Morning journal and courier., 1891-11-19
AN ADDRESS ON SOCIALISM.

-.- ~AA~-SA~AsSS The Topic Discussed at the Protest. ant Episcosal Church Congress- The Views of Several Speakers. WASHINGTON, Nov. 1S.-The Rev. Reese F. Alsop, D.D.. of Brooklyn, N. Y., opened the second days proceedings oi the Protestant Episcopal church congress this morning with an address on socialism. He rapidly sketched in outline the theories of Henry George and the delightful dream of Bellamy, and pointed out the differences between the most noted advocates of so- cialistic theories. Quoting the fable of the man who killed the goose that laid the golden eggs, he urged adhesion to the present system of social economies, and held that if labor forced change it might kill the goose and lose the golden eggs. He did not believe that the conditions were so bad az they were made out to be. Thrift had it's reward enterprise rarely failed to reap it's profit. Labor, thrift, capital and enterprise had wrought wonders, seconded by inventive genius. Somebody must be thrifty if capital was to be saved. There were bitter complaints of the present system of wealth distribution, but it was asserted that it's tendency was to enrich the few and impoverish the many. Was that true? Adam Smith 8 hundred years ago had shown that it was not, and the facts of to-day had shown that it was not, and the facts of to-day bore him out. Interest was steadily di- minishing, and the profits of many lines of trade were so low that business would be sf v,of tad a scale. Labor profted at the expense of capital. It was not true that the rich were getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The laborer of to-day had pianos, had pic lures, had well-supplied table and en- joyed luxuries that were not dreamed of by the laborer of one hundred years ago. The tendency of capital was to push down prices and so help the consumer who was the laborer. Out of every hundred eggs the goose laid, ninety, at least, went to the workman, and not more than ten to the capitalist. There were abuses under the system, such as vast manopolies and trusts, that led to illegitimate profits. But they were the disease of the system, and to eradicate them it would not be able to de- stroy the body.
 PROFESSOR GOULD.
 Professor Gould of the Philadelphia di- vinity school held that competition meant that two persons or mora were trying to get the same things; in business it meant that one man was trying to get all and leave nothing to his competitor. That was not the proper spirit of self-love. The community which consumed the dealer's products was steadily pressing for cheaper prices, and the dealer gave them cheap products-cheap and nasty. Adulteration was general. Nothing could be bought for the house or the home that was not adulterated. Business was deception and fraud under the competitive system, and labor suffered, for the weak must under such a system be pushed to the wall Wages tended to bare-living rate. Those of hand labor gave man but the merest necessities of life for the laborer and his family. That was the operation of the law What did men and women tend to become under such system? If man was held down all day under the grindstone he had no time for spiritual growth. From work to sleep, from sleep to work, and all that not for comfort and ease in old age, but for bare dreary existence in the present. Socialism sought to have the community take all business into it's own hands. There were certain weighty advantages in that It would give employment to all, and how many rich mems sons were unemployed and growing up to no purpose. But there was the great army of unemployed who could not get employment, and no iron ate into a mans soul like that state. The serious evil in the socialistic system was the destruction of individuality, the tap root from which all progress springs. It was question whether it was proper to substitute one evil for another. The pull nit ohor111 aonIapon constantly the moral evil of the present system and men should be taught to live in state of freedom, ac- cording to the masters teachings.
 REV. H. M BARTLETT.
 Rev. H. M Bartlett of Montchanin, Del, declared that given Christianity, democracy was sure to come. After democracy socialism would come. The writing was so plain that all could read. It was only within the present century that the worlds fourth estate-labor-had come to be appreciated. Dr. Bartlett rapidly sketched the growth of socialistic practices, particularly in municipal gov ernment, where their good results were so manifest that no one would return to the old systems. He referred succinctly to the legislative history of the national government of late years as largely ASA the protection of certain classes of people, laws against adulteration, laws to regulate commerce. It had come to that pass that Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the great English parliamentarian who had said:
 i've are all socialists now"
 REV. P. W. sPRAGUE.
 Rev. P. W. Sprague of Charlestown, Mass, said that the great number of ob- jections against socialism were based upon an absolute misconception of its princi ples. He was himself avowedly and open ly socialist. His belief was founded moi on political economy, but upon his faith in Jesus Christ He felt that the funda mental principles of socialism were the ideals of Christianity. The fundamental principle of the old system was selfish ness; every man was to look out for him self and think only of himself. That wal the business maxim. No; socialism want ed not only the best men, but it wanted tc go further-build them into the great so cial fabric temple to the glory of God Socialism said we were not to carry oI business for individual profit, but it de manded the best service from all.
 REV. WILLIAM PRALL.
 Rev. William Prall of Detroit, Mich. spoke of the prevailing discontent among the laboring classes. based on their belle that they failed to receive their share O the worlds wealth.
 Rev. Dr. Kirkus of Baltimore said tha | competition did not mean selfshness Everybody knew that the seller filled a | useful part as the buyer. A most radi cal and stupid interpretation had beel given to the scriptures. Religion wa | never less than common sense. It neve | ta ught that A must give if B asked and l in turn must give to c and so on, zigzag l ging back and forth. People could no | live a week on that principle. When pee | pie did not understand the sermon on tn
 mount they could not be expected to UT l derstand John Stuart Mills political econ omy.
 REV. J. o. S. HUNTINGTON.
 l Rev. J. O. s. Huntington of New Tor
 said he was not socialist. but he recoe
 nized the fact that there was disconten
 among the people. It was dangerou
 condition, for the discomfort was no longe confined to the laborer, but was shared b
 the young doctor, the young lawyer an
 even the young clergyman. It was no I an intellectual discontent and was movin
 toward socialism. Why vituperate th
 capitalist? He was just as much in the bo
 as the workman, and the workman did nc
 have to lie awake half the nights thinkin how he could make both ends meet. Tn
 capitalist was a hard working man. I'll
 land owner was not-not the man who ss idle and drew in his rentals. Men did iy | -,& oy,d cold onI oilv hr,t fba