St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-06
"LOOKING BACKWARD"
A Review of w. w. Satterlee IS
Reply to Bellamy.

Rev. W. w. Satterlee. the Jealous and
eloquent prohibitian orator and profess
sor of political science in U. S. Grant
university. has written and published
book of III pages with the title Look
ing Backward and What / Saw"
Readers in this section of the
land will guess that the book is
anti-SOmething-Or somebody with
vengeance, and the BellamyiteS will
also guess that their favorite author is
being handled roughly, if not scientiti-
cally. These conjectnres are quite cor
rect. q
MIR. satteriee says: zone need not
make apology for calling the atten ton
of his countrymen to the live questions
now agitating the minds and hearts of
the thinking men and women of all
nations"
Just so-provided, that while, in Wig
orous and alarming style, he calls atten-
ton to the evils felt and feared. he also
presents some practical method for the
mitigation or destruction of those evils.
A prophet OF pessimism may be a truth
teller, but unless he can foresee and
point out a way OF escape, he is useless
as we'll as disagreeable.
The machinery Of this Locking
Backward is by no means original.
The nation was in connections of re-
bellion and devastation, and the great
city of Bethany was On fire, with sure
death at hand, when the writer was
aroused by the loud exclamation: Illus
band! huSbandl Wake up! You must
be having horrid nightmare" Thus
he was brought to a knowledge of the
fact that he had been dreaming, but
was still so happy as to be living in this
tolerable nineteenth century, instead of
the intolerable year 21O1, some scores of
years after the great social revolution,
la Bellamy, had been inaugurated.
But. Notwithstanding the staleneSS of
the plot, and some serious defects of
style, there is plenty of vigor and valu-
able thought in the book. Its descrip-
tons of what the world would be under
the reign of the ''single tax" or OF the
state SociallStic system, are fully as
probable as the rose-hued dreams
of the advocates of these revo-
lutionary schemes, and the warn
ings given, if needed, are fully
justifed-''if needed" as thus
used, implying that there is not the
least probability that the theories of
Henry George or Edward Bellamy will
ever come within the sphere of general,
earnest debate with view to their
adoption by the people.
But, Of course, the ''liquor curSe'
comes in for its full share of denuncia-
ton as the author of evil. The follow
Ing quotation will give just idea of
the style, the eXaggeratiOn and the logic
of the book:
"But the most direct agency in the
ruin Of the great republic was the alco-
tOti IN 4,.oH AZ A
rOrs it Was king. No system of cor
trusts. in any manner approached this
traffic, which worse than wasted the re-
sources of the nation 1t snatched the
bread. from the hungry and fired its vic
tins with madness against the innocent.
The business violated every law enact
ed for its control, and was essentially
traitor to God and man. Its waste of the
nations resources was simply enor-
nous. The loss of time and industry
reached the aggregate Of S600,000,000.
The loss by the amount spent directly
for liquors, $3.50, 100000; value of grain
destroyed, $50, 200, 900; increased taxation
not less than 500, 100000, making total
annual loss of 81. 49,, 000, 900; to this add
the waste of the tobacco habit, $500, O00,-
900; grand total, S2,0S0,00O, 00O The
people called for bread, shouted
themselves hoarse against the mo-
nopolies that deprived them of it, and
then spent enough for liquors and to-
bacco to have clothed and fed the whole
population comforfably."-P. 90. Mr.
Satterlee is professor of the science of
political economy. If a student should
ask him how he accounts for the fact
that, Notwithstanding the waste of these
billions, this country is growing rich at
the most rapid rate ever known in the
history of the world, what would he
say? In making this strong statement of
the waste connected with the two great
nuiSanceS of the day-liQuor and to-
bacco-is ne not presenting problem
of peculiar difficulty? Not questioning
the moral and mental losses and waste
occasioned by their use, is it quite GER
tain that commercially they are absolute
lOSS-pure waste?
The author accuses socialists of deny
ing that "antagonisms are the rungs in
the ladder of human endeavor which
aid in lifting him to the highest posi-
bilities of manhood" Ought he not to
know that the use-the common and in
temperate uSe-and the raging demand
for StimulantS and narcotics are the
direct and necessary result of these
benevolent antagonisms Does he not
know this? If not. to what does he at
tribute the strange fact that millions of
men seem determined to follow the
road to ruin and practical suicide of
body and soul-in the way that involves
the utmost possible amount of suffering
and shame to themselves and to those
nearest and dearest to them?
These questions are not querulous or
fault-finding in character. They are
addressed to an earnest man, whose po-
sition as an advocate of temperance
and teacher Of economy should lead
him to study fairly and thoroughly all
social problems. They are asked by a
friend of temperance and morality in
the hope that some light may be given
him inreply. INQUIRER.