The Labor enquirer., 1886-01-30
THE ..oRusHFlD-ourv IDEA.

: Z
News apropos of the discovery of Revo-
lutionary plots in that city. He saws:
aThe Chicago Daily News has given
away the whole socialistie scheme. and
printed illustrations of bombs and how
to use them, as a warning to the Chicago
public and the world.
The Socialist who was interviewed by
the News man must have been talking
for fnn. The News also grows mirthful
and repeats the old joke about equality,
as follows:
s'There is one rock against which all
the theory and threats of Socialists may
be expected to beat in vain-the right
of the equality of every. American citi-
zen. Not the equality of wealth, or pos
session, or pay, or attainments, or facul-
ties-but the equality of opportunity.
The opportunities for making money, for
attaining position, for securing fame, for
happiness, are equal in this country.
And it is this which constitutes the diff
ference between the civilization to
which these Socialists have come and
that they have left. tits this difference
that makes Socialism such dark and
sickly growth in America. There is no
despotism tooppress except such des-
potism as that in which eachcitizen
may hope one day to be. the despot.'
"The last clause is fascinating. When
lot of slaves are toiling long hours for
small pay, in constant fear of discharge,
what comfort for each one to reflect
that he might have been the one to
make fortune out of his fellow slaves if
--wellif he had only contryed to be
their masters. Many slaves are re-
quired to one master. Admitting that
all are equal in the effort to be despot,
does the News claim that all are equal
after one has reached the desired posi-
tion? And once established, is he not
master of those who come on later, and.
could not enter the race? If one man
has opportunity to work and another
cannot find work, they surely do not
have equality of opportunity. Then if
the News claims such equality exists, the
News asserts that there are no unem-
ployed men in this country. The men
who apply to one employer after an
other, are phantoms. Some men get
living by raids upon ash-barrels and
garbage Boxes These have equality in
regard to access to those accumulations
of wealth, and equality of opportunity
to- become president of a railroad or
owner of a gold mine ~ 10. IF '...'-
Equality ought to be great comfort
to the toiler as we'll as those who want
to toll and cannot. How cheering is the
reflection that an employee might have
been an employer had he been born
sooner, and with greater ability to enter
the race" y '''-' .'-'.' &
To the foregoing desire to add some
thing. and will begin by giving the re-
mainder Of the News paragraph, from
which my friend quotes:
S-"All have this opportunity (of becom-
ing despots) before them, and it crushes
out the old,.world idea of Liberty, Equal
ity and fraternity, with remorseless
logic that inspires individual effort"
That the-'e is no truth in the state
ment that all have equal opportunities
of becoming despots, is clearly proved in
the foregoing remarks, if fproof were nee
essary; and such an equality could GER
tainly not find supporter among hon.
est and sensible people. But what I
want to speak of particularly is the ire
morseless logic" that brushes out the
old-world idea of Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity"
The News plays loosely with those
words, and attempts to decry creed
which haa that grand trinity for its
foundation stones, because it is an "old-
world idea;;" bat it evidently forgets
that the longing for Liberty is as old as
the old world itself, and that about the
only good thing which the Pilgrim
Fathers brought with them when they
came to this new world was that desire.
This country has imported Tyranny,
Despotism, Injustice and Crime from the
old world, but those are ideas which
the News does not object to on account
of their origin. BAIL When man at
tempts to combat truth with no other
weapon than national prejudice, he Is
like the lunatic who tried to bore from
this continent through to China with a
gimblet, aid is laughed at and pitied by
intelligent peopls. If fsuch be "remorse,
less logic" then the "remorse" end of
concern is in the nature of a boomerang.
AS to the future of Socialism in this,
or any other country, it is to say that the
intelligence and desires of the people
will retregrade rather than progress
(which is contrary to nature) to assert
that the theory which teaches "a more
perfect system" will not 60 forward,
even to almost perfection. q ..N1 liz
While the Socialistic idea is not a new
one, it is but lately that it has begun to
be generally discussed. That it is now
being discussed by all classes of writer's
and talkelsis evidence of its progress,
and if its progress be measured by the
interest awakened in this country dur
ing the past few years Il might say
months), there is certainly strong
ground to charge the editor Of the News
with blufTsm OF with whistling to keep
up his courage.
That Socialism is meeting with in