The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-07-05

creasing strength and audaclty OF this organi-
cation. And yet majority Of our landowners,
against whose interests the theories OF the
Communists are especially directed, are ignorant
almost OF its existence, and certainly Of its aims
and purposes.
The fundamental, theoretical idea OF Com
munism Is a complete community OF goods. 1t
strikes at the root OF the whole social system,
as il stands at present, and has stood since the
beginning OF civilization. 1t asserts the right
of each individual to an equal share in oil
property. It's radical principle was tersely and
frankly announced by Proudhon in his declara-
tion that property is robbery Manv of its
teachers and disciples have not ventured to put
it's doctrine 70 boldly and bluntly but this is
the principle which underles all its theories,
and has stimulated all its enterprises.
The idea OF Communism is not entirely
modern, nor has il been advocated, as some
people seem to think, by illiterate demagogues.
It's history runs parallel with that OF property.
The experiment OF Communism is in its essen
tial features, OF remote origin, but Communism
in It's present form, found its beginnings in the
first French Revolution, and the seeds then
sown sprang up quickly and grew rankly, both
in Europe and America. Rosseau was Its first
modern philosopher, but its first apostle was
Babeuf, French conspirator and political
theorst who styled himself Csius Gracious"
and who after the Reign of Terror in France,
formed conspiracy to overthrow the Republic
He was a genuine disciple Of Rousseau, and
sought TO carry into effect the theories OF that
visionary. He and his fellow -conspirators held
that all men had equal rights IN all property
and in the enjoyment Of 1t that every exclusive
appropriation of the soil or OF branch OF in
dustry was a crime: and that the government
should superintend the division Of labor, the
collection OF its products in public stores, and
the distribution OF 1t to societies and individuals
To advocate these ideas, he founded, in 1874,
journal called the Tribune Of the People, and
became the chief OF numerous band Of con-
spirators who Designed to revolt against the
Directory; but, having been betrayed by one
of his accomplices he was executed in 1897.
His projects. however, survived him, and
SAINT Simon, Fourier Proudhon and Louis
Blanc have only modified and enlarged upon
his principles and theories. The first OF these,
Saint Simon, was Frenchman OF wealth and
wide experience. He was familiar with men
OF science, mingled in society, gave dinners,
balls. etc, and travelled In order to enlarge his
views" Finally, when his means became ex-
hausted, and he found himself abandoned to
the most painful privations he devoted himself
to philosophy; and, near the beginning Of the
present century, began to write and work for
Socialism. He preached what he called a " new
Christianity whose formula was: To each
man according to his capacity: to each capacity
according to its works" He established
family upon this principle in the Rue Mon
signy, which, however, resulted in failure. like
most institutions OF the sort.
An ADLER leader OF Socialism was Charles
Fourier. who. born in 1772 and dying IN 1887,
was educated in the stormy scenes OF the
French Revolution, and witnessed the most
interesting social and political crises in the
history OF France. His system Of communlstic
living was attempted by various societies in
France, England and the United States, notably
by that OF Brook Farm, In Massachusetts, in
which community we're gathered some OF the
brightest lights of American literature, among
them being Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret
Fuller, Henry Thoreau, George Ripley and
George William Curtis. But this experiment,
like others In England and France, was Hat
failure as all communistic experiments have
been and will be until the millennium.
Louis Blanc, who is still living, is another
leading writer on the subject OF Socialism. He
demanded that the government should under
take the regeneration Of society by the organ
ization OF labor" holding that the evils of
large capital should be cured by the state the
largest capitalist, and that it was the duty OF
the government to guarantee employment to
oil. He opposed to tho doctrine OF Saint Simon:
" To each according to his capacity" the
maxim, From each according to his ability; to
each according to his needs" Proudhon,
another French Socialist, desired, on the con-
trary, to carry out reforms without the aid OF
the state. II Ii he vino, - We have said, first
put into language the thought which lies back
Of al Socialists movements and impulses, IN
the declaration that property 10 robbery
The distinction between philosophical Socialism
and Communism 10 chiefly found in the fact
that the latter proposes to abolish the marriage
relation, willie the former does not carry the
scheme OF social revolution to this repulsive
extent. As popularity used, the terms Social
list and Communists" arc interchangeable,
aud denote the asitators who are assailing the
foundations Of social order.
1t is aside from our present purpose to dis
cuss in detail these theories, or the attempt to
realize them by Communistic settlements like
those founded by Robert Owen in Scotland
and America, by the Shakers, by the Oneida
community, etc. These attempts at creating
an Arcadia are comparatively harmless. How
ever much we may condemn their false ideas
of political economy, and the sexual immoral
~ which characterizes some Of them, they are
not as the organized Socialists and Communists
are. an immediate and formidable danger to
the state.
We have referred to the opinions and teach
ings of these men, who are the philosophers OF
Communism to show that it is not a mere
passing madness. but Is made vastly greater