Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-02-14
OPPOSITE EXTREMES.

problem is up for discussion, the cranks
are sure to be on hand, Each of them
has his pet hobby, nurscd by conceit and
illusion into ample proportion. Each
offers his nostrum, like regular quack.
There is scarcely theory, maxim, or a
propositions that might not be carried to
an extreme. Among the wise sayings Of
COnfucius is that concerning moderation,
or Of keeping the golden underground
BY carving any, even the best idea to
an extreme, it at once becomes ridiculous
! and an object of general contempt.
In these days Of discussion and agita-
ton, of books and newspapers, we have
schools Of political economy, schools Of
reformatory thought. There is the So
cialistic school, the anarchistic, the con-
servativc and the religious persuasion
school, and others, Now. quite likely,
| the exponcnt8 of these different systems
saw Il good many true and excellent
things But eXtrmeism will keep in.
! The extremist from the sOCialistiC camp
! insists that "private wealth is robbery.
| The extremist from the anarchistic side
asserts that governments a conspiracy,
! The extremist of conservatism claims
! that 'progrcss is an impOssibility." The
RELIGIOUS extremist says that ''the holy
spirit alone can abolish monopoly. that
men must first be converted by the Grace
Of God, and that voting is nonsense.
Such talk is simply amusing. \ circus
| is incomplete without Il clown.
To bc reasonable, one should know
what is possible, what is practicable
Experience, certainly, has taught us some
lessons in this respect When we come
to consider the means that have been re-
sorted to bv the wage-workers to better
| their condition, we find that some Of
! these means are hazardous and costly,
while others are comparatively cheap
and effective. A man may 90 to his
room by entering the door Of the house
and walking upstairs, II 1t be up one
flight or more He may also climb up
/ the water-spout, upon the roof, and let
himself down through the chimney.
70 reform the,world 'according to GER
tain extremists, would be to bore an i'm
mense hole right to the centre of the
earth and chen fill it up with dynamite.
| Since to reform the world properly it is
wist,st to begin with number one, these
gentlemen should certainly try the cXper-
| iment FIRST upon themselves.
"Property is robbery" If this be SENSE
then Proudhon, the originator Of this
expression, TO be consistent, should have
walked about stark naked Sand lived in "A
cave Nay, he should have starved to
death right after his birth. Because, if
"property is robbery then it's wrong to
own unWhiHg. To consume food, is GER
tainly to OrIl it, TO wear tclothing is
certainly to owH it, TO the extent that
we use anything do we OrH the same.
In this sense do we o,rn as much of the
air as we can breathe Now, if Proud
hon had said monopoly is indirect rob
berry" there would have been some sense
in it. "Monopoly" signifies exclusive
private control of anything which others
are dependent upon for life, health, com
fort, and convenience, 1t is this legally
created and pampcred monopoly which
socialism aims to remove,
"Goyermnent is tyranny, The name
of the author Of this statement is of no
consequence, because if published, it
would not affect the sense. The author
of this expression has a swarm of ad-
mircrs; he is an independent, brotherIy,
deep-thinliing reformer: he is an individ-
ualist of the most radical type and re-
CARDS government as an unmitigated
evil. We are not dealing personally with
; the man, but we do analyzo a statement
of his, which, it appears safe to say, is
an eXtremism, no matter how well III
tended. Had the gentleman expressed
= himself that governments hare been and
man be tyranmical.' that would have been
a horse of another color. OF course, the
Inference can only he that the father of
this statement government is tyr
mny"-is sincere and vigorous opponent
Of socialists. But now, is it true that
government is tyranny? That IL, gov
eminent Of any kind, under any circum-
stances. What is government Well,
that depends largely upon the degree OF
civilization to which Il people have at
tanned. With harbarouS or s2mi-barba-
rous people, government is exercised in
the form of an absolutsm. \ one-mau
or mOnarchCal government, without rep
resentatiOn, certainly. has often been an
. odious dcspotism But it is claimed by
the anarchists that majority rule is rs ar
bitrary and despotc rs autocracy
r Well, let men who make this assertion
, lust try and hold anarchistiC public
meetings in ST, Petersburg, in Moscow
or in Berlin; let them post their placards
give out their handbils, circulate THEN
papers. march in parade through the
f streets with red flags, rs they do in thi,
r country; let them just give It a fair trial
and if they won't have their eyes openet
somewhat Is to the relative merits of anC
differences between monarchy and re
puhlicanism. what will convince them
Government may becorrupt and pervert
ed; but SO may every good and usetu
Il thing The water, which will Quencl
- our thirst. may down rs; the fire which
viii cook our food. may burn Us.
= anNrrnmrnt of. f,lr. and hy the 1ennla