Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-13
SOCIALISM,.
Eevs. John T. Rose and A. L. Wilkinson
Read Interesting PaDers Before
the Pastoral Conference.
Papers of Very General Interest 1" the Pub
hc-The Globe Republic Readers Given
the Benefit of the Good Points
Contained Therein.

import. and. being tu!! of merit A. well ~
touching upon this agitatlng subject, they
are given to the public in full. The papers
will. as they deserve, no doubt receive
very general reading.
The following is the paper read 10y Rev.
John T. Rose:
II is trite saying. hut as true aS tritr.
that destruction is tar easier than rum>tTur-
ton il i easy To CrlticI~t. diIhcuIt /" pro
duct and SNstguatlEc easy I" pull down
and blow up with dynamite difficult t" build
up and keep in repair. The old, battered
prnverh applies with especial appropriate
ness to the great multitude OF the cities and
UppnSers of the social order amt conditions
Of modern SOCietT These critics bv bring
ing forth all the sins wrongs. Weaknesses,
aud mItoward conditions of the world make
a terrible arraignment of modern Snciety,
but they display their own weakness when
they come t. suggest remedies and construct
a system that is Ia take the place Of the
present order. | sing the name '>~ldiINt
A. a generic term L. include the different
and even hostile schools at critics We shall
probably agree that the facts adducrd by
the socialists are of 0minnu> import and
melancholy Ia contemplate. We shall prob
ably agree that the possibility that say a
score of men in this country, whom we
might name. by combining their capital
would be able to COntrGl the railways and
the telegraplIs iS frought with danger 10 the
happiness and prosperity of the community.
We shall probably agree that while the
introduction of laNOr-aS>St!mg ma
chincry has greatly increased the available
wealth and comfort OF Socirty there j. not
Ia. aud i'm HisgrihstfipH ,t lfb
and comfort; the rich grow richer the poor
grow poorer. the small business IL Swal-
luwe1 up, displaced by the large business,
the tendency grows more and more marked
for the maSs of the people 10 become wage
workers for few giant corporations In
the old world the small land-hUldcT has
well nigh disappeared; the soil of Ireland,
Scotland and England is owned by very
few great landlords: in this country prinCi-
palilieS are owned by a few alien capital
lists and two or three home railway cor
pOratlOnS. Riches have corrupted many.
the socialist say most. of those who p,'SSASS
them. and they use them to corrupt others.
The daughters of the poor man are the spoil
of the rich rome; while the >onS dig his
mines and grind his mills not aS we'll fed
and housed a. his faVurltc dogs. Complaints
are loud and bitter that there is one law for
the rich and another for the poor; that jus
tice or rather law, Is too expensive for tn"
poor man. and facts seem Ia give reason for
the complaints. In this country the cor
ruptiOn in all departments of public life i
ably >Inal, and what may hr said If
this country applies with greater 81
less force TO every nation in Chri>tcn-
dom. Such a conservative paper a the
New York Nation says i'll recent number:
D.,
4 generation which has learned to consider
money the chief earthly good, its p"SSe>-
sion the one final proof Of talent and sue
"eS>. and the pUrchasa2iliy of every pub
lie man and public body on, of the funda-
mental facts Ot our s1"Ial and political ~y>-
TEN. We hear'i political observer OF
high standing maintain very recently that
our government was now - pcTmeatrd
with corruption that in irving tG effect any
public improvement. one had To calculate
on the venality of Legislators a. one of tn"
essential conditions of the enterprise. like
the hardness of rock. or the weight Of clay,
and 80 the dreary catalogue OF sins and
wrongs might be cn-'tiuued almost mdeti-
ntely. This state of things and this state
of feeling produce the Nihilist in Russia,
the Socialist in Germany. the Communist in
France. the Land Lacquer IN Ireland and
the sand Lot orator in the United STATES.
| venture to assert that some OF the uu-
happy conditions OF which the Socialist
complains are lrremediahe. that Others aIc
the result of impertectiunS in our SuClaI
system, which may be- remediei. or At least
partially remedied. | shall now try Ia an
~wtT briefly the questions. Why? and BY
what means? The fair minded critic will
admit that a great multitude of
the more favored class are neither
libertneS nor thieves. he will admit that
they recognize and lament the misery and
poverty in the world: he will admit that
they labor asSiduouSly to mitigate and re
Iieve human distress; he will admit that by
their bounty hospitals and refugees are built.
the hungry are fed, the naked clothed. and
the ignorant instructed. And, moreover.
this is the hard lesson of life that We must
all learn, viz That the earth is our mother;
from her we draw our subsistence, and the
race by constant toll from year to year j.
able to get just enough 10 supply the vast
majority of the human family with plain
food, clothing and shelter. and release a
mere handful from the necessity of drudgery
who will have leisure Ia act as instructors
and investigators, cOmpilerS of the records
Of human deeds and thoughts, ministers
to the spiritual and artistic faculties. and
organizers of the industrial and political
forces of SOciety. Of this number. i'll
some, the comi lation OF an accident of
fortune and 4 depraved nature will makc
them destrnyerS OF human happiness and
ln evil example 10 their fellows; they will
exert a bad influence, which the good sense.
The intelligence and the Christianity OF the
people must combat; but no amount OF leg
iSlatiOn by congress, parliament, or cortes
can do away with the conditions OF
life upon this planet We can Sc
cure greater good Ia greater
number by legislation, by the aid of science.
by the spread OF the principles of the
gospel OF Christ. but forever will II remain
true In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread. The man who organizes labor
has Il right To the reward of hi~ industry
and eugcry. and usually the money that he
spends upon himself and his family amounts
to only a fair salary for his services, a. the
capital Increases the business. i increased.
The community owes a debt Ia the men
who are inventors, IL the men VIII" teach Us
to apply the forces of nature, such a. steam
and electricity To reduce Snciety tn Il
dead level of working and living and think
ing would be to eliminate the divine dis
content" which is the motive Ia progress.
to trugality. IL speculation and achieve
ment. b the state may in large measure
check the tendency to div idr the people into
I iew p!ut"ratr and a vast multitude of de
pendrmt>. It may IN great degree overcome
the evils of unrestricted competition. which
means organized seltiSmcS>: and it may
check the license that grows out of liberty.
Before we shall demand these reforms We
must look upon each individual man A.
something of far greater value than AN auto
iAItic m1chige able To work 80 many wears.
tIen 90 to pieces, and give place Ia another
machine of the same KIND. Before We can
secure these reforms the state must largely
increase its powers of interference and reg
ulatlOn. In other words. there must be Il
greater Capitalization of powers, and pro
vision made for a more faithful and just ad-
miu>tratiOn of those powers | speak of
our own country. but the same statement
t. condition.,