Show B H ROBERTS ROBERTSON ON SOCIALISM In a Speech to Its Devotees He Voices His Objections to the System POINTS OUT OBSTACLES DECLARES INDIVIDUAL EFFORT is BEST SCHEME Brigham H Roberts expressed his dis disapproval disapproval approval of Socialism last night before an audience which taxed the seating ca capacity capacity capacity of Moderation Federation of Labor hall haH Mr Roberts spoke sp ke upon the Invitation of the Socialists of Salt SaIt Lake and his audience was not only large but was deeply in interested Interested interested by his remarks remark That it was not made up entirely of Socialists was proven by hearty applause which greet greeted ed several of his keenest thrusts at the doctrine Mr lIr Roberts prefaced his remarks by reading President recent dec declaration in favor of ot limiting fortunes and the comments made thereon by Rabbi Emil J Hirsch of Chicago in which the Jewish divine took strong ground in fa favor favor favor vor of Socialism After a tribute to the Intellect and moral worth of Rabbi Hirsch and a congratulation of the Socialists for making so BO distinguished a convert Mr Roberts declared that he ho was unable to assent to his views Need Ned Ne d of a Definition Mr Roberts pointed out that one of the difficulties Jn in the way of an intelligent discussion of Socialism was that the term has so many varying definitions several of which he read md There was need he said sald of a general and comprehensive of the term For the purposes of his address however he took Social Socialism Socialism ism lam to mean nean a general condition of equal equality equality equalIty ity to be brought about and enforced by bylaw bylaw law Mr Roberts said sald he would concede that there are economic evils today which re require require require quire a remedy One of these evils he said was an unequal distribution of the products of labor la or and capital Another was the division of the people into class classes es breeding arrogance and idleness on tho the theone one hand and envy and discontent on the theother theother theother other The speaker said that for these evils Socialism had a a cure and he said its adherents were to be congratulated upon being actuated by honesty of purpose and the possession of a high ideal He de declared Jared dared however that exact equality was wasa wasa a thing impossible with human nature what it is Objections to Socialism Mr Roberts then proceeded proceed d to point out what he regarded as insuperable ob objections objections objections to Socialism First he declared competition was essential to the bring bringing bringIng bringing ing out of or what Is best in man Take competition out of life he said and there has been taken out mans incentive Incentive tive five to excel That would result he de declared dared in man falling to bring out the best that was ill tIl him would prevent his development The speaker said that one of the ob objects objects objects of Socialism was to remove from the mind of man the haunting fear of privation for himself elf and those dependent dependent dependent dent upon him He questioned if the re removal moval moal of this tills fear was a desirable thing in tact fact he denied that it was good Necessity he said mud is the mainspring of Industry Take away the fear of privation atlon and you ou remo p the mainspring of or Industry Take away the fear of privation privation atlon and plant ill iii the mind of man a security from such fear and man will decline and deteriorate under his natural inclination to idleness Mr Roberts said id that no man could dispute that industry p was a blessing to mankind The curse that Man shall earn his bread in the sweat of his brow he hede declared de is really a blessing in dis disguise disguise disguise guise Idle Nations Not Great To illustrate his point Mr Roberts pointed out that nations w e industry and work are arc not essential to life Ufe are not great nations that their people are not a great people He declared that the great nations of ot of the earth the ones which are making for civilization and develop development development ment mont are those whose people are com corn compelled by conditions climatic or other otherwise otherwise otherwise wise to earn their bread by industry As another example ample of his contention that it is unwise to remove the fear of privation Mr Roberts cited the idle rich which he pointed out are subject to con constant constant stant condemnation by b p the Socialists Having a feeling te Ung of security for the fu future future ture he said they are as a class idle and vicious idous and possess a n tendency to toward toward toward ward moral rottenness and decay No Chance to Do Good GoodAs GoodAs GoodAs As a third objection to Socialism Mr r Roberts berts said that its operation would prevent mankind from exercising any al altruistic instincts whatsoever He pointed out that distress and calamity grievous as BB they