and those which 
 are for the purpose of forcing them to deal justly with 
 one another," replied Mr. Bartlett as they entered the 
 office of the Bureau of Information. 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 13'i 
 
 The large reception-room was filled with men, some 
 of wliom were carefully studying cards of infor- 
 mation that were placed along the walls, from 
 which many of them obtained the knowledge they 
 desired; and with a question cr two as to the char- 
 acter of work, or the location, they hurried away. As 
 Mr. Bartlett and Mr. Sears entered they heard the 
 agent at the desk inquire of the man before him: 
 
 "Have you a trade?" 
 
 "Yes, I am a metal-spinner." 
 
 "There's a good place for you at Daly's Brass- 
 works." 
 
 And with the written address in hand, the man 
 turned toward the door, while the agent pleasantly 
 inquired of the next one: 
 
 "What is your trade?'* 
 
 "Cabinet maker, sir.** 
 
 "They want a good man at the organ factory." And, 
 pointing out through the open door-way, he directed 
 the man to the building, in plain sight, and turned to 
 the next one. 
 
 "I am a book keeper," said a shabbily dressed man 
 of middle age, without waiting to be questioned. 
 
 "Johnston, Jones & Co. want an A No. i man,"said 
 the agent, a little doubtfully, as if questioning his 
 ability. 
 
 "I am a little out of practice," was the significant 
 reply. 
 
 "There are other places where it might be easier 
 for you at first. You might try one of them." 
 
 "I want something to keep me from starving. I 
 will do anything you say, sir," replied the man hum- 
 biy. 
 
 "There. They want a bill clerk," said the agent as 
 
]m j4 tramp ISl SOCIETY. 
 
 he handed the man a card. "I guess that will be a 
 good place for you to start." 
 
 "I am a dock laborer," said the next man. 
 
 "We have no vessels to unload here," said the agent 
 laughing. "But you are willing to work at anything, 
 I suppose?" 
 
 "If there's a living in it, I am," was the cautious 
 reply. 
 
 "No trouble about that. You take this card to the 
 big saw-mill, and they will give you work handling 
 lumber.*' 
 
 "I am a laborer," said the next applicant. 
 
 "How will working in the brick-yards suit you?" 
 
 "What's the pay?" 
 
 "More than you ever received," replied the agent, 
 smiling good-naturedly. "You try it for a while and 
 see. Just take the car that runs west and tell the 
 conductor to let you off at Henley's yard." 
 
 "We will follow this one," said Mr. Bartlett. "He 
 begins at the bottom of the ladder, and we will see 
 what success he has." 
 
 "I should suppose you would soon fill up all the 
 places at this rate," said Mr. Sears, when they were 
 seated in the car. 
 
 "There has always been more work than workers," 
 replied Mr. Bartlett. "Each new arrival increases the 
 demand as well as the supply." 
 
 "The place is growing very rapidly now, and of 
 course the demand is extra heavy," said Mr. Sears. 
 "But when you have settled down to your level, you 
 will find that the supply will increase faster than the 
 demand." 
 
 Mr. Bartlett's eyes twinkled good-naturedly, as they 
 always did when he caught his questioner off his guard. 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. ino 
 
 "I have always found that man's desires increased 
 as fast as his ability to gratify them," was the half- 
 inquiring answer. 
 
 "I think there's no doubt of that," readily assented 
 Mr. Sears. 
 
 "Then please tell me how the supply can increase 
 faster than the demand?" And Mr. Bartlett looked 
 quizzically at his friend while awaiting a reply. 
 
 "I can't answer that," replied Mr. Sears, after a 
 moment's thought, "except by saying that my busi- 
 ness experience seems to justify my statement." 
 
 "Your business experience has been obtained under 
 conditions that did not allow the workers to gratify 
 their desires as fast as their power to produce was in- 
 creased, and of course congestion followed. Here 
 their ability to gratify their desires is only limited by 
 their production." 
 
 "Do you mean to say that this prosperity is to con- 
 tinue year after year just as you have it now?" in- 
 quired Mr. Sears incredulously. 
 
 "Nothing can prevent it so long as there is free 
 land," said Mr. Bartlett, positively. "I underesti- 
 mate the amount when I say that the average pro- 
 duction of each day's work is sufficient to supply the 
 needs of thirty days. If the producer receives it all, 
 he is in a position to exchange his work for those things 
 which others have produced, and thus to gratify his 
 desires to the full extent of his production. How 
 stagnation can occur under these conditions I cannot 
 see. But if any portion is taken from him for which 
 nothing is given in return, then I can see how great 
 fortunes can be built up, and industry grow stagnant, 
 from the congestion that must follow whenever the 
 producer's ability to buy is less than his production." 
 
1 40 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 "But the men who take from the producers must 
 have just that much more ability to bu3%" interposed 
 Mr. Sears. "And this would make up for the loss of 
 their trade, would it not?" 
 
 "If they were to buy the products of labor it 
 would," replied Mr. Bartlett. "But instead of doing 
 this they take so large a share that they cannot con- 
 sume the product it represents, and so they take 
 money and bonds and stocks, and store them away 
 to draw on the products of labor as they desire 
 while the wealth produced by the workers is left in 
 the hands of business men to dispose of as best they 
 can." 
 
 "How can free land change these conditions?" 
 
