Nequa; or, The Problem of the Ages

by Alcanoan O. Grigsby; Mary P. Lowe

"But," I said, "I am curious to learn how it was that the communal system came to be established. In the outer world I am inclined to believe that it would be impossible to find so many people who would live together in harmony."

"That is doubtless true," said MacNair. "But as I now understand it, influences are at work, which will ultimately compel the producing masses to come together as one family, in order to enable them to preserve any semblance of personal liberty and economic independence."

"And was it," I asked, "necessity that compelled the founders of this district to organize this system of community life?"

"It certainly was," interrupted Iola. "This district was founded by a few of the more intelligent laborers in the great city which at that time existed at the mouth of the Cocytas. A time had come when the laboring masses were forced to get together in colonies and co-operate with each other in order to live. This represents the first organized revolt of the masses against landlordism and the spirit of commercial and financial cannibalism, which had reached its apex in the large cities existing in the olden time along this eastern coast. The few owned all the land, all the machinery and all the facilities for distribution while the many were often famishing for food, and always begging for an opportunity to serve some master who would feed them."

"If they were indeed so poor," I asked, "how was it possible for them to break the chains by which they were bound?"

"That is a long story," said Iola, "and cannot be recorded in a word. Volumes are filled with the futile efforts of the working classes to protect themselves by organization, and their education had to come through their repeated failures. But all these futile efforts at organization were on the competitive plan, and actually placed one class of workers in competition with another class. At first the skilled artisans, seemingly secured some advantages by the trade unions, but it was only a question of time when the improvement in machinery and a division of labor, placed the skilled workman, to a very large extent, in competition with the common laborer for the privilege of running the machines, which did the work better than the most skillful mechanic, and with a speed that had never before been dreamed of. From that time on to the end, the employed in every branch of production were placed in a bitter and destructive contest with the unemployed for the privilege of working for a master.

"It was not until they had reached this condition by bitter experience that they began to learn just what was the matter. Among the first things that occurred to them, was, that they were at the mercy of the landlord until they had access to the soil, but how could they obtain access to the soil in their penniless condition? This was the question that racked their brains.

"But conditions, which neither they, nor their oppressors could control, were forcing a solution. It had been recognized in the civilization of that time, that the poor and the physically infirm, had a just claim on society for food, shelter and raiment which must not be disregarded. All that they needed, was the fruits of their labor applied to the soil, and the money kings had to a very great extent monopolized the soil. It was worthless to them unless it was cultivated. Its possession still gave them power to oppress the landless, but not the opportunity to speculate, as no one was able to buy. So to save the expense of feeding their victims they were willing that the land should be used, by these objects of charity, to produce their food by their labor.

"Thus was provided the opportunity that enabled far sighted reformers to introduce a new system of organization among the poor, which placed all their relations to each other on an ethical, instead of a selfish basis. They began by organizing exchanges among themselves, and what they saved to themselves in this way was invested in land for which there were no other purchasers. For a time this enabled the land owners to sell the lands which were useless to themselves, as a source of profit. The colonists continued to cultivate the land, sell the surplus in the cities, and buy more land, but they never sold an acre. In the course of time, the lands of this district were socialized and rent abolished.