St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-17
SOCIALISM AND MONOPOLY.


twenty-five years and comparison of pub
lie opinion and political sentiment. as they
existed quarter of a scentury ago, with
what prevails to-day, to convince any one
of the marvellous spread of socialism and
the growth of agrarianiSm in this country.
Twenty-Five years ago if socialism or agrar-
ianism were discussed at all it was done in
an indefinite sort of way, merely by refer
ence to it as some species of vagary or
fanaticiSm that existed in some foreign
country or as a relic of the prim-
tive republicanism of Roman days. If
any one openly expressed an opinion that
such doctrines would ever receive serious
discussion here in this model republic of the
world he was Immediately written down as
a foolish theorist whose vagarieS were too
ridiculous TO be tolerated. Yet within a
brief space of quarter uf century the
nation is brought face to face with this, the
most stupendous issue that ever confronted
it for adjustment. We are now beginning
to realize what proportions it has attained.
When we seq political party organized
on this distinctive issue, when we see that
party polling a vote Tor its candinate in
municipal contest in the Empire City of
the Union greater than the vote
cast for the Republican candidate
for the same Office, when we see linen like
AvELING going around the country preach
ing this doctrine to large and enthusiastic
audiences, and especially when we see men
holding the positions of professors i'll our
state universities sitting on the same plat
form with AvELING, giving the moral sup
port and encouragement of their pres
ence to the cause he represents, it
is time for the American people to
treat this matter in a serious light
1t is worse than folly to attempt to ignore
the TACT that socialism has taken deep root
in the United States, and that it is organ
izing with unprecedented energy to give
expression to its peculiar form Of doctrine
in the legislation of the country.
The first thing to be done in dealing with
this subject is to ascertain the causes of the
wonderful growth and spread of socialstic
ideas in this country. and having aScer-
tanned the causes, the next thing to be done
is to remove them. 1t will not do to charge
the spread of socialism, or agrarianism, or
by whatever name we may choose to call
the underlying principle of the GEORGE
movement, to the large influx of foreign
population. 1t may be true that socialism
had its birth on German soil, and the germ
may have been tranSplanted, still it is none
the less true that its cultivation here has
been of American culture. OF the
nearly 10000 voters who cast their
ballots for HENRY GEORGE in the
late New York election, nearly
four-ffths of them were native American
citizens. We must go elsewhere than to
our foreign immigration to find the cause
for the growth of this new element in our
politics. And we need not seek long to
find it. To an obseryant mind that has
carefully watched the progress of Ameri-
can institutions for the last twenty five
years, there is nothing as clear as that the
origin of American socialism is cOntem-
poraneouS with the birth of monopoly. The
establishment of the latter was the pro-
voking cause for the growth of the former.
If monopoly had not been permitted to
establish its imperiouS rule in the country,
the seed of socialism would never
have found soil in which to grow.
That system Of legislation which encouraged
the growth of monopoly was at the same
time feeding into strength and power an
other hydra-headed monster. Socialism is
the logical and inevitable reaction of
monopolistic oppression. To get rid of one
we must crush the other. Monopoly and
socialism are children of the same birth and
must sleep together in the same grave. AS
long as monopoly exists socialism will -four
ish. The latter draws its vitality from the
former, notwithstanding they are arrayed
against each other in an irrepressible conflict.
The safety of our institutions depends on
the determination of both. Therefore. if
our national lawgivers desire to preserve the
country from the perilS of socialism. they
must first rid it of the crime of monopoly.