 "You saw how Crusoe could take all that the fishers 
 produced by making them pay a tribute for the use 
 of the land, and then how every one of them received 
 all he produced' as soon as they stopped paying trib- 
 ute? In the same way, if the land is free, our work- 
 ers will be able to keep what they produce, and a more 
 equal distribution of wealth will result. There will 
 not be equality of wealth, for that would mean that 
 some were getting more than they produced, which 
 would be robbery. But the difference in conditions 
 would be due to difference in ability, and there would 
 be neither the extremely rich nor the very poor." 
 
 "Do you own the street-car line?" inquired Mr. Sears 
 as he noticed the conductor collecting fares. 
 
 "No, sir. We don't allow monopolies like that to 
 exist here. The people la)' the tracks and keep them 
 in repair at public expense, and then lease them to 
 the company that will do the work for the least fare. 
 In other words, we always discourage monopolies and 
 extend private enterprise into every branch of business 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 141 
 
 that is controlled by competition. The keeping of 
 highways in repair we recognize as one of the chief 
 functions of government." 
 
 "Why do you call the street-car business a mon- 
 opoly any more than the ice business." 
 
 "Well," said Mr. Bartlett, laughing at the com- 
 parison, "the ice wagons can go on any street; and 
 if one company charges more than it is entitled to 
 for the service rendered, other ice wagons can go 
 on that street, and compete with them for the trade, 
 and thus bring prices down to a fair amount. But 
 when a street-car company has its tracks in the street 
 it shuts out competition, and can charge more than 
 the fair proportion of profit for the work it per- 
 forms." 
 
 "How do you pay for laying the track?" inquired 
 Mr. Sears. 
 
 "All public improvements are paid for by the people 
 in proportion to the benefit they receive," said Mr. 
 Bartlett. "The users of land that is supplied with 
 water or gas, or that has sewers or paved streets or 
 any other public improvement, pay for these just in 
 proportion to the benefit conferred, and in this way 
 all the expenses of government are paid." 
 
 "How do you find the relative proportions that 
 each should pay?" 
 
 "You can see that land which is located so as to 
 give the user all these advantages would be more de- 
 sirable than other land which gave only a part or none 
 of them, and that these various improvement values 
 would correctly determine the relative proportions 
 each of the users should pay. This public improve- 
 ment value which attaches to the land is, therefore, 
 the basis upon which we estimate the amount of 
 
143 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY, 
 
 benefit the user receives, and from this we easily 
 arrive at the proportion he should pay for the use of 
 these public improvements." 
 
 "I see how it works," said Mr. Sears quickly. 
 "The increased value is there, and whoever uses the 
 land gets the benefit of it and therefore must pay the 
 cost of the. improvements. " 
 
 "Yes, that's it," said Mr. Bartlett. "Well, here we 
 are at Henley's." As the car stopped and the three men 
 started toward the brick-yard Mr. Bartlett turned to 
 the laborer and inquired what it was that had induced 
 him to come to Freeland. 
 
 "Well, I heard that a man had a better chance to 
 get along here, an' so I thought I'd try it." 
 
 "What wages will you expect to receive?" inquired 
 Mr. Sears, somewhat interestedly. 
 
 "Well, I figger it about like this: Pll take the first 
 thing I can get to do that will keep me a-goin' till I 
 can look around a bit and see whether I can do better. 
 If I can't, then I know I'm getting what's due me 
 where I am. Then, too," he added, "if there's lots of 
 work, I've no fear but the wages will be good." 
 
 "The Henley boys came here as workers just like 
 this man," said Mr. Bartlett. 
 
 The laborer stepped forward to the foreman, who, 
 after a moment's conversation, and as the laborer 
 started to pull off his coat, said: 
 
 "Never fear about the wages. You will get several 
 days' living out of each day's work, easy enough." 
 
 "That is the only true way to measure wages, after 
 all," said Mr. Bartlett as he overheard the remark. 
 "Wages may seem to be high in dollars and cents, 
 but if other things are equally high the workers gel 
 no benefit." 
 
A TRAMP m SOCIETY. 143 
 
 The laborer was soon at work tossing thft new brick 
 into the wagons, and the visitors turned away to find 
 one of the Henley boys. 
 
 "If 1 had a few sheep I might come here and use all 
 of your vacant laud to feed them on," said Mr. Sears, 
 inquiringly. 
 
 "Certainly." 
 
 "Then the next man that came would have no land to 
 use until he agreed to pay me tribute. Isn* t that true?" 
 
 "Oh, no! You would be welcome to use, or pre- 
 tend to use, any or all of this vacant land in any way 
 you desire until some of it was needed for a higher use. 
 When that time came we would exercise the right 
 of eminent domain, and pay you for any of your im- 
 provements that were taken or de'stroyed." 
 
 "That being true, you must admit that no one here 
 has absolute possession of his land," said Mr. Sears, 
 knowingly.* 
 
 "Let's see. You claim to have exclusive owner- 
 ship and absolute possession of the land upon which 
 your house is built. Yet a private corporation may at 
 any time tear down your house and run its tracks 
 over the land where it now stands. Here only the peo- 
 ple can exercise this right which you have granted to 
 private individuals, and if it be true that you have 
 absolute possession of your land, it must be equally so 
 of ours." 
 
 "But suppose that population increases until there 
 is only standing-room for the people. What then?" 
 
