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Show SOCIALISM. Rev. D. Kiely in Salt Lake Tribune. Evils always existed, and will continue con-tinue tin the end of time. To com-i com-i bat these evils new methods are annually an-nually discovered, political associations associa-tions are formed, yet all renewed efforts ef-forts are in part a failure. A French writer tells that in France "they have a singular mania for constantly seeking seek-ing a universal panacea, and for promising prom-ising a mass of chimerical benefits which would result from this or that system." What is true of France applies ap-plies to Germany, England and America. Amer-ica. In all these countries, to mitigate tl.c evils arising, sometimes the altered al-tered conditions of ttade. and more frequently from the selfishness of the opulent, associations are formed, i These associatons. " whether commu nism, socialism or anarchism, whilst wrong in principle, present by their special pleading, a plausible appearance appear-ance to the masses of the people. Self-preservation Self-preservation is a law of nature, and when the toiling masses are persuaded persuad-ed that their trials, sufferings and woes are the result of the misuse of property, the avarice of the rich, together to-gether with their indifference to the suffering of humanity, a hostile spirit is easily aroused. Communism, which may claim France a!s its parent, finds but" few supporters in our country. Love of justice tells that a government which would appropriate one's private property would itself be a greater robber rob-ber than our worst thieves. Anarchism, Anar-chism, an imported plant, and the result re-sult of hatred of the governing powers, pow-ers, or central control is self-condemnatory. Yet communism and anarchism, anar-chism, though in a measure modern as organized systems of hostility to constitutional governments, are in theory the-ory ancient. In the Island of Crete. Lycurgus, in his proposed Spartan constitution, attempted communism as an ideal measure. This was 1300 years before the Christian era. Plato, in his republic, not only recommended, but commanded, community ot gooas, ana community of education. Aristotle, i with his logical acumen, studied both systems, which he condemned. Socialism, Social-ism, which has able defenders, is the popular cry of the age. Its theories have been reduced to a science. .. Its great and able defender, Karl Ro'dber-tus Ro'dber-tus fa German) maintained that "all goods, considered from an industrial standpoint, are only the product of labor, la-bor, and cost nothing but labor." Karl Marx went a step further, claiming that "a part of the produce of labor should be employed for new production, produc-tion, the rest should be for use and be distributed as became private property." prop-erty." The great agitator (Ferdinand Lasalle), who originated the phrase, "the iron law of wages," adopts Karl Marx's theory. One plank taken from the platform of the "Gotha programme" (1875) shows the aspirations of modern Socialists. So-cialists. "Labor is the source of all wealth and culture, and since universally univer-sally efficient labor is possible only through socjety, it follows that the universal duty of labor being supposed the entire product of labor belongs with equal right to the entire body of society; that is, to its individual mem- jic, caul atiuiuing to me inaiviuual wants." The Socialist congress held in Baltimore (1883) declared that "labor being thereator of .wealth and civilization, civil-ization, it rightfully follows that those who labor and create all wealth should enjoy the full result of their toll." Pleading their own cause founded on the facts (1) that labor-saving machines ma-chines have not diminished labor; nor (2) benefited financially the laboring classes, but serve to increase the colossal colos-sal Wealth of the capitalist, they say, and justly,, too, that organized capital and money lenders live sumptuously on their dividends .and interest, whilst the poor servants of seamstresses eke out a miserable existence on from $15 to $30 a month. Liberty, political and social, . they say, are mere words. Laws, they assure us. are enacted to coerce the working Classes, that . they may not disturb the peace of the capitalist, cap-italist, and as a menace to their liberties lib-erties and aspirations military posts are established adjoining large cities. They further allege that they are taunted by t,he capitalist for want of thrift, because they do not "lay by" for the rainy days a part of their hard earnings, and are upbraided for spend-, ing too freely their money in saloons and -"low dives." ". But they defend themselves by saying that it is: a part of human nature to seek solace even in misery, and that - want and poverty may find momentary happiness in degraded de-graded haunts; that they are as moral I ana inririy as tne.hne gentlemen and well, dressed ladies who . frequent the club and ball room, and have -more sympathy for suffering, humanity" than their millionaire lords and masters. "How save or. lay by," they ask, "from the scanty earnings of nine dollars dol-lars a week, and buy food and raiment for five or six babies, with fuel and rent added on?" "You gentlemen," they continue, " enjoying big salaries, nursed and raised on the "treasury pap,' cajinot save for the rainy day, but depend on government pensions to buy -bread. Your preaching is unreal and hypocritical.". The grievances, as represented by the Socialists are, in a measure, just. Their organ, the Social Democratic Herald, recently said: "You may sneer at the Socialist and condemn Socialism, without knowing anything about it, but the class which I aontrols machinery and land, controls your present and your children's future., fu-ture., The measure of happiness which