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Show J SOCIALISM IN AMERICA. Societies Established In America for t he Promotion of Their Peculiar Doctrines Its Disciples Prose-lytea Prose-lytea from Among All Classes. j Ask a well-fed, well-appareled, fairly-j fairly-j cultivated Abierican to define socialism i and the chances are that ho. will reply, "Oh, there's no such thing in the world; ! it's all bosh." Ask the same question of ; a hungry-eyed, savage-looking tramp, and his answer will doubtless be : "So-i "So-i cialisin means that by hook or by crook, by fair mean9 or foul, the poorest man j will some day have as big a share of God's I earth as the richest man on it." Finally, i turn to a divine, a doctor or any sympathetic sympa-thetic man whose dutios or inclinations bring him in contact with the poor, and j ask him the same question and it is not 1 unlikely, that his answer will be: "My friend, socialism is the death blow to human covetousness and cruelty, and the onlv safe guide to an eartb.lv para-Jdise." para-Jdise." . j Considerably puzzled at having such i contradictory replies to a simple question, a New York Herald reporter went in quest of men who have studied socialism in all its ramifications, who know its good points and its bad points, who abhor in it all thatiscvil and cleave- to that which they believe, to be good, and who are doing do-ing much in a quiet way to spread their cherished doctrines throughout the length and breadth of this continent. And from these men the reporter succeeded in getting no fewer than three definitions of socialism and a strange account of the manner in which the apostles of this new creed propose to regenerate the hearts of Americans. Leaning back in his armchair, arm-chair, the oldest and gravest of these men said: THREE KINDS OF SOCIALISM. ; VMy dear sir, there are three kinds of socialism. The first and worst kind is synonymous with communism. Its advocates ad-vocates hold that tho common wealth should be distributed and divided among all, Bhare and share alike; that all restraints re-straints in regard to school, marriage and the state should be abolished, such being the logical consequences of the laissez- faire principle, and that to gain theBe ends all means are permissible. "The advocates of the second 'kind of socialism disciples of Karl Marz, Las-salle, Las-salle, Bodbertus and Engels have exchanged ex-changed the French notions of the Communists Com-munists for the belief that the State should appropriate all the means of production. pro-duction. In this way they hope to do away with wage labor altogether and make every individual an official wtth salary and pension in case of disability. They point to State railroads and State monopolies as models for ever industry. Just as the postoffice is controlled by the nation, so they maintain that all other industries in-dustries should be controlled. By doing away with the incentive to accumulate wealth they hope to gain the greatest possible pos-sible amount of human liberty for the poor and at the same time to destroy in the human heart a desire for riches, such being considered by them the most criminal crim-inal of all desires. This kind of socialism, social-ism, therefore, is not only an equitable industrial arrangement, but a means for elevating the human race. "The advocates of this system confess indeed that it cannot be easily carried out. True, the very idea that the human race can be bettered by the abolition of the institution of private property in the means of . production, and the removal of the necessity for seeking a livelihood, has stirred up feelings of fanaticism in many letter informed wprkingmen, who, despairing des-pairing of Christianity a9 presented by ! the churches, hope by means of this very J idea to realize true Christianity iu its i pristine form. But it is in "this very fact j the danger lies..' The battle. cry is not, ' as . is usually stated, for an increase of : wages, but. for the formation of a new society, every member of which must be j spiritually born again. Now, sober-minded sober-minded citizens , will not believe in j changing the entire nature of men, but j will forever hold that half the nation should be appointed officials for the purpose pur-pose of seeing that the other half works hard for its salary, and that laws of Draconian Dra-conian severit will always be necessary fo overcome the slovenliness of mankind. ; WHAT STATE SOCIALISM MEANS. "Although this objection is self-evident, it is wonderful how few can see it. Doctors, Doc-tors, divines, and all who see the sorrows and degradation of the poor,, and hear the arguments of the laissez-faire school in regard to the survival of the fittest, feel their hearts bleed at the woeful sights and sounds, and, naturally enough, their svmpathy overpowers their reason. .While they favor the socialistic doctrine of the distribution of the world's commodities, they altogether lose sight of the problem how to produce that "Which is - to be distributed.'' dis-tributed.'' Iri this respect, the laissez-faire antagonists; -who altogether forget the problem how to distribute what is produced. pro-duced. -' 'In the hope of getting around this difficultyjthe ideaof State-socialism has been suggested. Now, State socialism proposes to . hold inviolate the idea of liberty and equality in business and State) and, by proper legislation in all Ihe branches of human life, to abolish the privileges which are now connected with the possession of wealth. For example, in this country the incorporation laws would have to bo changed ; the factory laws Jor tho protection protec-tion of tbe young would have to be made njore thorough ; the means of communication communi-cation would have to be owned by the State, so that the comfort of the people -might be increased at the expense of the whole people, and. all other monopolies would have to be abolished. - Again, one of the most important doctrines of State . sccialisnx is the official recognition of industrial in-dustrial unions. :. Only in this; way, it U maintained, can the real people ever be fitlv represented in the national councils: Socialism forgets human nature'. State socialism takes the individual as he is and endeavors to frame the institutions of societv accordingly. The present indi-; indi-; vidualism sets up certain theorits and I tries to inake human nature act in ac-i ac-i cordance with t hem. ' ' j ""Communism aspires to a general i license. Socialism demands an increase ; of. individual liberty. . State socialism i seeks to decrease the liberty of the "strong : and unscrupulous by suitable legislation. In. Europe state, socialism means a greater participation of the people in the ; afiairs of government, whereas in Amer-i Amer-i ica it is the carrying out of the original ! intention of the framers of the Consti-i Consti-i tution that the people shall rule in all ! things. While the public in general look ! upon the word state socialism as meaning ! concentrated -despotism,-it- is really the ! most perfect distribution of -the power oi j the state among all the classes of the peoples - If it can be carried into effect it i will igi ve rise to an ideal democracy. ; -: -VSucli; - in.: effect; -are the opinions, -hopes-and -aims of the leading socialists ; of this city and of America. Among them i are numbered ;. many prominent men o! 'f.all callings. How widely "their influence is spreading is proved by tho simple fad that within the past few weeks societies have been formed in New York, Boston and Baltimore for the promulgation of the doctrines of state socialism." " |