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Show j LOGICAL SIDE Of SOCIALISM DISCUSSED fOR "CATHOLIC" , Reasons for Its Origin and Continuance ' Sought and Found in the Inequalities j cf Life, 5 I "Editor ntcrmountain Catholic: Whatever may be the objections to Socialism in its advanced stage and ulterior objects, there is nothing- that need offend Christian sentiment in recognizing- its logical side, or in assigning a log's log-'s ical cauc to its rise and growth. There must be si reason for its origin and continuance. When ievrod under certain aspects it is reasonable and jut, but when surveyed beyond these aspects in its broader sense regarding- its demands, it cannot be defended on its principles of justice. To be understood un-derstood properly it must be studied from its logical log-ical side, wherein it is true and just, As fact in hi.-tory it should be studied with a calm, serene spirit, the truths which it discloses should be frankly frank-ly admitted, whilst its errors should be combatted in the same calm, serene spirit. In the old law the errors of God's chosen people were frankly condemned con-demned by the Holy Scriptures. They did not spare David, who was "a man after God's own heart." Some writers in discussing Socialism , loose their temper, become angry, and cry out, ''It is all error." forgetting that human mind, however how-ever diseased it may be, cannot operate with purely false principles, or seek pure evil for its own sake. ''All is error' is the only refutation they give. But all is not error, nor are. its conclusions drawn from its adopted premises to be slightly slight-ly passed over. Every system rests on a foundation, which in its consequences may produce evil or good. The foundation itself may be a mixture of good and evil. Any conclusion j lrawn from defection or bad premises must be evil, i, -ind vice versa, every conclusion drawn from good j premises must be good. The fight of socialism, abstracting from its va rious ramifications and side issues is directly against plethoric wealth, class legislation, and God, or the religious link that binds the heart, of humanity hu-manity to its Creator. (1) Plethoric wealth may be i viewed under a two-fold aspect, i. e., wealth justly I or unjustly acquired. Wealth justly acquired may oroe under the heading of the honest: savings, ef . Ihe wage-earner,' the merchant or the lawyer and iWtor. It also includes the result of man's in- ventive genius, or what may be acquired by a pros-; pros-; lector who discovers a hidden treasure in the bowels of the earth. Wealth thus acquired is honest money nd belongs to the possessor. By no principle of j human justice should the possessor be unwillingly deprived of it, and as the object of all civilized governments gov-ernments is to preserve the rights of individuals in their honestly acquired possessions, any principle princi-ple demanding a division of the spoils is vicious find subversive of all social order. Socialists cannot can-not claim a division in the name of eternal justice which alone can be predicated of God. God and jus-tice jus-tice are synonymous, and to invoke eternal Justice 1 who requires payment of the last farthing of an honest, debt is mockery and blasphemy. But denying God when Eternal Justice interferes wilh their pet theory, Socialists fall back on the rights of humanity. But the fights of humanity. recording lo humanitarians who indidge in vague ; generalities, consist in securing what they consider the rights of individuals though opposed to the acquired ac-quired rights of men. Equality of property is their shibboleth, but as property, according to all possi- j Me contingencies, will be always unequally ditrib- j uted. they agitate for the abolition of all properly, which, with Proudlmn. they call theft. What right, say they, have millionaires to ride on Pullman pal-; pal-; jiee cars or expensive automobiles when the wage-I wage-I ainer has to trudge on foot or be content with a j street car ride, or the tramp to count the ties or I ride on a break beam in making his biennial trans- ' continental tour But how reach that Utopian equality which they promise in the end j From the beginning, at present and to the end of I time, as long as there are individuals there will be marked distinctions of inequality. Some will be weakly and sickly, others strong and robust ; some Jiandsome, others ngly; some wise and prudent, others foolish and Don Quixote; some pale and white, others brown and black, etc. How remedy these evils and injustices? If property is a theft find should be abolished, because it makes men unequal, un-equal, for the same reason individuals should be abolished because of the inequality which exists, i. p.. they should be abolished because they render individuals in-dividuals unequal. To destroy property or annihilate annihi-late what is termed wealth honestly and justly acquired ac-quired is subversive of man's natural and inalieu-fible inalieu-fible rights, and would ultimately lead to the destruction de-struction of the human race. Herein the contention conten-tion of the Socialist is against law and order and clearly anarchical in its tendencies. "U eahh unjustly acquired presents another phase ff the demands of Socialists, and one which, as exploited ex-ploited by their loaders and the common sense of humanity, has justice on its side. To acquire immense im-mense wealth at the expense and through the necessary neces-sary wants of the people is neither a human nor a divine right, ami upon this accumulated wealth forced from the people who must starve or submit to the present order. Socialism grows and gains many adherents from the prosperous and well-to-do c-lass. In all necessary commodities, whether controlled con-trolled by individuals or corporate bodies, such pus-sessions pus-sessions are an evil and should be regulated by the perioral government. The question here considered, consid-ered, regarding plethoric wealth, may be thus exemplified: exem-plified: A discovers a big mine gold, silver, copper or-Jead. or-Jead. The product of that mine is justly his, and Ihe price of its product is fixed by a general law, in which the owner or the company has no. voice. There is no law of necessity which requires that it I V l'c operaled for the benefit of the people. Its prod