Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-07-08

drcd years has shaken to their very foun
dations the established institutions of
France and which is now the terror Of all
the nonarchs of Europe, should find its
way to the United States. If the form of
society 1t contemplates has such advan.
tages over that of the present, should we,
the most progressive nation in the world,
be the last to test its merits: No! We arc
anxious tor improvement; but in every
feature this system is opposed to our ma
tional sentiments. What would be tho
result Of delegating absolute control to
the state in all affairs? of making it
almost sole proprietor and employer, and
all tho PEOPLE its hired laborers? "The
victory Of communism" says a German
philosopher, must at the same time be the
victory of despotism." Unlimited con-
troll would be necessary for a state
upon which so much devol ved. To
compel the indolent to work or to study,
to supervise and prescribe methods of Ia
Dor, to assign and change the occupa-
ton of men when necessary, in short, to
judge and to do everyth,ug-thesc would
be the unquestionable duties ola socialistic
state. Would men thus be made manly,
selfrelying, and independent? or rat her
upon the state? This, if not the thing itself,
is most certainly the embryo of despotism
Again, what is the probable future Of a
people whose particular course in life is
prescribed by law, the effect of which
would be dull uniformity among the
members Of society? Let the effect Of
the caste system of ancient Egypt and H.
dia suffice 10 answer the question. d.
verslty of occupation and pursuit is es
sential)to the advancement Of society, to
the progress and prosperity Of nation
To fetter personal liberty, the only means
by which diversity Of occupation may he
secured, is therefore to encourage the de-
cline of national prosperity Qistory con-
firms this statement) In the eastern
monarchies where the people know no
other right than to obey aud defend their
monarchs implicitly, civilization and
prosperity were retarded while the nations
themselves had but transient existence.
In Greece and Rome, on the other hand,
freedom flourlshcd to a greater extent;
its effect may be seen in the part which
those countries played in the history Of
civilization and in the permanence and
prosperity of the nations themselves.
Next to life itself we Americans regard
personal liberty as the dearest right Oh
earth, but this right the socialistic phi
losophers denounce as injurious and un.
ut to exist, because it leads to social inc
quality. Hence American principles
and communism are at variance and they
cannot be reconciled.
Again, its hostility to the church rem
ders this system obnoxious to the peo-
pie ofthe United States. Its philosophers
now accomplished and that it must there
fore be replaced by some other institu-
ton better adapted to advance tho stand
ard of modern intelligence. In this view
they are simply mistaken. The form
of society contemplated by the church
is perfect, and while We are below that
We cannot dispense with its
influence. The church has been guide
and scource of knowledge to US in the
past and we have every reason to believe
it will be the same in the future; for
the Investigations of science only the
more fully prove the existence of a Di-
vine being and the necessity of conform
ity to all His laws.
And this is not all. Commerce, manu-
fac.ure, agriculture and all branches of
trade now carried on by epterprising
men would be literally destroyed. The
want of Giro ulating currency would
cripple commerce, the absence OF mo.
tive to emulation would ruin manufac.
lure, while Inconvenience aud the loss
Of personal interest would lesson
production and discourage the pur-
'uit of agriculture itself, hence person.
n interest is essential to pro.
gress and civilization; for men would
toi! only for the needs Of the day, If they
could not retaln and enjoy the fruits Of
heir labor. Even the settlement and i'm.
Of new territory would be re-
tarded, for only under the most unusual
circumstances, such as drove the Puritsns
o our shores, would people be induced
o expose themselves 70 the hardships
md priyatlons Of frontier life. Thus the
ich valleys Of the west would remain
vild, until legislation should take the
luty Of settlement IN ito own hands. By
destroying private interest, therefore, 90.
ialism does more injury than its superior
ocial economy can possibly repay.