, 1885-03-28
THE AGE Of PROGRESS
An Interesting Meeting Of the Car
penters and Ioiners.
Advantages of Public Meetings by
the Labor Organizations.
A Plain Presentation Of the Prin-
cipIes of Socialism.

Cipi6S VI oUCidiiciu.
The Carpenters and Joiners Union
holds open meetings on the evening Of
the third Friday in each month. These
meetings have for their object the in
formal discussion of labor topics. the in
~terchange of opinion upon matters of cur
rent interest, and the education Of the
members and the visitors in themes of
modern progress.
The meeting last evening was held in
the hall of the union in the Idelman
block. The attendance was fair and the
meeting was quite interesting.
There are other labor organizations and
Socialistic societies in the city which wonld
gain much by also holding public meet
ings about once a month. These could be
held in some place like McDaniel's hall,
or in some other suitable place. They
would accomplish no little good among
the members, and the public discussion of
their principles would ere long result in a
change Of public opinion regarding them
they would disabuse the public mind Of
the at present generally entertained ideas
regarding Socialism.
1t Is curious how ~singularly blind the
country Is to the growth Of the socialistic
movement in the republic. The general
theory is that the movement is entirely in
the hands OF a few noisy m~alcontents who
preach murder, and that it is very con-
tracted in its range. Nothing could be
further from the actual fact. If n list of
the members of the organization in this
city could be published the public would
be astonished, not only at the number,
but at the character of the men who arc
heartily and actively in sympathy with
the affects aimed at. The public has
been deceived by the senseless shoutings
Of a lot of anarchists who preach a doc
trine of blood which they are afraid to
carry out, and which would sweep them
out of existence ifthey attempted to carry
it out, while beyond and beneath this
~braggadocia froth and fox fire, there has
been steadily recruiting a strong, conser-
vative and effective organization which
means not danger to our institutions, but
danger to the abuse of our institutions.
This organization the nation need not
fear. 1t is an enemy to and not an ad-
vocate of misrule. But within the def
milton Of the word misrule it includes con-
spiracles to attack the prosperity Of the
country by means of fictitious values, de-
baucheries of legislatures, gigantic
swindles in public lands, gambling with
the bread Of the people, and usurious
trading upon individual distress. 1t
means to stop these if it can.
BY socialism it intends the greatest gem
eral good arranged upon lines of equal
justice. 1t does not want to steal a rich
mans or a rich corporation property. 1t
merely proposes hat a rich man or a rich
corporation shall not steal what is Justly
due a poor man. 1t does o propose to
sweep away legal methods of settling civil
or general quarrels. 1t simply means to
insist that the courts shall not be used asa
means Of perpetuating injustice. and that
the high tariff on justice and the avoid
ance OF honesty by techn;calities paid for
at exorbitant prices shall not continue.
There is nothing which it asks which the
moral and the legal spirit OF common law
does not guarantee. Its intention is To