The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-05-20
The Underlying Principles Of
Communism.

ence with which Russian writers and pol
iticians watched the perplexities Of othel
countries over the the labor problem IL
the eventiul years between 1S4S and 1850
At that time II was their theory that ow'
ing to the peculiar land system Of Rus
ala, and particularly owing to the institu
ton known as the mir, or village commu'
nifty, which prevented the growth Of the
proletariat, she would never be troubled
By the Red Spectre which was frightening
France ont Of her wits, and was they be
lieyed, destined before long to shake the
British Empire to It's centre. NORTH
Germany wa a very few years ago, sup.
posed TO be in the enjoyment Of similal
immunity, owing TO her schools, her mil
itary system, and the sober and phlegma'
tic temperament Of the people; but she Ia
now nearly as much alarmed as Francs
used to be, and France has reached 4 re
pose which may be, after all, only tenn
porary, by wading through torrents o.
French blood. There Is not q statesman
In the Western World, In fact, who is mo-
at this moment puzzled and even alarmed
by the discomfort Of that vast body o.
personswho live by the daily labor Of their
hands. It has been all but demonstrated
that no traditions, or training, or peculi,
arities Of position or government are sui
fcient to keep the Socialistic devil out
All the modern improvements seem
to help him. He passes the sea and
the mountains with the telegraph and the
steamer, and makes as much use OF thu
printing.press as either Church or King
BE has his newspapers, histracts,hi mis-
sionaries everywhere, and his viciou'
roar may be heard all over the Western
| World from the Ural 10 the Rocky Noun
tains. The worst OF 1t is that no mean
Of coming TO terms with him has as yeI
been discovered. He cannot, apparent
~, be bought off,because after giving hin
what he wants Society would have moth
ing left. When the old Sinner in tbt
Lives OF the Saints sold himself TO Thu
old Devil, be always got something ioi
his soul-thst Is, he was allowed a Ger,
tain period Of enjoyment ofcertain pleas
ures before he surrendered himself. Blu
the Red Spectre ofiers nothing and AK
for all. The rich man Is called on &c
strip himself OF his riches; the iruga
man Of his savings; the able man e
treat his ability as an incumbrance; ant
the whole community, "a q community
TO give up all 1t loves and glories in
Smoking is to be allowed atfunerals, ant
men aud women are to mate In tn!
streets. Children are to 60 TO the found
ling hospital. Whatever power there i
anywhere is to be lodged In the hands o
the most stupid and incapable. The lag
are TO lie on their backs and the indus
trious to get nothing for their industry
The cause OF this extraordinary ant
widespread outburst Of insanity-for 81
Il must be considered-will probably b
more thoroughly studied than Il has eve
been before, now that It is perceived to b,
an epidemic from which no country O.
social system is safe, instead OF being, a
was long thought, q vagary peculiar =
France, and 1t 10 only from q study oil tn
causes that a remedy will come, II remed.
there be. When one makes even q Sigh
examination Of the seeds ofsocialist doct
rine, n Ia surprised to find how man!
Of them lie in the political and demo-
cratic doctrines whicb,have been preache'
ever since the French Revolution, by pro
gressive people Of all classes, mostly wit
but little thought Of where they wouie
lead Us. In the frat place, the assump
zion that the numerical majority Is all
Wise. and ought TO be all-powerful, Of
which all modern democracy res:s, make
1t difficult or impossible TO put any limi
on the experiments which the numerical
maiority may try. It has q right to max
mistakes II 1t pleases, and where outsld
Of it is the standing place to be found toi
arguments against the expediency OF IL
edictsY Who are you, that you are 81
much wiser than the rest Of the commun
liz? Ia a question which the philoeophel
who argues about "iustice," when he ha
once committed himself TO the democratll
theory, finds il difficult TO answer. Il
the next place, contentmens whicl
occupied 4 very high place among tn
virtues, and was taught in the churche
a a Christian virtue for seventeen hund
red years, and particularly contentmen
with ones station in life and worldly sur
roundings has been tacitly repudiate'
even by social and religious conservatives
D~iscontentis now taught in all the school
"a a virtue Of 4 very high order. Yol
are not to be satisfied with the station Il
which you we're born or with the worl
You are doing, unless you are at the heai
Of some large organization, q church, a
army, q state, q warehouse, an insuranc
company, or 4 railroad. You are =
striye continually for fame and wealth
or, in the language Of plain people, 10
the position Of "boss' Of some lob:
Every boy in Europe and Americans a thi
now dinned into his ears from his ttt
wear upwards. As the demand for "bos
sea- 10, however, very limited, the i'm
mense majority are very much disap
pointed before they reach middle life, an
nv TO fnd explanations Of their iailnr
which will not wound their selt-loyt
The readiest one is the r%ottenness oil soc
iety, and the richness Of the field 1t offer
70 trickery and greed.
Thirdly, the modern system oil industr
bringslarge bodies Of poor laborers In 90
tact with great masses OF wealth, and 3
employing them indoors stimulates th
passion for speculation on the cause az,
incidents Of their condition, aud on ID
springs Of society in general, which use
10 be mainly confined TO shoemaker
More attractive materials for q demagt
que, or . better field for the spread 9
crude social themes, than the Populaho