The Labor enquirer., 1883-12-22
I. F. Hagerty Goes Into Partic-
ulars on the SociaIistic
Doctrines.
The Lasting Good Must Come by
Dealing With Causes, Not
Effects.
Let he Who Dares, Attempt to
Knock Down the Pins
Set Up.

on socialism by A. H. Simpson, whiclnap-
pears in No. Al of the Radical Review.
The only excuse can offer your readers
for intruding my views upon them in re-
ply to Mr.. Simpsons attack Is, that he
ayows himself member of trades
union, one of the class of wage-slayes to
whom socialists are pointing the only
way Of escape from their masters. The
strangest phase of this endeavor to bring
about social reforms is that the Ignorant
opposition to change" comes from the
very class who have Aevery thing to gain
and nothing to lose but their chain" by
such change. As an evidence of the
truth of this statement call your atten-
ton to a very able and just presentation
and defense of socialism entitled French
and German Socialism in Modern Times,
by Richard T. Ely. Mr.. Ely is the associ-
ate professor OF political economy in
the Johns Hopkins University, Balti-
more, and lecturer on political economy
in Cornell University. Ithica, New York.
And the present work is based on lee
lures before the students of those col
leges. Before aristoeratie students,
bear in mind, not trades-unionists; for
from the experience / have had with
those unions for the past twenty years
one could not receive hearing on such
subject They are organized to better
their conditions under the present sys-
TEN, forgetting that nothing but a com
plete change will help them. Brother
Simpson and all those who seek TO inn
prove existing social conditions, under
the name of trades. .unionists, knights of
Labor, self-styled rindividualists, Henry
George burden shifters," free soilers,
anti-monopolists, etc., ETC., are in the
same dilemma as the committee who
were appointed in one of our western
states to devise ways and means to erect
a new Jail. After careful deliberation
they passed these resolves: First-That
we erect new jail. Second-That the
new Jail be built out of the material of
the old one. Third the old Jail
stand until the new one is built. Find
ing upon reflection this was impossible
to accomplish they passed fourth Re-
solved, That we unanimously recommend
that the old Jail be whitewashed. Now
that is exactly what these improvers en-
gagged in doing; they desire new Jail, or
system built on the site of the old, with
the old material, and while the old one
stands; finding this impossible to do they
all agree to whitewash it.. We as social
lists propose to pull down, rase it from
itsslowest stone to its highest pinnacle,
scatter every vestage of its reek ing filth
that. held together the rotten structure
before the purifying winds of a clearer
atmosphere, obliterate from the minds OF
the present and future generations all
remembrances of the su ferings, the tor
lures, the groans and means of the inno-
cent victims of alaw and orderp who
were doomed to suffer and to die within
its helish walls.
The cry has already gone forth all over
the world, it has reached this far Pacific
coast, and we send the echo back to you,
with renewed force-"Down with the
Bastilel" Brother Simpson informs us
that the land for the people was ad-
vocated by Spencer, Mill, and other Eng
lish radicals long before Henry George
or the socialists, Ideny that even George,
or any of the English political economists,
ever advocated the land for the people.
There is great deal of difference be.
tween naturalization or government
ownership of land. under present infa-
NOUS systems of government, and the
land for the people under a cooperative
. industrial form of government Georges
system deals with the state as it now ex-
lists; and tends to intensity and perpetu-
ate the very evils he thinks to remove
Spencer, Mill, and other English radicals
never advocated an overthrow Of the In
famous English government, and the
granting of the land for the people. The
land for the people" is Michael Davltti
cry, but he means "the lands of IRELAND
for the people of Ireland" and he de
serves the honor of desiring to overthrow
the cruel government of England. When
the universal use of the land and it'
products is secured to all, we have reach
ed the first prerequisite upon which tt
rest the future structure of social equality
Give equal opportunities to the prime
means of production-the land; protec
the producer in his rights to what he ha'
produced provide an equitable system
by which he can exchange his product
without cost, with other producers, TO
products upon which an equal amount o
time and service has been expended, ant
we will have reached an equitable basil
upon which our future social system
could rest upon as solid and eyerlastin,
as the world itself. Admit the truth o
this proposition, and confne your detail
to its fundamental principles, and | car
not whether you form the new govern