The record-union., 1891-04-13
POLITICAL ECONOMY.
Professor de Leon Delivers a Lecture
on the Subject.
He Argues From Socialistic stand
point and Paints Very
Pretty Picture.

Pretty Picture.
Daniel de Leon, late Professor of Politi-
cal Economy of Columbia College, New
York, addressed fair-sized audience last
evening at Turner Hall on the socialistic
view of political economy.
! The professor is not gifted with
| powerful voice, and his pronunciation is
tritle indistinct, but withal he is very
| interesting talker and has the faculty of
illustrating and drawing comparisons
that make his arguments quite clear to
| his hearers.
| The United States, said the speaker,
was really a great country, but it was
greatly overrated. The newspapers con-
stantly sound the praises of the repub-
lie and declare that the people are happy
and enlightened race. Yet in those same
papers the local and telegraphic columns
! TEEN with reports of suicides, crimes,
poverty, strikes, etc. The professor said
the old cry that poverty is inevitable"
is constantly thrown i'll the faces Of the
reformers, but he thought he could con-
vince his hearers that it was not in
evitable, especially in the United States.
But matters could not run along III
| THEIR PRESENT GROOVE
In order to effect the desired change. The
laws would have to be changed, and
almost an entirely new system of govern
ment and society adopted. The labor
question has grown and grown in Inn
portance, until to-day it knocks at the
door of reasons house so loudly that all
within could hear, and the jar even shook
the structure TO its very foundation.
History repeats itself. As far back as
could be seen, the class Of the few is found
in possession OF the land and the wealth,
and the class Of the many without land
and without wealth. The class of the
few with its wealth and leisure, is en-
abled to develop itself intellectually and
really enter into superior sphere And
as this class advances, the class of the
many. without its advantages and leisure.
must necessarily drop back, and the
chasrn that separates the two brOadens
constantly. The class of the few learns
to govern and domineer, and the class of
the many learns to submit, and be
ground down lower and lower. Relief
IS not to be expected to come from the
class Of the few, and can only come from
those who require it. Thus it has hap
pened that all through the worlds history
there have been revoiutions-and then a
fresh start is made, but only to reach by
evolution the old place again.
THE REVOLUTIONS DoINGs.
Continuing, the Professor said that the
history of the United States was not diff
ferent from that Of other countries. ex-
cept that it had not proceeded as far.
How did the United States become a
Government of itself? Simply because
the class of the few i'll England became SO
oppressive to the class of the many in the
colonies that they finally rose up, took
possession OF the Government, and took
a new start. 1t was simply history re-
peatlng itself again-and the same thing
. Will occur again in due time, unless. as
the socialistic reformer declares, the sys-
tenn is changed.
After the great revolutionary war in
America an ideal government prevailed.
All men were equal, all owned land all
produced, and there were no poor. no
paupers. Did that continue? Every
school-boy, said the professor, knows
that it did not. 1t was the old story OF
the gradual appearance Of the class of the
lew with its wealth and leisure, arrayed
against the class Of the many
Great industries, that are pointed at as
enterprises" We're ruinous, he said, 10
the welfare of the class Of the many
ruinOus because of competition, and the
desire Of the rich to become richer and
force the poor to become poorer When
man invests his money in a manufact-
t!L turihg business ana produces commodi-
ties, he does not do it because he loves to
While away his time in that way. He
does it for what there is in it-for the
profits. He does not
KNOW OR CARE
Anything about political economy. He
is simply guided by an instinct similar in
nature to that which guides the cat to the
) mouse. The cat knows nor cares nothing
about zoology, but it does know that d
mouse is good to eat. Inasmuch as this
man is not in the manufacturing busi-
ness for his health, it is not to be won
dered at that he resorts to whatever he
can invent or devise to enlarge his profits
? no matter how much lower he has to force
labor in the mire. The result is that the
manufacturer operates on the supply and
demand theory TO a nicely. If he is in
the shoe business and there is a demand
for 100000 pairs Of shoes, he turns out but
2 10000 pairs. If he turned out the full
amount shoes would be cheap and his
profits would be less. And in conse.
quence, he employs less amount of la.
Dor than he would under different cir.
cumst;lnces-and in order to still further
increase his profits he pays what labor he
! employs as little as possible.
The professor repeated that the only
remedy and only solution of the labor
problem was an entire change of our svs.
: TENS and laws-or else another revolu.
ton.
LABoRERs' WAGES.
The laborer's wages are established by
minimum of his wants. Prohibition.
, lists maintain that the laborer by saving
) the money he spent for drink would sooT
+ become Independent and the labor prob.
; lem would be solved. But it had beer
demonstrated that when the minimum o.
/ the laborer'S wants were thus reduced his
!, wages invariably went down accordingly
Where commodities are high wages are
+ high, and where commodities are cheat
| wages are low.
, The class of the few, said the professor
j had unwittingly made clear a solution tf
) the whole problem. 1t had, in order tc
increase its profits and still further eIe.
> vate itself, evolved and put into success
! full practice the idea of trusts-an institu.
! ton for the benefit of all (of that class O
, the few. According to the speakers idea
: this conception of the trust was happy
! one for the class of the many, even though
> it was designed to do that class harm
, The socialistic idea was that there shoulC
be one grand trust, and that it should bt
for the benefit of all. This trust woult
be the Government itself Strife ant
I hardship and pauperism would soon dis
q appear, there would be no more class o
j the few and class of the many opposing
each other; the laborer would live, com
: modities would be cheap and happiness
and prosperity prevail.
|
DOMESTIC DISPUTES.
: Two INSTANCES In Which NJarrioo,a TTos