may seem tend to uplift man mankind mankind kind He pointed out that tho the coming of cf l a little child into the world would make happy the father and glad the mother that its early death though fraught with agony for them thorn would draw a 11 whole community together in a bond of sympathy and instill a hotter better feeling In the hearts of ot those who sympathized with the parents Likewise Mr lIr Roberts pointed out that the San Francisco disaster had served to 10 show that the feeling eeling of brotherhood Ull existed in the heart of man While it may be a hard bard thing to think and still a harder thing to say he de declared dared I 1 feel that the great feeling of uman sympathy which was Va aroused all aU allover allover over this land and in other lands was worth to humanity all San Francisco paid for It To abolish poverty 1 to make mak all a men en equal would Mr Roberts declared ren render render render der unnecessary the exercise of any sym sympathy sympathy sympathy pathy for ones fellow man and such a result he asserted would be bad He said that tho the poor minister to the poor and said it would be the worse for hu humanity humanity lU manity were the opportunity or necessity necessity sity for doing so removed Cites Ancient Peru Mr Roberts pointed out that socialistic experiments had failed in France and America While it was true he said that the laws Jaws were unfavorable to such experiments it was likewise true that those who had tried the experiments were earnest and zealous advocates of the system and that their zeal gave them an advantage which should have hae overcome the unfavorable conditiOns ns had their theory itself been correct Mr Roberts said that the only country where pure socialism was ever carried out was in ancient Peru He read from Prescott the historian a description of socialistic conditions in Peru and also alsofrom alsofrom alsofrom from the narrative of the historian showing the deterioration of the Peru Peruvians Peruvians Peruvians under the system stem He was Inter Interrupted from the audience by a man who asserted that the conditions described by bythe bythe bythe the historian were those of communism not socialism but Mr Roberts insisted that ho he was describing socialism Better than being rid of the haunting fear of privation declared Mr Roberts amid applause from those who sympathized sympathized with him is a sense of individual individual Individual ual independence a knowledge of my power to make of myself what I will Individualism has its faults but with all aU its faults It is responsible for our civili civilization civilization Favors Labor Unions Mr Roberts suggested sug ested several things which he lie said would ameliorate and pal palliate palliate liate hate present evils He expressed him himself himself self as being strongly in favor of labor organizations or unions They had ac accomplished accomplished accomplished great good for the working workingman man in the past he said and they would continue to do great good in the future At the same time he disavowed all sym sympathy s sympathy m pathy with unlawful acts perpetrated by labor unions and their sympathizers As a second remedy for present evil Mr Roberts said he would enforce rigor rigorously rigorously rigorously all laws against unlawful combinations combinations combinations of ot capital If It sufficient laws were not now on the he statute books to meet these oppressive combinations he de declared declared dared that wise statesmanship would de devise devise devise vise other and nd adequate laws la s and that men fearless enough to execute them would be found At the same time he said the law laV should be enforced against combinations of labor where they violate the law Mr Roberts said he conceded the right of capital to form combinations where it was forced to do so by economic condi conditions condItions conditions but combinations formed in a spirit of speculation gambling or lustful greed he declared should be dealt with rigorously by the law Mr Roberts fur further further further ther declared that he was in favor of ex cx extending extending tending as rapidly as possible the scope of public ownership of public utilities As a fourth remedy Mr Roberts de declared declared dared with much eloquence and earnest earnestness earnestness earnestness ness that he would enforce compulsory education and that he would include in inthe Inthe Inthe the course of study an inculcation of the principles of honesty honesty In both private and public deal dealIn In After Mr Roberts had concluded sev several several several eral persons In the audience asked him some questions and he re replied replied replied plied in like Uke vein A representative oJ of the Industrial Workers of the World said that organization would hold a meeting in the same hall ball next Sunday Sunda night and ond demonstrate te that Mr Roberts had mistaken communism for socialism |