The Labor enquirer., 1886-02-13
DIVERGENT sEcTs.
A Further Discussion of the
Various Ideas Held by
Socialists.

Are we 10 COnSluer SOclallSM al
!, End, or Merely the Means 4
to an End.
) W. c. Owen, Of California, Holds Tha
ALI Reform Moves Should be
Supported by Socialists.
For the ENQUIRER
i When protesting against the intoler-
ance which recognizes only one wav Of
rightIng distracted world, I intended
to cite history as proof that great changes
| are only brought about by great human
convulsions commissions in which all
the human powers, intellectual and
physical, are reused to action. Your
readers will, however, have sufficient
proofs at their fingers ends to render
the task unnecessary. My present object
is to put forward certain views which l
believe are worth moments eonsidera-
ton, and that principally because they
are often regarded as unorthodox. They
are, however, of yaluein my eyes, be-
cause fancy that l perceive in their
neglect the origin of the repeated differ
ences of opinion, and the consequent
formation of divergent seets, which 80
fatally impair our efficiency In the con-
flict vie have on hand.
We pride ourselves ON our freedom
from prejudice and superstitltlon yet 1
believe that, with an exception here and
there, we are still in the trammels of
fetich-worship, and that most of us have
been down before god, whose name is
Socialism" He is better than the oil
dIvinities, for he has more humanity in
| him, but he is not humanity itself. It
should be clearly understood that he is
only the servant of the god, and not the
god an enormous distinction, which,
in my humble opinion, most of his fol-
lowers fail to grasp. This failure trips
US up at every step, and small wonder
that it does 80 in mentally confusing
the means of gaining our end with the
end in view, we insure distracted action.
I will explain the injury this works US,
as conceive the matter.
From the experience of my own mar
row circle, and from what 1 read of the
doings of Socialists elsewhere, l have
been forced to the conclusion that it is
almost impossible for comrade to take
an active part in any one of the various
agitations which are to be found every
where, ready-made to our hand, without
incurring charges of inconsistency, and
of falling away from principle. have
myself been consistently anxious, ever
since became an active Socialist, that
we should get out of the hole-in-the-
corner style Of agitation, and that we
should!move, as far as possible, upon a
grand scale, bringing ourselves into con-
nection with large masses of people,
and meeting half way the half-developed
sympathies of various classes of re-
formers.
have ALWAYS considered that John
Stuart Mill, in his essay upon Liberty"
proves most conclusfvelY by review of
the past history of various religious sects,
that in all great reforms small efforts do
not produce merely small results, but
practically no results at all. There are
many of our most active workers who
recognize this thoroughly, and have been
anxious to utilize forces already existing,
from which, for the purpose of illustra-
ton, I select the following: The trades
union, the anti i-Chinese. and the Peoples
partv movements. To each of these
proposed courses of action there have
been numerous objections, and believe
that the validity of such objections will
be best examined by asking at the outset
this question: "Are we to consider So
cialism as an end, or merely as a means
to an end, namely, the development OF
man? 1 will first consider the position
of those who object to our advocacy Of
either the trades union, or the anti
Chinese movement, because the obiec-
tions are in both cases identical.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, are the
watchwords of the opposition; and they
are selected as embodving the most
sacred principles of justice. In espous.
ing the cause of trades unionism, the
objectors urge, YOU are supporting a
movement which aims directly at the
establishment of an aristocracy of labor
and which, by seeking to restrict the
number of workers in each particular
trade, interferes with liberty, turns its
back upon the doctrine of equality, and
tramples fraternity under foot by intro.
ducing "caste" In joining with the
anti Chinese crusade, they say, you are
violating still more fagrantly these
sacred pridciples, for you are withhold.
ing from the Chinaman his right to
mother earth, and, by seeking to drive
him from your midst, you are refusing
to recognize him as an equal and a
brother. .1-.- 9"
have on various occasions swollen
these columns with my praises of Lib.
erty, Equality and Fraternity; but ]
have also invariably insisted upon the
importance of getting at bedrock princi-
Piles, as the necessary preliminary to har.
4 monions and successfI1l action I am moi