 "Oh, I think we would have to build higher houses 
 and have our farms on the roofs," replied Mr. Bart- 
 lett, laughing at the suggestion. "But to answer your 
 question seriously: If Nature ever does fail to pro- 
 
 • Sm "DriTwfrom Sm to Sea." 
 
144 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 vide enough for aM the people on this earth, it will be 
 a sad day for humanity, but even then we would have 
 the satisfaction of feeling that we were dealing justly 
 by each other and that each one had an equal oppor- 
 tunity to get a share." 
 
THE CITY OF FREELAND. 
 
 "If wages are high in all the industries here," re- 
 sumed Mr. Sears as they walked slowly along, "then, 
 according to your own statement, clothing, and food, 
 and houses must also be high; and the workers out 
 here will gain nothing. So where is the advantage?" 
 
 "We are as yet a comparatively small city," replied 
 Mr. Bartlett; "but we produce about twelve millions 
 of wealth a year. All of that goes to the men who 
 produce it. We do not pay out a cent for the use of 
 the land." 
 
 "Do you mean the merchants and manufacturers as 
 well as the laborers?" inquired Mr. Sears. 
 
 "Certainly; they are producers just the same as the 
 others," replied Mr. Bartlett quickly. With you the 
 man who hires a farm gives from a third to one-half 
 of his production for the use of the land; the men 
 in cities give about the same proportion of their 
 wages or profits for the land they use. So that it 
 seems fair to assume that the industrious classes are 
 forced to give from one-third to one-half of all they 
 produce to the owners of the land, as tribute for its 
 use. Here the producer pays nothing." 
 
 "Therefore the workers get all they produce," inter- 
 posed Mr. Sears. "That is very plain, but it seems 
 rather strange." 
 
 "There is nothing so strange about it," replied Mr. 
 Bartlett, evidently well pleased at the readiness with 
 which his friend caught the idea. "It is easy to 
 
 1 45 
 
14G A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 figure it. Take any town of this size, with the same 
 volume of trade and you can see that the rent of the 
 business and residence property would nearly equal 
 the figure I have named. And the rent of such farms as 
 these about here would certainly make up the balance. " 
 
 "Yes, I think that is true enough," replied Mr. 
 Sears frankly. **So you think these people are bene- 
 fited to the extent oi a third to one-half of their 
 total production, do you?" 
 
 "Yes, and much more. How much I am unable to say. 
 For, if that amount was taken from them, they would 
 not only be that much poorer, but their purchasing 
 power would be lessened just in porportion, and there- 
 fore their production would have to be reduced to pre- 
 vent congestion of the products of their labor. Then 
 work would become scarce, some of them would be idle, 
 and a struggle for the chance to work would result. 
 Business would stagnate, factories would close 
 their doors, and wages in all occupations would fall 
 to the lowest level. Thus a thousand bad results 
 would follow the loss of their earnings, in comparison 
 to which the tribute taken would be quite insignifi- 
 cant. To realize the difference you have but to look 
 at the happy workers you see about you here, and com- 
 pare them with your care-worn, hunger-haunted human 
 machines, whose only hope in life is that they may 
 get work so that they may get bread to give them 
 strength to continue at work until death ends their 
 misery." And Mr. Bartlett emphasized his remarks 
 by motioning toward the crowds of men who were 
 working all about them. 
 
 "They remind me of the stories I have read of the 
 happy nature of the black slaves, who laughed and sang 
 their negro melodies, regardless of their bondage. " 
 
A TRAMP W SOCIETY. 147 
 
 "Yes," interposed Mr. Bartlett almost bitterly. 
 "But your industrial slavery has accomplished what 
 chattel slavery never could. It has crushed hope, 
 even in the black man. He no longer has the heart 
 to sing. The struggle for existence is too intense." 
 
 "Ah! Mr. Bartlett, pleased to see you." 
 
 "This is my friend Mr. Sears, Mr. Henley. It was 
 he who helped me when I was a tramp," added Mr. 
 Bartlett by way of explanation. 
 
 "You helped one of the noblest men God ever put on 
 earth," said John Henley, fervently, as he grasped 
 Mr. Sears' hand. "To him I owe my chance to get 
 ahead, and the happiness of my wife and two little 
 ones." 
 
 "He seems to be doing a noble work here," replied 
 Mr. Sears, quietly. 
 
 "Well, I get my pay a thousand times over, in 
 seeing men like John so prosperous and contented," 
 laughed Mr. Bartlett. "I want to have Mr. Sears get 
 acquainted with the conditions that exist out here,'* 
 he continued as he turned toward Mr. Henley. "And 
 I wonder if you would object to telling him your ex- 
 perience." 
 
 "Not at all," was the prompt reply. "I never 
 seemed to get along before I came here. I lived 
 poorly and worked hard, but I only got enough to 
 keep me going, and I nqver had any hope of getting 
 ahead until I came and saw how well others were do- 
 ing. I was a common every-day laborer, and the first 
 thing I did was to load brick at Lasher's yard, just 
 beyond us here. I got good pay, and soon had 
 enough saved to get a home for us, and by the time 
 that was paid for I had a fair knowledge of how 
 bricks were made. And as the demand was more than 
 
148 A TRAMP W SOCIETY. 
 
 the yards could supply, I looked around for a place 
 of my own. Mr. Lasher said there would be more 
 brick needed than could be made if the yards were 
 not increased, and he helped me pick out a good piece 
 of clay land, and here I am. My brother and I made 
 our first payment on the machinery out of our earn- 
 ings, and soon we will be out of debt and get on all 
 right." 
 