ucts are not one of the essentials of life. B owns o coal mine, a factory, a flowing oil well or a mill. These are so controlled by a 'trust" that the supply nd demand can be measured to the least want. The t . ;.i.x. products of each contain what is essential to sustain life. Their absolute control and ownership (which affect the public, especially the poor. who. are the overwhelming majority), are unjust, because they . are contrary to the natural law, a mtuace to society so-ciety and opposed to the very existence and well being of civilized government. The existence of such and the inability to cope with their unjust exactions ex-actions contribute more than anything else to make Socialists. A trust in its very nature and constitution constitu-tion is unjust, because it is a soulless corporation, i. e., no one individual can be. approached and held responsible for its unjust exactions. Its arbitrary j demands, which must be necessarily complied with by the public to preserve life, are opposed to man's natural instincts, create a revolutionary spirit, fo- i ment wife and engender hatred. All of these. know together by a spirit of self-preservation as opposed to greed and oppression, are the natural causes w-hich strengthen the claims of Socialism and multiplies mul-tiplies its members every year. Another cause for the growth and strength of Socialism is class legislation. All human enact-, nicnts are supposed to be made for Ihe public good, and should be for the benefit of humanity. All civil laws should be for the good of society and afford af-ford equal protection to the poor and the rich. Laws enacted for the soul benefit of the latter and that mean hardship to the former, are wrong in principle and contrary to the eternal laws of justice. The enactment of, such laws under the pressure of influence or bribery should be nullified,' because the protection of the rich, through class legislation, mean graft and robbery. The intelligence of .the age sees and realizes this, " and- when once convinced con-vinced that the vox populi is smothered or betrayed for " a mess of potage," they '.vlj, naturally unite for their own right of self-presfr tjon and protection protec-tion .. 7 It is the prevelancy of suvh legal enactments that gives strength and vitality to Socialism, multiplies multi-plies their numerical strength, t d enables them to appeal so effectually to poor, 'suffering humanity. Who will deny that their cause, if confined to this growing evil, is not a just one? But they do not distinguish between the man of ordinary talent and mediocre genius, -who through political or religious influence, bribery and corruption, grows rich on the pennies of the poor, and. the eluerprising and talented tal-ented man who through his geirlus and energy accumulates ac-cumulates a large fortune. - The same rule, according to their ethical code, namely, the abolition of property, applies to both. But this rule, if applied to alUin its last analysis, would subvert society and . lead to anarchy. The 'law which would protect, encourage or sanction the acquisition of the goods of this world through bribery. bribe-ry. Corruption or any personal influence is defective, defect-ive, whilst the law which would take from the owner of justly and honestly acquired, wealth what his genius, energy or enterprise won for him, would be excessive, therefore wrong. ;vrii The man who could raisV& magic wand and cut between -what '..is -: defective nnd excessive and draw his "via media" line, is t! real benefactor of humanity. --To presjye n. if e ;. Librium which 'y. ould place a'ban. upotrjf ttfcry and all unjust un-just acquisition , of wealth, and atT the same time place a solid wall of brass against, the confiscation ! ox honestly and justly acquired property is what I the common sense of liumanig.- demands and will endorse. The needed rcforni'heh, is between de: feetive and excessive .laws. vThose aided by the ! former should he stripped of their1 privileges and ! fight their way in the battle of life like every or- dinary, comon citizen.' Xeither custom,' usage nor I influence should elevate them above their fellow j citizens in a free country- .where all sTand equal bc-I bc-I fore'the law. Those threatened, through agitation, j by the latter should be equity protected in Iheir j justly acquired rights, and nWer become subject to j the whims and Utopian ideasof those who demand either an equal distribution or the abolition of all property which is the inherent right of man when honestly acquired. The former, when tolerated, helps the growth of Socialism, the latter demand weakens its cause. '1 Anot hor source of evil unless an incentive to the growth of Socialism, thah t is disastrous to the moral and religous growth o the young and the old, is the passion for wealths' In its accumulation, : the dishonesty and fraud, the vices and crimes de-j de-j structive of all confidence of man in man, and almost al-most of society, itself must not be overlooked or I passed. The pomp and parade of wealth, the def-! def-! ercnee it commands, the honors paid to it, together I with social influence it exerts, make the poor'un- happy and discon tended with their lot. The lobor-! lobor-! er, the. mechanic, the clerk and the different 'professions 'profes-sions fake part in the scramble to get rich, honestly honest-ly if they can, but. at any rate they want to get rich. In the. great battle t lie overwhelming majority ma-jority are foiled in their efforls. They either stand still or climb backwards to "zero. They see railro.id companies, oil companies,.' insurance companies, etc., grow richer and lavishly spending money lo defeat, if needs be, the.'will W the people. They fully realize, too. that, under the powerful influence of these railroad magnates, oi) kings and insurance lords, the congress of the United States is weaker and more enslaved than was i Louis XI of France under Charles the Bold. Smarting under their own I disadvantages, which they 'contrast with the omnipotence om-nipotence of wealth, what more natural thn that the masses should gravitate; to th party which holds forth to Utopian .promise of equality in its widest sense. This is especially true where faith is . weak, religion movable and "Mammon is supreme nnd superior to all other deities, F. P. |