The Labor enquirer., 1886-01-09
PR6 ! |sLoW. :! J
A Revies His Criticisms
Found Work Mod
u Thinkers. "

D1norenO8 Communism an
Socialis Ono Sentimental,
The ekIler Scientific.
The Only Knsdies Open to the ssMos
Neesmlsous' are Thieying
4 Starvation.
For the EnqS Strer.
For cond&nsed review of Social sci
ence litsrsturs | have seen nothing bet
tor than Z Tern Thinkers" by Pre-
f6ssof Van E,:fen Denslow Of Chicago
It includes criticisms of Adam Smith
Thomas Paine Charles Fourier, Herber
Spencer, Ernst Haekel. and Angus
Comte. and will give the ordinar,
reader fair ks,ovledge Of those writers
without : com llete study of their work
Except in isol. Ted passages the reviewe
betrays no special bias for or against th,
different systems Of philosophy bu
those executions, along with the CLOSING
chapters on Wealth proves his in
tent to be the Justification Of large accu
mutations Of Wealth, and the refutatio1
of Communism As he nowhere touches
upon Socialism. the moiern Socialis
sees at once the necessity for clear cut
distinction between the Socialism
known in America, England and Ger
many, and thes Communism of few en-.
thusiasts who ale 30 rare that we may
well wonder Shy the professor gave
them all his attention and ignored the
growing power If Socialism.
AS The ENousAFR is giving some space
to Christian Socialism Of late, I think a
distinction betFeen the two will be
timely. Briefly the difference is this
Communism is sentimental Socialism
is scientific. Communism, founded
upon Christ's precepts. sees hunger and
would relieve it BY blindly DESTROYING
the vast accumulations which Professor
Denslow proves are necessary to the
best methods ofiproduction.
4 "sell all thou mast and give to the
poor" is the hSsis Of tns "diyide up''
scheme, ascrlbed TO both Socialism and
Communism BY the uninformed. =
{ The Socialist agrees with the professor
regarding the advantage of large accu-
mutations, but denies the right of any
nsn 40 soHs an aggregated mass Of
wealth when it is used as capital. 1t is
not because the accumulation is some
ones fortune that it is useful, but be-
cause it is more productive when massed
together.
Professor Denslow appeals to nature
but analogy Isl total failure. The as
sertion that expenditures of wealth
made by the rich for luxuries, carry
relief to the most necessitIous. by law
as unerrng as that by which the evap-
orations from the ocean, when attracted
through the air by the mountain ranges,
are made to water the continents and
fertilize the world" is apparently false,
for the "most necessitous" are not re-
lieYed, and their number is growing.
The wealth evaporates from the peo-
pie and is. attracted to the mountains OF
wealth but here the similarity ceases.
1t is as though the clouds are condensed
in large reservoirs in the mountain
ranges, ami the water is distributed to
the lands around through spigots, closed
or opened by the Owner of the resor-
yoirs. In good times" when the pros
pect is good for speedy evaporation and
return, the spigots are opened, if the
people pay we'll for it. In "hard times,
the owner sees no prospect for any in.
crease of the water released, refuses to
open the spigots, and, unable to use all
the water himself, refuses it to others.
upon this system of natural irriga.
tion. religious and Communistic, enthu-
siasm has sought to improve by de.
.nouncing all the accumulations of capi.
tai, which are necessary to produce the
exchanges of industry, as at war witch
mans best interests; by holding that
charity is better distributor than COM
merce, and that the dispersion of all
capital, is better friend OF the pool
than the reproductive industry in which
existing capital employees labor"
The Socialist is not in this dilemma
He denies that the accumulation has q
right to control distribution, or own the
wealth distributed. The people create
the capital and have right to contro
it; if they produce surplus, it should
give them right to rest but if one
man owns the surplus, and closes the
spigot, it only gives them the right t.
starye.
If "the employment OF labor is th,
primary duty of the capitalist" he must
perform the duty, rain or shine, else the
people in their hunger will distribute
and destroy the capital. This boomer
ang illustration Of the professor return,
and strikes himself the harder blow.
Though the irrigation is unerring, th,
professor comedies that some of the
"most necessitous" are compelled tt
steal or stsrve. His remedy. or rathe
natures is to steal.
Theft is natural force, opposed to &C