 "Why could you not have done that anywhere, if 
 you had a little start to begin with?" inquired Mr. 
 Sears. 
 
 "Well, that little start was what bothered me," 
 laughed John, shaking his head as if unable to ex- 
 plain why, but conscious of the fact, just the same. 
 "Then, too," he continued, "we could not get land 
 without paying heavily for it, and that prevented us 
 from starting. More than this, the supply of brick in 
 every other place except this is away beyond the de- 
 mand, and we could not get into the trade as we did 
 here, where the builders were waiting for them." 
 
 "Do your men get as good wages as Mr. Lasher 
 paid you?" inquired Mr. Sears. 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "How can that be, if Mr. Lasher was paying you all 
 you were worth ? " And Mr. Sears glanced toward Mr. 
 Bartlett, for he remembered that gentleman's state- 
 ment of how all men received their full production. 
 "After his men have received their pay," interposed 
 Mr. Bartlett, "if John has produced anything it will 
 be there to pay him, won't it?" 
 
 "Yes, yes; but I thought I had found a flaw in your 
 reasoning," laughed Mr. Sears. "But I don't see how 
 you know just what each one's share is. Here are a 
 hundred men, we will say. Some are doing one thing, 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 1 10 
 
 buiiic aiiuLlicr. It is but fair to suppose there are as 
 many different grades of ability as there are men. 
 Yet the product of their united labor is so many 
 thousand brick. How in he world are you able to 
 fmd out just the portion each man has produced?" 
 
 "I guess you will have to answer that, Mr. Bartlett," 
 said John, as he looked up at him with a confused ex- 
 pression on his face. 
 
 "I will put the question in another way, and then 
 you will be able to answer it easily," said Mr. Bart- 
 lett. "What would you do if your men did not earn 
 their pay?" 
 
 "I'd have to send them off," said John, utterly un- 
 able to understand the relation between the two 
 questions. 
 
 "And what would they do if you did not pay them 
 enough?" 
 
 "They'd go elsewhere." 
 
 "And if all the yards combined against them and 
 refused to pay all they earned, what then?" 
 
 "I don't know what others would do," said John 
 quickly. "But if Lasher had tried that with me, I 
 would have started a yard of my own." 
 
 "There you have it," said Mr. Bartlett exultingly. 
 "John could not fathom the why and wherefore, but 
 he well knew how to get at the practical solution of 
 it. There is the whole of the plan of competition in 
 his reply. If the workers get too little, they are free 
 to make brick for themselves. If they ask too much, 
 the Henley Brothers don't have to pay it. And the 
 natural adjustment wh'ich these interests bring about 
 settles positively the just proportion each one should 
 receive." 
 
 "And is the saving in rent divided in the same way?" 
 
150 A TRAMP m SOCIETY. 
 
 inquired Mr. Sears as they turned toward the cars 
 again. 
 
 "Certainly. If it were not, there would be so much 
 profit in the brick business that the workers would 
 all start'yards of their own." 
 
 "Then it is the opportunity to freely use the land to 
 employ their own labor that gives these men the fuU 
 production of their toil when they work for others, 
 is it?" 
 
 "That's the effect free land produces when competi- 
 tion is not bound and held in check as it is with 
 you," replied Mr. Bartlett earnestly. 
 
 "I can see how it works where men have a chance 
 to go into business for themselves like the Henleys 
 in brick-making, or in farming, or in mining of any 
 kind," said Mr. Sears meditatively. "But put my fac- 
 tory out here, and how could my employes help them- 
 selves if I refused to give them their share?" 
 
 Mr. Bartlett smiled as he replied: "I can tell just 
 what is passing through your mind, Sears. You im- 
 agine this to be some new scheme that is governed by 
 laws entirely different from those under which you 
 transact your business. But this is not the case at 
 all. The only change is that we do not divide the 
 product of our labor to give the land-owner a part. 
 Our business laws are, therefore, the same as yours, 
 and you well know that if you refused to pay your men 
 the regular market rate of wages they would go else- 
 where; and so they would here. More than this, your 
 men would leave you under present conditions, and 
 also in a city where work is scarce and very hard to 
 get, while here they would be able to step into other 
 places at a moment's notice. You pay your men their 
 present wages because you are forced to do so by the 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 151 
 
 law of competition, which decrees that to be their 
 just share of what is left after the land-owner has 
 been paid. Here you would be forced to pay more 
 because the amount to be divided is greater. And, as 
 your own wages are paid on the same basis, they 
 would also be much larger than now." 
 
 "In other words, you mean that what the land- 
 owner fails to get is divided justly between the em- 
 ployer and his men." 
 
 "Yes, so long as competition is free." 
 
 Mr. Sears was thoughtfully silent for a moment, and 
 then, looking up at his friend, he said inquiringly: 
 
 "If what you say is true, then I as an employer can- 
 not pay more than the regular market rate of wages?" 
 
 "Not without drawing upon your own share." 
 
 "But I mean more than that," said Mr. Sears 
 earnestly. "Could my business stand the pressure of 
 paying my men their full share?" 
 
 "No, sir. You would be foolish to try it." 
 
 "But I have," was the almost despairing reply. 
 
