Workmen's advocate., 1888-06-02
DEBATING IN CHICAGO.
The Ethical Culture Socicty's Lectures
 and Discussions.

anu DiNtuSSlUHSs
 One of the signs of the times, and significant one at that, is the will ingncSS of capitalsts-the more thoughtful ones, at least, to respond to the invltatlon; Come, let us reason together.' On two success slye Sundays recently Thomas J. Morgan, a workman and Socialist, and Mir. Hutchinson, president of the Chicago Board of Trade, re- spectively, spoke before the Ethical Culture Society, and defended their positions i'll answers to questions and critical remarks by the audiences. On the Sunday previous banker lectured before the same society, as reported in the WoRkMEN's ADvo- CATE. MT. Morgan prelaced his speech with the following introduce ton, which expresses more than the mere words convey; said he:
 @' Extremes meet here. In the audi dience, so the press informs us arc the inhabitants of the sIums and the wealthy residents of the avenues, The speaker last Sunday evening, banker, six feet high, broad shouldered, a splendid speci- men of physical manhood, his social standing and dignity respectfully ac- knOWledged by all who address him or who speak or write about him, he may be fairly considered a type of his class. Tonight your speaker is a common fac tory hand, five feet two inches high, q good physical specimen of factory pro ducton. His social standing and dignity may be measured by the contemptible insigniticance of the words Tommy Morgan. He is a type of the wage class.
 "The subject under discussion K also one of extremes; extreme poverty, eX- treme wealth, extreme and irresponsible power, helpless dependence, master and man; millionaire and tramp,
 Mir. Morgan then delivered fine lecture on "Thc Labor Question from the Standpoint of the Social ist," in which he described the mod ern competitive system, it's growth, and its inevitable passing away. He criticized the capltaistic stock ar guments against socialism, and eX- plained its aims. Then he answered a number of questions which were :" fired J at him until the latcn css of the hour called for an adjournment.
 Mir. Hutchinson, defended the Board of Trade, of which he is presi- dent, holding 1t up as a necessary organization for the distribution of commodities. He said, among other things, that members of the Board were forbidden to make corners. When asked, " if the Board of Trade was such q beneficial organization, whether 1t would not be better to en- large it's functions and have that body elected by the people?" he an swered that he believed the people should not conduct any private busi- ness through the State in fact, the government should not conduct any business at all. If he himself had to conduct his business like the post office, he would be burstcd in the course of a year. This was generally admitted, for the government can afford to serve the people at cost, which he, as a business man, could not do. Hence the objection.
 On the whole, the Ethical Culture Society's meetings have been a suc- cess, and the capitalists have had but little to advance that would benefit the working people, while they stren- uously defended tine |" vested rights of their class. The questioning, however, punctured their argu- ments to the satisfaction of the sO- ciallst element.