The sun., 1890-12-21
TEE NAY OUT.
TAs Farmers Aiils.ee snd Its Political
Notions.

that have been projected into the field OF cur
rent discussion by the various phases Of social
ism. It 10 diflcut not only on account OF tho
incoherenoy OF the Socialists themselves, but OF
many OF the supposed experts In political and
social science. Taking up journal. for OK
ample, which Is classed as an.econ omic journal.
and Is widely known, l read an article on what
was conceived by its writer to be the growing
popular tendency toward paternalism In gov.
eminent He first mentioned the broadly
manifested disposition to form operative cor
sorations, truly conceiving them to be good
illustrations OF the tendency among mon to
work In combination. But in the same breath
or without stopping to bite his QUILL and re-
fleet, he called attention to the number OF
municipalities that arc engaging In productive
enterprises. and to the supposed popular de-
mand for government ownership OF the rail-
ways, teleRraphs and other industrial, COM
nsrcisl. and financial agencies He seemed to
confound State municipal. and economic cor
porations In one inextrlcable tumble.
Tho cause OF this confusion OF ideas. which
IL widespread and not peculiar afIliction OF
the writer In question Is the inability OF mon
to comprehend certain first principles In social
organisation. They do not seem to have dis
covered that there are two distinct and widely
separated forms Of organization. the ono po-
ntioal and representing what we call govern
ment. and the other economic and having for
its chief purpose the creation OF wealth and
its distribution through individual hands, l
any that they have not made this discovery.
but this seems hardly possible. 1t would
he bettor to sny perhaps. that II they have
made the discovery. they have mado 1t
60 vaguely. and with such n dim perception
OF its meaning. that the truth fails TO make any
impression ON their Judgment. they are still
far from discovering that these two social
forces. when 1t Is attempted to drive them both
over the same ground. nre as irreconctlably an
tRgonistic as two bodies that try to occupy the
Same space. Tbs pronounced state Socialists.
CI whom Belamy in this country is the head.
ara especially involved in fog. They seem 10
uhiuli that oil the purposes OF economic organ
izatou cnn be sutsorvod by putting period
TO the creation o. wealth. tho only work really
for which any kind q, social organization Is
maintained. They would have an industrial
society. inspired by no motive but the desire
for subsistence. controlled and driven by the
Meads OF political departments. Many men are
advocating pa'etnal and strong government
measures without any perception OF the fact
tnnt they are srok!ns to destroy the very object
FOR which government exists. They talk OF
universal cooperation, yet fail TO see that their
proposed sys,em Of cooperation could 70 no
further than a restoration of the conditions
that once made It legally possible to pronounce
the banding together OF two or three workmen
aconspiracy against the public interest.
But. however they may be misconceived In
their relations to each other, these two forms
OF organization exist. ana. as they frequently
collide and work at cross purposes the one in
favor OF an abrdgment OF individual liberty
and tho other in favor Of Its extension. 1t Is
time for mon to make their election and decide
upon the system most worthy OF their ale-
glance. Let us divest ourselves OF all SUPER
Stition. whether it be the product Of hereditary
instincts or training Political Organization
however modified by the advance OF enliChten-
neat, is the offspring Of the lowest civiliza-
ton and 1t is never completely free from the
despoic. interim eddlinG. and turbulent tenden-
cies o: its earlier growth Economic organiza-
ton on the other hand is the product OF de-
veloped civilization. To continue the meta
phor. 1t may be called the fruit Of union be-
tween civilization and liberty. 1t had its orr
gin In the discovery that individuals have
higher aims TO pursue than anything that can
be reached through service to the Crown. and
that the we'll being OF society can be hest pro-
motsd not by IL form Of organization that sub
jects the individual to the mass but by a form
that enables every man 10 control his own for
tunes and to hold in his own hands the fruits
ol his personal exertions.
But now you arc eSalting monopolies. may
be the objection. Here. again, We meet with
misconception that is even worse. il possi-
BILE, than the failure to comprehend the sig
nifcance OF the distinction between the two
chief organic forces OF society. A man in
structed In even the rudiments OF social sci
encs should know that. save in exception al
cases. there can be- no monopoly that Is not
instituted by n government decree. The mo-
nopoy. now happily approaching the final
period OF Its existence. was one OF the first and
most legitimate fruits of political methods.
Yet men DO not seem to comprehend
this simple truth. State Legislature
passes general law OF incorporation.
applicable everywhere and to every
citizen alike. and forthwith all the companies
organized under its provisions are called
monopoies and denounced Is public enemies.
One could almost suppose that our people are
losing their knowledge Of their mother tongue
or becoming lin nguistically so depravsd that
they cannot express their ideas with an onest
intention. Had the Government OF the United
States possessed tho power and made the West
ern Union telegraph Q monopoly, the property
to-day might be paying several hundred per
cent on the Investment But it was never
made monopoly. and so 1t has boon forced to
swell its capital for the purpose OF buying the
franchises OF rival lines 10 an extent that has
b. pardoned for not having very deep COM
prehension Of principles. but he can mover be
forsiven for misuse OF the dictionary.
said that 1t was time for men to make
their election and choose the system OF Or
kaniEation under which they prefer to serve.
] might be told BY the advocates Of State
socialism that the people are making their
election and going largely In favor Of political
organisation. As an illustration, might be
pointed to tho new party supposed to be
crystallizing within or around the Farmers
Alliance movement, and which 10 determined
that the economic banking system shall be
destroyed and political banking system sub
stituted In Its place for this Is the real mean
Ing OF the Sub Treasury scheme. might be
told, too. that the political control OF the tele-
graph and the railways is now advocated not
alone by tho professed cranks and beggars on
horseback who are determined to ride to their
destination. but BY men high In the Govern
mont, among whom must be clssssd. with O
qualification. the President Of the United