 The changed voice and manner of his friend start- 
 
 1 Mr. Bartlett, and after a hasty, searching glance 
 lie inquired as to the cause. 
 
 "Well, you remember what I said at the 'Charity 
 Ball,' don't you?" said Mr. Sears as he struggled 
 bravely to brace himself for the ordeal of relating his 
 business troubles. 
 
 "About your determination to pay your employes 
 more? Yes, I remember." 
 
 "Well, I acted contrary to your advice," continued 
 Mr. Sears. "To tell the truth, I could no longer 
 stand the torture of seeing those starving women and 
 ill-paid men working for me on such soul-destroying 
 terms. So I began paying them more and more, until 
 
153 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 my partner, Plumb, declared he would not risk it any 
 further, and offered to either sell or buy. I knew the 
 wages would go back to the old figure if I sold, and 
 so I bought his share. This put me in debt, and the 
 higher wages I was paying made it cost more to make 
 my goods than my competitors paid, so that I soon 
 found that I was at a terrible disadvantage in selling. 
 My financial affairs are in bad shape, and, with m}^ 
 desire to help those I employ while watching my own 
 iiiterests, I find myself between the devil and the 
 deep sea." 
 
 "It's a bad piece of business," said Mr. Bartlett, 
 evidently worried at the position of his friend. "Your 
 sympathies have run away with your business judg- 
 ment. That's evident." 
 
 "Yes," replied Mr. Sears. "And when I look back 
 and see how little I have accomplished, and how much 
 you have been able to do here, I have not even the sat- 
 isfaction of feeling that I have done much good." 
 
 "That's the difference in results between granting 
 charity and giving justice a chance to do its perfect 
 work. But I do wish you had taken my advice. I do 
 indeed, for I am heavily in debt at the present time, 
 and trying to clear off the mortgage I put on my store 
 when I bought this land. But what I have is at your 
 service. Don't forget that." And Mr. Bartlett im- 
 pressively placed his hand on the arm of his friend as 
 they rose to leave the car. 
 
 "Oh, I'll pull through all right," was the seemingly 
 confident reply. But the troubled sigh that followed 
 was a much better indication of the burden he was 
 carrying. 
 
 "Can't we go through some of these factories?' 
 asked Mr. Sears as they reached the walk. 
 
/I TR/tMP IN SOCIETY. 153 
 
 "That's just what I intend we shall do," replied Mr. 
 Hartlett. "1 want you to see for yourself how slight 
 a change is necessary to better the condition of the 
 workers. Our shops are better, and more comfortable 
 in many ways. The workers hers are men, for we have 
 no women or children at hard labor of any kind in this 
 place. Their natural pr6tectors are able to support 
 them, and would feel disgraced if they had to ask their 
 children to assist them in earning a living. 
 
 "This is my friend Mr. Sears," he continued, as they 
 entered the iron-works and met the manager. "He 
 is testing our methods here, and wants all the infor- 
 mation he can get." 
 
 "Mr. Bartlett puts it a little broadly," replied Mr. 
 Sears. **Yet in the main he has stated what is true." 
 
 "I dare say you find the same trouble in understand- 
 ing our ways that most of our visitors do," said Mr. 
 James, the gentleman addressed; "that is, how the 
 employer and his men can both be benefited at the 
 same time by the change. It is remarkable how ready 
 most of them are to believe that either one might be, 
 but that both can be at the same time seems to be a 
 puzzle they cannot understand. I suppose they have 
 been drilled so long to believe the interests of the 
 employer are antagonistic to those of the workers that 
 it is almost impossible for them to understand that they 
 are one and the same. Isn't that true, Mr. Bartlett?" 
 
 "Yes, and I think Mr. Sears has experienced the 
 same feeling since he has been here." 
 
 "If there are no antagonistic interests between the 
 employer and the men he employs, what makes the 
 appearance of it?" inquired Mr. Sears. 
 
 "Even the appearances are not all that way," re- 
 plied Mr. James. "For when you find a general in- 
 
154 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 crease in the profits of business men and manufact- 
 urers you also find an increase in the wages of their 
 clerks or workmen. When you find them struggling to 
 keep out of bankruptcy you find wages and salaries 
 are also low. This life-and-death struggle that af- 
 flicts the employers as well as the men makes the same 
 appearance of antagonism between them that is to be 
 seen when drowning men struggle for the posses- 
 sion of life preservers because there are not enough for 
 all. But there is enough produced, and therefore 
 scarcity is not the cause. On the contrary, this appear- 
 ance of antagonism is due to the fact that so large a 
 portion is taken as tribute for the use of the land that 
 the employer and his men are forced to fight for pos- 
 session of the scant supply that remains. 
 
 "There are more than enough opportunities for all 
 to support life, but the land-speculators hold them out 
 of use until the drowning merchants and workers are 
 forced by their necessities to agree to give everything 
 they obtain above a living. The moment these oppor- 
 tunities are opened so that men may freely use them, 
 we find not even the appearance of antagonism remains. 
 Here we do not allow any one to hold land except for 
 use; and, as a result, we have no strikes, no riots, no 
 bloodshed, and all are prosperous and free from care. 
 We never think of asking men to work for us for less 
 tlian they can earn by working for themselves, and we 
 do not have to pay them more, because they willingly 
 accept that amount. And as the opportunity to employ 
 himself costs the worker nothing at all, he is sure to 
 get all he produces." 
 
