Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-02-27
Growth of Socialism.

Davitt, O'Brien and other radical
members of the national league oppose
the conservative government scheme
for buying the land from the Irish
landlords, and selling it by Install
ments to small tenants. They say that
this will simply multiply the landlords
and so reduce that discomfort with
landlordism and the foreign rule of
Great Britain which it is their duty
to get rid of. For the same reason
the extreme socialists of Germany are
opposed to the government scheme, to
which the emperor has given his sane
ton, for pensioning old and invalid
work people. They argue that it will
only strengthen the autocratic and
aristocratic government by begetting
a lot of grateful beneficiaries and de-
pendents who will sustain and vote
for the powers that be.
A law already enacted provides the
working classes with insurance in i'll
ness and accidents. The proposed
law grants pensions to all working
people over 70 years of age who have
contributed to the fund. The pen
sions are graded according to the
amount of wages paid. One-third of
the pension money comes from the
national treasury one-third from the
business and manufacturing classes
the remainder from the laborers them
selves who pay from three to seven
cents a week, according to their wages.
The annual pension amounts to about
one-fourth of the annual wages earn
ed by the recipient. Women pay
two thirds and receive two-thirds the
amount of the men.
In order to get the benefit Of the
old age pension, the claimant must
have contributed to the fund for 30
years for the invalid pension, 5 years.
1t is estimated that the scheme will
affect about 100000 people.
These contributions will undoubt-
eddy create an immense fund. The
question will at once be asked what
will the government do with so much
more money than it needs? Since
the treasury and the business commu-
nifty contribute two-thirds Of it, it
must be secure and accumulate faster
than the number Of beneficiaries.
At any rate it is bold experiment
in socialism and is likely to breed
more socialism than it will cajole and
TIE socialists are prob
ably wrong in apprehending any harm
to their doctrines. For it is an out
growth of their ideas and long step
in their direction. Having secured
this recognition of the right of the
weaker or poorer member of society |
to be taken care of under certain con-
ditions at a certain age, the next step
will naturally be to demand share
in the accumulations Of society under
all circumstances and at any age.
But Germany long since recogniz-
ed the doctrine of socialism in its OPP
Grafton of the government telegraph
and railroad. In other countries, even
in the United States. the principle is
recognized in the carriage of the mails,
in the furnishing of water to cities,
etc. 1t will in time go further, and
probably provide light, transportation
and fuel.
Socialism is not necessarily dread
full and abhorrent doctrine. 1t as
sumes an ugly aspect only when its
advocates threaten to blow up every
body with dynamite that, after agree
ing to carry the mails and provide
water, declines to run all the manu-
features and commerce of the world
and declare a dividend of the profits
to everybody at the close of every
business day.-Detroit Journal.