COMMUNIA, IOWA 259When Weitling vigorously opposed such a preposterous proposal,
some of the colonists renewed their attacks on him personally
because of his refusal to surrender title to the forty-acre mill site.
By September, a movement was under way to make the head of
the Arbeiterbund the administrator of Communia. The demand
came primarily in the form of letters from members of the Bund,
addressed to Weitling, urging him as the "ablest" among their
number to accept the "sacred duty." R. Kreter, treasurer of the
Bund, strenuously objected to the choice of his colleague on the
ground that he was far more useful as a traveling propagandist and
had neither the theoretical nor practical qualifications necessary
for so difficult an assignment. In due time, however, Weitling was
elected administrator by the fifteen "trustees" of the colony. One
voted against him, and Kreter, probably foreseeing the financial
troubles ahead, promptly resigned as treasurer of the Arbeiter
bund. J. Hagemann was chosen secretary of the Workingmen's
League and Baumann, its treasurer. The directory which super
vised the work of the colony consisted of Louis Arnold acting for
the building division, Venus for the farmers, and Schmidt for the
mills and crafts. A board of three arbitrators was selected to deal
with serious differences of opinion, although under the terms of
the constitution final authority in case of deadlock was specifi
cally lodged in the administrator (Verwalter).
Once more, Weitling made the long, hard journey to Iowa, ar
riving in November. Despite protestations that he had not sought
the post and had accepted it only as a solemn obligation, there is
evidence to indicate that he shouldered the responsibility with
keen anticipation, perhaps even with grandiose plans for a still
rosier future. He frequently had expressed himself in print both
in Europe and in the United States on the qualifications of a com
petent administrator and in regard to the necessity of complete
submission to the single, higher will; he had referred on many oc
casions to the need for a leader who would sacrifice himself for
the benefit of all and act as a "moral dam against the flood of vanity