The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-05-18
Communism in America.

an advanced civilization, pure morality,
and sound political economy. These
principles and ideas have been grated into
the hearts and minds of our own people,
to some extent, until the crude and vicious
principles of French and German commu-
nism and socialism have taken root and
are beginning to bear their poisonous and
deadly fruit.
What are the principles of communism
and socialism as taught in the latter part
of the 18th century and the early part of
the 18th, by such men as ST. Simon, Four
Ter, Proudhon, Enfantin, Robert Owen and
Louis Blanc? Tried by the rules of com
mon sense and right reason, they are little
better than the wild faneies and distem-
pered imaginings of mad men. They
strike at the very foundations of society,
and would overturn all that men hold dear,
religiously, morally, socially and political
". The well known laws of social and
political economy which bind society to-
gether through the influence of the do
nestle affections and the spirit of compe-
titiOn, were to be set aside and a set of
artificial and unnatural rules for the gov
eminent of mankind substituted In a
word, men were to have all things in COM
mon; the ties of kindred, of family, Of
husband and wife, were to be broken up,
and the rights Of property ignored. So
ciety was to be recognized on a new,
strange, and unnatural basis, men and
women were to live in "parallelograms" and
"phalaBxes, the relation Of husband and
wife was to be abolished, along with the
whole system of domestic government as
founded in paternal affection and authori-
ty. These crude conceptions Of these wild
day-dreamers agitated portions Of Europe
for time, and spread in England, France
and Germany. In France and England
various attempts were made TO carry them
into practical operation. Owen beggared
himself at it in England, and in France
under the reign of Louis Philippe, the
leaders were arrested and brought to trial
on charge of undermining morality and
religion, fined and imprisoned and over
whelmed with eOutumely. Their vicious
principles, however. were not rooted out;
they remained and spread in secret, and
the historian tells us that there is at this
moment (the moment Of his writing in
1879 powerful undercurrent of commu-
nism, both in France and Germany, ready
to burst forth upon the world when oppor-
tunity offers. And it did burst forth in
Paris, deluging its streets with blood.
These are the fallacious notions which
have been inculcated here among portion
of the American people. The principles
Of Fourier found Judgment in New York,
and in several of .he New England States
Horace Greeley, who although esteemed
a man of ability, lacked mental balance,
was a convert to them for time. Their
phalansteries, however, came to naught, al
though germs Of their errors remained, and
remain to this day Communism has been
strengthened and propagated here recent
ly by the state of the country. The finan-
cial troubles which have existed since
1873, have given it fresh impetus. The
stagnation in business has thrown large
number Of our laboring population out of
employment and discomfort has increased.
These unemployed workmen have natural
ly gravitated towards these communistic
ideas and organizations, and their numbers
have been swelled by such means. With
increased numbers came increased bold |
ness, until communistic principles and or
CARNATIONS have become defiant and threat
ening. They are drilling with arms in
their hands, in many parts of the country
The daily press has spoken of these military
going on in San Francisco,
Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburg,
Wheeling, New York, Lynn, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and other places, showing the
organization to be widespread and numer-
Gus. Some journals make light of the mat
ter and fout the idea of public danger from
such source. The Philadelphia Ledger
thinks, that, ''as to communism of the |
European type there are not above score
IN a score Of thousands in this country"
That may be, but the communists here,
who drill with arms in their hands, are of /
quite as dangerous a type, We take it, as
those of Europe. The Ne,c KorL; Tribune
differs from its Philadelphia contemporary
in its estimate of the strength of the COM
munists in this country. We give below
the article from the Tribune in full:
The Chicago newspapers are full Of CON-
muDism. 1t continues TO excite an uneasy
feeling there and elsewhere. There seems to
be nervous awaiting of trouble-an appre-
hensiOn that the terrible scenes of the last
summer may be repeated during the next
The facts are these, a considerable number
of operatives in Chicago haze provided them
selves with arms and ammunition; they have
done this secretly; they are said to have
drilled. II is consequently apprehended that
in the probable event of general strike, they
intend to do battle with the authorities who
may seek 10 preserve order and to protect
The strike is looked for before
the last of May, and there is no hope of q
peaceful one. Mere inertia has become OBJ.
solete. Strikers no longer content themselves
with idlenesS. The simplicity of the old fash
Ioned turnout has disappeared. Strikers
have got beyond that. They are content no
longer with mere moral operations, with ar
resting production. They have stuffed them
selves full of astonishing doctrines and nm
principled principles. Their ideas are all
the more mischievous because they are not
clear. Communism means a
general conhscation and abolition of prop
erty. Socialism mears an equal distribution
Of property. Laborers, it is claimed, have a
right 10 dictate terms 10 capitalists, which the
latter Is bound to respect. They are prepar-
ed, should occasion serve, to act illegally.
They use great many phrases which have
no meaning whatever. For the sake of their
phrases they are ready to dissociate society.
We do not intend here and now to discuss
these doctrines. When men buy guns, the
time for argument has gone by. When men