your children will enjoy is determined beforehand by private property in the means of production and distribution. If you1 don't heln to abolish that, vbu will help" to consign your offspring to slavery ' -; - ;: How remedy the evirs? Their argur ments summarized are: (1) To produce anything capital and labor are essential. essen-tial. (2) Capital is three fold, money, land and labor. (3) The first being supreme su-preme is the despotic master. Money, they argue, though originally owned by the possessor, is increased by labor, and should be shared equally by both. To share in the product of labor saving sav-ing machinery they say the machine cannot create work, but takes the place of the laborer, to whom belongs a part of the proprietorship, that is, the money saved through machinery Is simply the product of labor which works the machine and should justly be shared by them equally as the capitalist. cap-italist. To attain this end their solution so-lution of the problem is co-operation, which, they: allege, must be the primary pri-mary state maxim, regarding possession posses-sion of property, its distribution and equalization. Why, they ask, should one ciass own tne entire capital and anotfeer class be compelled to : do the work?. Why should the former be enriching' en-riching' themselves at the expense of the latter? The separation of capital and labor is the great evil of modern society, for it enables the capitalist to grow richer, whilst it impoverishes the laborer, who can barely eke out a mis erable existence. But you are fnee men, say the capitalists. Yes, retort the Socialists, So-cialists, free to die of starvation, free to go to prison, free to steaf a loaf of bread when hungry, or rest our head3 on the curb stone at night only to be picked up by the policeman, placed irt a celi and next day, work with a ball and chain attached to our feet for the-blte the-blte we ate, and the privilege of being styled vagrants. Give us co-operation, they cry and then monopoly of land f and of machinery, which is mP'J' a monopoly of the employment of labor, must cease. Man cannot work by himself him-self and for himself alone any more than he can live in and from nimse.f alone, but does and must live in and bv another; so too must he have hw fellow man r a partner, and production produc-tion the Joi . result of their co-operation,' will be made easy and lead to the salvation of society. Then will socialism social-ism at which "you may sneer' take the "place of a society which enables the , monopolists to live in luxury at the ex-pense ex-pense of millions of laborers. Very true and plausible, but in realization is it not Utopian? Abstract principles when pitted against greed ' and selfishness will not touch the heart. ' Christian principles appeal to the i heart. To educate and develop the in- tellect. and ignore or totally disregard the aspirations of the soul simply ; means get what you can and as quick- ! ly as possible, for there is no success i like that which succeeds. If a soft, i sympathetic heart be an obstacle to a successful - career, it must be suppressed. sup-pressed. Do the Socialists perceive, the obstacles that stand between them and the rea ization of their ideas. Man, without Christian influence, and imbued im-bued with the spirit of Christ, can be-in be-in the concrete only what the Individ-, ual man is. But the aspirations of the individual naturally are material greed. . animal pleasures, and seinsn inoui-gences. inoui-gences. The intellect educated and developed, without any effort to touch a sympathetic cord of the heart for suffering humanity, will only seek the means to attain its end. Waiving all personalities, the Socialists assuming social equality have no reason to emulate emu-late the moral equality of those who succeeded in the battle of life, and enjoy en-joy material prosperity. To invoke the arm of the government to protect the man who has not the time, talent nor disposition to make new discoveries and add to the list of inventions In labor-saving machinery, and make him an equal sharer in the toils and brain work of the successful inventor, would be not only a fatuous principle, but one destructive of personal ambition. Mankind, needing fellowship, is in a certain sense socialistic, that is. the entire human race either by nature, or God's grace are socialists. The highest conception of pure socialism may be found in the ideal Christian family. Hence in the Catholic sense socialism means the affectionate interest which should animate the human race who are in very truth God's family. Modern socialism, instead of trying to assimi- laie alio umic oil uj m. v. bond of charity, is simply a protest, gives expression to its protestation against existing evils in angry tones. Discontented with its lot, modern socialism, so-cialism, by many real and some imaginary imag-inary evils, rebals against the existing order, and hates capital. To remedy the evil we must first find the cause. The Catholic solution is that all the evils complained of are the effects arising aris-ing from neglect of training the heart to express its sympathy for suffering humanity. The human family must be brought back to its primitive Christian state and show faith in its workings, that ideal charity and simplicity of the good master. Too antiquated, cries out cold, selfish human nature. Too Utopian, Utop-ian, cry the modern socialists. Has the warm glow of Christian charjty then wasted all its energies? Have our duties du-ties to God and our neighbor ceased? Are we no longer bound to lovj? Are all these Christian ideas antiquated or Utopian? Still you seek for a solution of the difficulties that you say exist. Will It be that unutterable word, revolution? revo-lution? There is no. other alternative. D. KE1LY. Salt Lake City, Feh 21, 1902. |