Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-04
ESPECIAL rE1EeRAx TO THE DrsPATcH,l

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
BOSTON, February 3.-JOseph Cooks if
teenth season in the Boston Monday lecture
ship opened before large audience in Ire
mont Temple this noon. The lectures will
continue for six successive Mondays, and
will deal with general subjects, great vital
questions in Church and State To-day's
prelude was on Edward Ballamy's ma
tionalism. In it the speaker said:
Two Thousand capitalists own more than all
the rest Of the 650OO.0O0 of our population
Two hundred and fifty thousand rich men con-
troll IS per cent of the national wealth. The
American Republic is therefore practically
owned by less than 25O00O persons. If present
causes, which produce concentration of capital
continues, this Republic will soon be owned by
less than 5000 men. There is however, no
hereditary wealthy class. and therefore the
peril is not so great as it would be under the
possibility of an aristocracy. Two thousand
own more than all the rest of US, but this does
not mean that they own us, for some OF the
rest Of us may yet become part OF the ZOOO
A REMEDY IN VOTES.
We all have votes The wealthy are not a
close corporation. Change is rapidly shifting
the scenes. You are rich, but your sons may
be Door; you are poor, but your sons may be
poor man is every mans cause, and the cause
of the rich man is every mans cause, for the
same reason. But it is said that capitalists are
rapidly becoming clique, and that trusts and
monopolies begin to have power to control the
Government and to tax the people, indirectly.
It may be necessary to curb these trusts by
National power; TO take staples out of the
hands of trusts and put them under National
control, but il we begin to do this, how far can
we keep the workshop out OF politics? VIII
this not open the way to prodigious political
corruption when we have political OIL political
sugar political -four. If it be true that the
rich are growing richer and the poor are grow
ing poorer, yet wages have risen, and the
average gain has increased. The rich are
richer, but the poorer are better paid As cap
ital increases, the capitalist has a smaller and
the labOrer larger share in the profits. But
the poor grow more intelligent and their wants
increase. and they have more votes
OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE
There is great significance in the question,
Is nationalism or socialism probable result of
votes among the masses? Shall the organizing
principle of business be Cooperation or compe-
titionP 1t is time these questions were an
swered. What anybody knows everybody
should know. Dam back knowledge and at
some point there will be a bursting forth that
will be deadly. Edward Bellamy's answer has
been gwen in a novel which has had wider
reading than any novel of reform since Uncle
TOMS Cabin" With reference to his theories,
remark:
First-The plan is complicated, very revolu-
tionary, very optimistic, very self-contradictory
and visionary.
second-It has elements that are very Chris
tian.
Third-The Christianity is in the voluntary
cooperation, and not in the compulsory ma
tionalism.
Where, then, is the line of clearage between
the sense and the nonsense of the book? Be-
tween voluntary cooperation ana compulsory
immediate nationalism? believe that these
are really co-operationists. not nationalist l
believe in cooperation, but 1 am not a ma
tionalist, because l do not believe in a scheme
which reduces labor reform to a single wheel.
The four necessary driving wheels of this re-
form are self-help, staue-help, school.help,
church-help. But nstionalism, instead of this
locomotive, reduces all to the wheelbarroW
Wheel-a very difficult wheel to manage.
NationaIism seems to erect for US a statue
with feet of clay, with limbs of iron, with head
of brass, leaning upon two broken reeos for
erutches but with heart OF gold. The statue
has cigar in its lips and a wine-cup in its
right hand. Even in the twentieth century
ladies have to leave the dining room that gen.
tlemen may fill the apartment with smudge.
NOW AND TO COME.
Mrs. Hunt tells that in q States there are
even now laws requiring scientific instruction
in temperance. and great publishing houses are
competing with one another to furnish the
schools with text books which inculcate total
abstinence, not only from alcoholic drinks but
also from narcotics. In the year 1000 Bellamy
should not make society set a contrary ex-
ample. He says: "Fhe people will not permit
Government to tell them what they shall eat.
wear or drink This nationalizes the saloon
Is this statue the angel 10 lead us into the
millennium? think not But because the fig
ure has golden heart, L mean to speak of it
with respect The Bible gives us a golden rule:
"Do unto others as ye would that they should
do unto you" But it also gives us an iron
rule: If any man will not work, neither shall
he eat" The angel of the millennium will come
through the door that opens between these two
The following difficulties in Mr.. BeIlamy's
scheme are to be noted:
A LIST OF DIFFICULTIES.
.First-It concentrates national power.
of colossal proportions, in the hands
of probably less than one-half the
present voting population. No one shall
vote till he has served in the army and
graduated from the industrial schools at IS
years of age.
Second-The parallel which he draws between
the operations of trusts and the operations of
nationalism has many elements of obscuritv.
How make the transition from selfshness to
unselhshness?
Thld-How will he make provision for the
purchase Of property now in private hands?
Will the land be nationalized by purchase or by
epolIation?
Fourth-It reopens the way to prodigious DO
FIftb-It does not provide motives sufficient
to induce men to work without votes. If un-
skilled laboreTs are always paid the same as
skilled laborers, how are you to provide that
the skilled laborers may keep up their enthusi-
Rsm2 II the shiftless as well as the industrious
are to be guaranteed sustenance, how do YOU
know that the industrious will keep up their in
dustry2 Men are reformed not by machinery
but by motives, and l do not see where is the
industrial motive to drive this engine of nation
2lism DrOmOtiOns. hOnOrS badpes will
be sufficient.
Fifth-It is unjust to the skilled.
Sixth-It does not provide for the early de-
Telopment OF genius. 1t holds back men from
their special pursuits till after As years Of age
ITS RESPONSIBILITIES.
Seyeuth-It makes itself responsible for the
present generation, and Of all that they NAV
choose to bring into the world. This would
seem to be the placing of premium on shift
lessnesS.
EIghIh-There is no adequate provision for
eliminating drones and criminals.
Nnth-It forgets that men can be reformed
only through individual reform. 1t ignores the
necessity of personal regeneration to social re-
Tenth-It fails to perceive that other ways Of
fhrUttling trusts exist.
Eleventh-It encourages socialism and CON-
munism, by exaggerating the miseries of the
Door and opening the way to shiftlessness. 1t
is true that we have nationalized the army and
navy. the postoffice, and in Germany, the rail-
roads; but as far as we have gone we have sue
ceeded only because we have had, side by side
with this method, that of free competition.
What then, are the remedies for the unrest
Of our timer
First-Let cooperation be brought into wide
practice among workingmen.
Observation-Disclosures
Third-Governmental restraint Of trusts and
mnnopoliee
F0Irth-POssibls enlargement Of national