Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-01-11
THE NEW FORCES.
CAPT. {. S. HUNTINGTON, u. S.
A., ON "SOClALlSM IN
AMERICA"

Ideal of Numberless Ages will
soon be a Reality-Attack with
the Pen, Defend with the Sword.
The Boston American Section closed
its agitation year 1889 with well at
tended meeting on Sunday, Dec. 49,
Capt. f. S. Huntington, u. S. A., deli
vered an eloquent address on Socialism
in America. 1t may be said of him
as of ST. Simon himself, the actual foun-
der of modern Socialism-that, "soldier,
scientist and man, his every utteranCe
commands attention, awakens thought
and compels sympathy, After short
introduction, directed against the selfish
tendencies of a certain school of evoM-
tionists, "who twist the great truths of
evolution to fit their own cruel theories" 2"
he said in part
The scientific dcta regarding the
theory of evolution as presented t.
the world by Darwin, Huxley, SPENCE
Wallace. and other eminent teachers of
biological and sociological science, can
no longer be disputed The progress of
animal development has ever been up
ward until it eliminates in man, who
assumes the control and government of
nature by understanding her laws more
and more as his intellectual powers be-
come more and more developed and
enlarged.
Although am follower of no creed,
be that creed Christian or what is
called Pagan; and although doubt
that there has ever been, a special reve
lation of eternal truth TO any one man
or body of men, the faith exists most
securely in my mind that there are eter-
nal powers working for righteousness
throughout the Universe.
When man first emerged from the
stage of the prowling savage, whose
hunting grounds were the forest and
plain, and whose only shelter was the
cave, the rock and the tree, he de-
veloped one mental quality above the
mere beast he developed the social
instinct and the more than selfish love
of his fellows, Many animals and insects
have the gregarious instincts, which
lead them to herd in large hocks for
common defence and mutual companion-
ship. The ants, in the vast ages since
they first evolved their present physical
structure from some lower form of life,
have attained, by this very same social
inclination, high grade Of what may
be called kind of civilization But this
instinct for collectiveness among the
various species of the lower animals is
far short of that love of parent, brother
and friend, which soon appeared in the
human breast and which changed the
ape like man of prehistoric time to the
intellectual, essentially warm hearted
being that he now is. Evolutionary De-
velopment brings the Family, the Tribe,
the Nation one follows the other, until
now we speak of the great Nations of the
earth. We who live in this country un-
der a form of government which was
intended by its founders to be demo
cratic one of free and equal rights for
all, have the best chance in this age of
advanced evolutionary development !;
for though our political organization has
Fal for of 10 WI IN
our wise fore-fathers intended to carry
into actuaIity, we still hold their tradi-
tions and when the times are ripe it will
be an easy task to clothe the skeleton Of
our National government, stripped first
of its present foul rags of plutocratic
control, with the pure garment of Demo
cratic State Socialism. State Socialism
under free ballot, with all land, capital
and organized industry in the control of
the people, whose wisely chosen ser
wants shall merely attend to the routine
of administering details decided upon
by frequent trade conferences, is very
different kind of Socialism from that
which Bismarck advocates and which
instead of increasing individual liberty
only brings a slightly mitigated form
of slavery. We who are engaged in the
present efforts for counter revolution
to the wicked revolution which has
overturned the original purpose of this
American Republic, whether we cal
ourselves Socialists or Nationalists, sin
cerely believe that under democratic
State Socialism, land let us accept the
term Nationalism, for it expresses our di
stinct main principle,) the individual
will have the greatest liberty consistent