 "Then you have solved the labor question," said Mr. 
 Sears inquiringl}^ 
 
 "Judging from results, we certainly have." 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 155 
 
 "But there are workers who have never employed 
 themselves. How do they know what they could 
 earn?" inquired Mr. Sears. 
 
 "You have never gone to Washington to accept the 
 government's offer to redeem its paper money at its 
 full face value," replied Mr. James earnestly. "Yet 
 
 11 obtain the full benefit of that offer here, simply 
 
 cause the opportunity is open to you. In the same 
 way, whenever free land offers men all they produce, 
 tliey can obtain the full benefit of that offer in any 
 place they choose to work. And, like your paper 
 money, the practical effect is sure to be that nothing 
 less than full face value will ever be offered. Thus 
 free land makes free men, even though they do not go 
 to the land to accept its offer." 
 
 "I see," interposed Mr. Sears. "The amount the 
 land will pay is the basis of all wages, and the pay of 
 each depends upon the relative value of his work." 
 
 "That's it exactly," said Mr. James. "Now you can 
 see the benefit when that offer is not reduced by hav- 
 
 i; to pay tribute for the use of the land. My men 
 will tell you that they get all they produce, and that 
 is all they could get by working for themselves." 
 
 "If that is true, where do you get your profit?" in- 
 (luired Mr. Sears. 
 
 "My wages arise from my production, and if I add 
 nothing to the value of the goods you may rest assured 
 the consumer will refuse to pay me for my work. In- 
 stead of my men trying to sell the goods they make, 
 I do that work for them, and we all produce just the 
 same as if each one made and sold his own product. 
 The feeling against the middle-man is largely due 
 to the fact that the price he receives for the goods is 
 often many times more than the workers get for mak- 
 
15C A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 ing them. The tribute the land-owners receive is all 
 concentrated in that price, and makes it seem quite 
 large; but if it was not figured in, it would be seen 
 that there is but little left for the merchant's wages. 
 In this place we pay no tribute, and the problem of 
 giving each one his just share is much simplified. We 
 find that competition does this most justly, and so 
 our relations to each other are perfectly harmonious 
 and entirely satisfactory to all concerned." 
 
 "With such high wages to your men/' said Mr. 
 Sears, "I don't see how you can sell your goods to 
 the outside world. I suppose you depend on the 
 home market for your sales." 
 
 "We sell our goods all over the world," replied 
 Mr James proudly. "We could bankrupt every out- 
 side competitor if we tried." 
 
 "What?" exclaimed Mr. Sears, in astonishment, as 
 he turned toward Mr. Bartlett, to see if he sanctioned 
 such statements. 
 
 "Well, that's hardly a fair proposition," said Mr. 
 Bartlett good-naturedly. "You would be able to do 
 that only so long as the manufacturers in other places 
 had not the same advantages that you have." 
 
 "Advantages!" And Mr. Sears looked more puzzled 
 than before. "What advantages can there be in pay- 
 ing high wages? Don't you see that it must increase 
 the cost of production?" 
 
 "We find it costs less," replied Mr. James. 
 
 "Mr. James' competitors," said Mr. Bartlett, "have 
 to pay the land-owners their tribute in addition to paying 
 wages to their men. Mr. James pays higher wages, it's 
 true, but he pays no tribute for the use of the. land. 
 I think you will admit that this saving in cost gives 
 him an advantage which makes him more than able to 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 157 
 
 compete with those who pay only starvation wages to 
 their men. " 
 
 "Then the land-owner is a sort of useless partner 
 who draws his profits without producing anything," 
 said Mr. Sears, laughingly. "It looks like the cost of 
 production depends upon the profits this silent part- 
 ner takes, more than it does on the wages of the men." 
 
 "We have dissolved the partnership out here," said 
 Mr. James. 
 
 "Do you feel that your title to the land is suffi- 
 
 iently secure for your improvements?" inquired Mr. 
 
 Sears. "Suppose you go out of business, and fail to 
 
 use the land. Can't some one else take it and the 
 
 improvements together?" 
 
 "Yes, after paying for them, but not before. You see, 
 Mr. Sears, we act on the principle that what a mac 
 has produced is his against all the world, and under 
 no condition has one person the right to take the 
 product of another's toil without giving an equivalent." 
 
 "There can be no question about that being right," 
 said Mr. Sears as they turned to leave the building. 
 
 "Well, you noticed nothing very strange, did you?" 
 inquired Mr. Bartlett, when they had gained the street. 
 "It is as plain and simple as every-day life, is it not? 
 Everything swings along with absolute precision be- 
 cause it conforms to natural and not to man-made law. 
 Tne *onl3f radical change is the absence of the land- 
 owner, and this is simply returning to natural condi- 
 tions rather than o^ierwise. Did you know that in 
 olden times the law of Massachusetts was almost 
 identical with our provision here that land shall be 
 free? " Bancroft Ubm^ 
 
 "No, indeed. I supposed this was something un- 
 heard of before now." 
 
158 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 "Well, you will find in the early laws of Massa- 
 chusetts the provision that if any man holds land idle 
 for three years he loses his title to it, and the courts 
 shall make it free to those who will use it." 
 
 "There's nothing new under the sun," said Mr. 
 Sears. "But I suppose people now-a-days would say 
 it was an old Puritanic law that was not worth while 
 considering." 
 
