Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-04-19
The Growth Of Socialism.

The Growth Of Socialism.
The Socialist movement which has attain
ed such power in France and Germany as to
cause serious alarm in the minds of the ruling
classes, appears to be fast spreading in this
country. The New York World, which has
been investigating the subject, finds that in
New York city this organization numbers
1000 German, French and Bohemian Social
lists, whose avowed purpose is the overthrow
of our present social system. The leaders in
New York claim n membership of 1000 in
the United States, and there arc sections of
the organization in all the larger cities of the
country. The movement was started about
five years ago by a few Germans and French
men who were compelled to leave their re-
spectivc countries because of their connection
with and prominence i'll revolutionary schemes.
A number of them were members of the in
famous Paris Commune of 1871. Their head
quarters is in Cincinnati, and the organization
is directed by an Executive Committee. For
the propagation of its views, the organization
publishes twenty -four papers in the German,
French, Bohemian and English languages.
Under the direction of local agents agitation
meetings are held in the principal cities
every week. and one general agent travels
from place to place constantly to supervise
and encourage the movement The work of
the organization is carried on very quietly in
order not to attract public attention. "A lead
err in New York who edits two of the Socialist
organs claims that the organization can con
troll 80, 600 votes. He claims that it cast 2O0O
votes in New York last fall and will give 10,-
600 next November He also points to the
heavy vote at the recent municipal election in
Chicago where the organization secured
about 5000 votes, and to the strength recently
developed in San Francisco and in Michigan.
The purposes contemplated by the leaders
of the movement are, in brief, the abolish
ment of private ownership in land and other
productive property and its transfer to the
State, to be worked on the cooperative plan,
SO every laborer shall be part owner and be
paid according to the value of his work the
abolition of all direct taxation, instituting a
sealed income tax, so that if the man who has
an income Of $500 pays $50 tax, the man who
has $1,000 shall pay $500 tax and the man who
has $50, 900 shall pay 5000 tax and so on
making eight hours days labor, and reducing
the time as machinery is increased demand
ing that the government shall provide money
adequate to the full employment of labor.
The National" party organized at Toledo
o., last February, is apparently m outgrowth
of the same movement Its leaders demand
the enactment of laws which shall cause the
Joint earnings of labor and capital to be
equally distributed, and talk of "a currency
which will relieve all from want, and finan-
cal policy which will prevent the accumula-
ton of great fortunes and the existence of
poverty"
The purport of the demands it is not diff
cult to comprehend. The declarations are
similar to those of the men who ruled France
during the reign of terror, which was attend
ed by every excess, outrage and crime which
government can infict, The men who an
nounce that creed here are the admirers and
disciples of the revolutionists that ruined
French industry and trade by issues of ire
deemable paper money and inaugurated a
reign of terrorism and bloodshed that consti-
tutes one of the blacklist pages of modern
history. In San Francisco the believers in
this creed have so far got control that they
have already organized Il species of terrorism,
and in New York city their growing numbers
and influence occasion no little uneasiness.
We apprehend, however, that while the So
cialist leaders will bear careful watching, the
country has no cause for serious alarm from
hespread of the movement. Though it may be
seized upon by demagogues to feed their selfish
ambitions and for Il time furnishtexts for sen
sational press, it is inherently weak in that its
recruits must mainly come from the ranks of the
lowest classes in society, the ignorant, the de-
graded, the penniless and the vile and when
that class separatesi from the bulk of socie-
ty, instead of rising to the surface it must inev-
itably go to the bottom. 1t cannot rise to the
surface any more than the water in a pot can
rise above the oil. 1t is law of nature, writ
| ten in language as old as history, that the
| higher shall rule the lower that the educated
and intellectual shall lead and direct and
make laws for the uneducated and the unde-
veloped. Any overturn of this law is arnachy;
any denial of it is folly. Attempts have here
tofore been made to ignore this law, but they
have in the end resulted in failure as they
always must. We would not, to be sure, be
understood as denying that labor, even in
this free country, is sometimes robbed of its
dues, nor that legislation has not too often
been employed to relieve capital of its Just
burdens. But in our free republic the rene
| dy for all wrongs of this character is in the
hands of the people themselves. They are
| their own law makers, and to n large extent
their own capitalists; and there is no law
that prevents any man from acquiring, by in
dustry and frugality, all the land or other
property he needs for the support of himself
and family Under these conditions the day
must be far distant when an organization
brought into life and fostered by the far diff
ferent conditions of society which prevail in
Europe, can obtain justification and support
from any considerable number of intelligent
| Americans.
| The --latest Phases OF the Eastern Com.