"We'll work it out," said Tom.
"You'll see the committee tomorrow. They'll show you how to use the camp and tell
you the rules."
Tom said, "Say—what is this? What committee is this, anyways?"
The watchman settled himself back. "Works pretty nice. There's five sanitary units.
Each one elects a Central Committee man. Now that committee makes the laws. What
they say goes."
"S'pose they get tough," Tom said.
"Well, you can vote 'em out jus' as quick as you vote 'em in. They've done a fine
job. Tell you what they did—you know the Holy Roller preachers all the time follow
the people around, preachin' an' takin' up collections? Well, they wanted to preach in
this camp. And a lot of the older folks wanted them. So it was up to the Central
Committee. They went into meeting and here's how they fixed it. They say, 'Any
preacher can preach in this camp. Nobody can take up a collection in this camp.' And it
was kinda sad for the old folks, 'cause there hasn't been a preacher in since."
Tom laughed and then he asked, "You mean to say the fellas that runs the camp is
jus' fellas—campin' here?"
"Sure. And it works."
"You said about cops—"
"Central Committee keeps order an' makes rules. Then there's the ladies. They'll call
on your ma. They keep care of kids an' look after the sanitary units. If your ma isn't
working, she'll look after kids for the ones that is working, an' when she gets a job—
why, there'll be others. They sew, and a nurse comes out an' teaches 'em. All kinds of
things like that."
"You mean to say they ain't no cops?"
"No, sir. No cop can come in here without a warrant."
"Well, s'pose a fella is jus' mean, or drunk an' quarrelsome. What then?"
The watchman stabbed the blotter with a pencil. "Well, the first time the Central
Committee warns him. And the second time they really warn him. The third time they
kick him out of the camp."
Originally Posted by paddy honey
Και μιας και έγινε λόγος για απαγορεύσεις και μπάτσους θα το βάλω εδώ γιατί αποτελεί ένα χρήσιμο παράδειγμα για το πώς μπορεί να λειτουργήσει μια αυτοδιαχειριζόμενη ελευθεριακή κοινότητα χωρίς χωροφυλακή κι αστυνομία.