 "It's a curiosity, nevertheless, and shows that they 
 recognized the fact that land was different from other 
 things. But they, no doubt, realized that it was 
 necessary to secure the user in his absolute possession 
 of the land; and like a great many persons at the 
 present time they made the mistake of jumping to 
 the false conclusion that private ownership is the 
 only means by which private possession can be 
 secured." 
 
 "The wonderful simplicity of this change made me 
 question its efficiency at first, "said Mr. Sears thought- 
 fully. "But my doubts are rapidly vanishing under 
 the pressure of what I see here. Yet there are two 
 things that I desire to have explained before I will 
 be satisfied. Tell me, do you control the saloons? 
 And how can the farmers be benefited by this 
 change?" 
 
 "We have no saloons that could properly be so 
 called. We have no business to give them, I think 
 this is due to several causes, first among which is the 
 absence of that life-and-death struggle for existence, 
 with its terribly exhausting strain. Life is worth too 
 much here to be destroyed or even broken by dissipa- 
 tion; and public opinion would be outraged by a case 
 of drunkenness to such an extent that the offender 
 would not care to repeat it. Liquor can be freely 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 159 
 
 had, but it is sold as any other commodity is, in an 
 open manner, without restraint. But a drinking- 
 place as such is not known here. Public opinion 
 seems to be in favor of other meeting-places." 
 
 "I can't understand this power of public opinion," 
 said Mr. Sears. 
 
 "You see its effects every day. In spite of laws to 
 the contrary, public opinion holds your saloon doors 
 open day and night. Why, then, when it changes, 
 should it not have the power to close them?" 
 
 "We have not had much chance to see the residence 
 portion of Freeland," remarked Mr. Bartlett as they 
 walked along, "but, as I told you, we do not pride 
 ourselves on the number, but rather on the character 
 of the changes we have made, and you can easily im- 
 agine the conditions that surround the home-life of 
 our people here, where every one is prosperous and 
 daily increasing his wealth." 
 
 "I am particularly struck with the fact that woman 
 has been relieved from unwomanly work, and the chil- 
 dren have time to play," said Mr. Sears. "With us the 
 working women are mere factory slaves, and we have 
 tried to keep the children out of workshops by laws 
 that punish the parents and fine the employers, if 
 they allow them to work. But they have not been 
 able to stop child labor." 
 
 "How can it be otherwise, when your laws are 
 merely patchwork, made to act as plasters — to cover 
 up the wound instead of healing it. Here we have 
 purified the blood, and the whole body remains strong 
 and healthy." And Mr. Bartlett laughed good- 
 naturedly as they entered the hotel, and met Farmer 
 Hardy. 
 
 "Mr. Sears is anxious to know how you farmers get 
 
160 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 a benefit from having the land free, " said Mr. Bartlett 
 as they seated themselves. 
 
 "I came from Ohio," began Mr. Hardy," and there in 
 the first place I would have to burden myself with a 
 heavy mortgage to pay for the farm or use my capital 
 in paying for the land which I get for nothing here. 
 This is a big item of itself. But in Ohio I found 
 that when I sent my stuff to market it had to pay its 
 share of the rent the commission merchant paid, as well 
 as that of the wholesaler and the retailer. And when it 
 reached the consumer he could only pay very little 
 for it; so that when the whole expense of these several 
 rents was taken out of the price the poor consumer paid, 
 I had hardly enough left to cover the cost of raising. 
 I have sent stuff to market that sold for several dol- 
 lars, and yet I received only a few cents for my work. 
 I have known my wheat to sell in the city markets 
 for two and three times what I got for it, and when 1 
 saw the enormous rents the commission men had to 
 pay, 1 knew it was my products that were paying them. 
 Out here my stuff is handled by men who pay nothing 
 for the use of the land on which they do business, 
 and I get the full value of my products. If they add 
 anything to the value by their work they do not take 
 it out of mine. The difference is that, while in Ohio 
 I got but a very small part of the selling value of my 
 stuff, and farming did not pay, out here I get the full 
 value of all I produce, and I am prospering beyond 
 anything I could have expected. " 
 
 "I should think that would attract too many com- 
 petitors, and prices would run down, " said Mr. Sears. 
 
 "So it would, if farming was the only business that 
 was prosperous. But where all industries are equally 
 so there is no extra inducement to become a farmer." 
 
A TRAMP Ihl SOCIETY. 161 
 
 "You mean that the law of competition protects the 
 farmers as well as the others?" said Mr. Sears in- 
 quiringly. 
 
 "Yes. It would be impossible to have the business 
 men and manufacturers and all others prospering 
 while farmers were not; for if they were we would go 
 into competition with them in some of their occupa- 
 tions that paid better." 
 
 "Do you find any advantage in being near the city 
 market?" 
 
 "I certainly do. When goods have to be hauled 
 a thousand miles to reach the consumer on the farm, 
 and the farmer's products have to be hauled the same 
 distance to feed the men in the city, the charges for 
 hauling them make it cost both of us much more than 
 it would if the farms were as near as possible to the 
 factory. We see this illustrated almost every day. 
 The cheap coal at the mines is too dear when it 
 reaches the farm, and the cheap grain on the farm is 
 too dear when it reaches the consumers at the mine. 
 Thus the farmer freezes for want of coal, and the 
 miner starves for want of food. By bringing them 
 nearer together the exchange of products is more 
 cheaply made, and the benefit is mutual. With you 
 the land-speculator is allowed to seize on all the land 
 about your cities and carve it into city lots long 
 years before the people need them, and the price of 
 all the land is raised so high as to drive the farmer 
 to the remote districts, where he is separated from his 
 fellow men and forced to live the life of a hermit, 
 without the comforts or advantages that are to be 
 obtained by associating with his fellows. 
 
 "Here the farmer is the suburban resident of the 
 city. His well-paved roads are but extensions of the 
 
162 A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 
 
 city streets. He has all the advantages of his city 
 brother and is so familiar with his ways that you can 
 find no marked distinction between him and the other 
 men you meet here. Under these conditions the 
 farmer becomes a free man — a prince among producers. 
 His life is one of independence arid wealth. But 
 this is not all. With your farmers, the railroad 
 monopolies dictate the terms of their existence. 
 They take all the traffic will bear. Here the people 
 control them as you do the postal business, and the 
 farmers get their goods transported at something like 
 the cost of the service. These are important advan- 
 tages to us, and I cannot see where your farmers 
 could lose anything by the change, except possibly the 
 very remote chance of selling their land for more than it 
 cost them; while on the other hand they would be more 
 secure in the possession of their farms than they are 
 now. And, retaining all of their present advantages, 
 they would also receive those I have spoken of." 
 
 "You seem to think there is an interest that is com- 
 mon to all men who work in cities as well as those 
 who work on farms," said Mr. Sears inquiringly. 
 
 "Certainly I do. Suppose the land-owners were 
 made to leave more to the workers in the city. Is it 
 not easy to see that the farmers would go into the 
 cities unless they also received an equal increase? 
 The pay in all occupations must rise and fall together; 
 you can always be certain of that. If the pay is full, 
 the land-speculator gets nothing. If it is less than 
 the full product of labor, then it is because the land- 
 owner has taken something for nothing. That's all 
 there is to it." 
 
 "I see, I see," said Mr. Sears thoughtfully. "The 
 whole plan is quite clear to me now. It narrows 
 
A TRAMP IN SOCIETY. 163 
 
 right down to a contest between the industrious peo- 
 ple on one side and the land-speculators on the other. 
 What one loses the other takes. Well, in that case, 
 my whole sympathies are on the side of the indus- 
 trious people. I am obliged to you for making it 
 so clear that the whole producing classes, including 
 the farmers, are benefited by this means." 
 
 "I am thoroughly satisfied now," continued Mr. 
 Sears, as they walked to the depot. I was very skep^*.- 
 cal at first. Then, too, I feared the effect would 
 be to level down all classes to one common lot; 
 but I see now that each one receives his full reward 
 in proportion to his abilities and industry much more 
 certainly than with us; and even the lowest grade of 
 workers live comfortably and know nothing of pov- 
 ertv or the fear of want." 
 
 The Credit Foncier Company, 
 
 806 Royal Insurance Building, 
 
 Chicago, III. 
 
A Tramp in Society 
 
 By ROBERT H. COWDREY. 
 
 Cloth, Extra, $i 25. 
 Paper Covtr. 60 Cents. 
 
 One of the most striking features of the times is the fact that so many 
 pens are turned upon finding some solution for the portentous labor ques- 
 tion. Bellamy's ideal has come and gone without affecting any great 
 change in the tendencies of the times or the nature of our laws. Ignatius 
 Donnelly has given us a startling view of the next century in " Caesar's 
 Column," a book which has aroused to serious thought the people of both 
 hemispheres. It remained for Robert H. Cowdrey to give us the individ- 
 uaUstic novel, and perhaps no man is better fitted for this task. His address 
 before the Tariff Commission of 1882 attracted wide-spread attention, 
 and, having been the United Labor Party candidate for President of the 
 United States in 1888, his writings have a prestige and standing with 
 thousands of readers even regaraiess of their literary merit. 
 
 " Robert H. Cowdrey, the author of * A Tramp in Society,' is well 
 known in Chicago as a philanthropist who has devoted much of his time 
 to investigating the evils of our social system, and methods of alleviating 
 the distress of the working classes. Containing no fine-spun theories, this 
 book is a practical exponent of the evils which oppress the people, and 
 indicates practical methods by which they may be aided." — Chicago 
 Graphic. 
 
 " We have had a dozen or more novels of late that have had new 
 economic schemes of hving for a basis, but mostly advocating state social- 
 ism. At last we have the individualistic novel, and it ought to win wide- 
 spread favor. Mr. Cowdrey has strong conviction, a good command of 
 English, and fertile imagination. The influence of ' A Tramp in Society' 
 will at least extend the growing feeling that the Kingdom of Heaven maj 
 be nigher than we think." — St. Louis Republic. 
 
 "As a criticism of existing conditions it is sensible and incisive."— 
 Chicago Times. 
 
 "In the form of a novel, 'A Tramp in Society* presents a series 0I 
 terrible indictments of our social system and of the thing we call law. If 
 all the children of to-day were made to read this book, the men of twenty 
 years hence would be apostles of a new social dispensation. Mr. Cowdrey 
 tells the story of the wrongs he has seen, and he deserves a wide hearing." 
 — New York Mornitig Journal. 
 
 " There is not an uninteresting page in all the book." — Hugh O. Penie^ 
 cosL 
 
 " 'A Tramp In Society* shows that he who controls the land has the 
 power to control all industries, and therefore the lives and fortunes of the 
 people. As a thought-inspiring book there are few better, and we bespeak 
 for It a wide circulation." — Hartford Examiner, 
 

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