Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-24

His Accuser Backs Down and the In
vestfgatfOa Collapses.

His Accuser Backs Down and the In.
vestfgatioa CoIlapses.
The investigate of DIR. Richard T Ely
by a committee of the board of state uni
versity regents utterly collapsed at Madi-
son. Wis. last evening. when Elys accuser,
State Superintendent +. r. Wells. in a COM
mCnication. declined to appear further be-
fore the committee. which he deemed desti-
tute of power, and because the demonstra-
lions at the last session OF the committee
led him to believe that he could not hope
for a fair trial.
Mr.. Wells supplemented his statement
with a brief digest of Dr.. Ely's book ON
socialism. which he deemed pernicious.
Letters were pi esented from President g.
K AdamS Of the University Of Wisconsin,
President Andrews of Brown, Commissioner
of Labor Carroll. ID. Wright DIR. Albert
Shaw and many other prominent men. all
i'm hearty approval of Dr. Ely and his
writings and his teachings.
DIR. Ely was then put on the stand by
his attorney for dndiostion. and denied
ever having seen a walking delegate in
Madison. or having threatened to take his
printing from a local office unless IL unioniz-
ed. Then he defined his method of instruc-
ton. and in general his views of socialism.
declaring himself opposed 20 strikes and
e
the rights of private property.
Professor r. J. Turner OF the University
of Illinois. an old pupil of Dr. Ely. testined
as to his great conservatism, his liberty OF
thought in his teachings and his hostility
to anarchy. Then Attorney Jones read
many extracts from Dr. Ely's WORKS 10
prove the wholesomeness OF his economic
views.
The committee then adjourned. and win
report later.
What Prof. Ely Holds.
In the preface to his recent book Profess
sor Ely seems to have anticipated some OF
the criticisms now made On his teachings.
He desires only the peaceful progress OF
society. with the conservation OF the re-
suits Of past historical Developments" And
yet he will not be surprised to haze the
charge of radicalism brought against him.
for there is extant "a class of mammon
worshipers whose one test OF conservatism
or radicalism, Is the attitude which one
takes with respect TO accumulated wealth.
Whatever tends to the preservation of the
wealth Of the wealthy is called conserxa-
tism. and whatever favors anything elsa,
no matter what. they call socialism
writer's whole nature may be that Of a
conservative; he may love the old ways; he
may, to some extent, draw his social ideas
from a past which he considers with re-
spect to its feeling about wealth saner than
the present age. and yet. because ne would
by social action, endeavor 10 change GER
ures of the past which he feels threatened
by new and starting forces. he is stiIl a
radical in the eyes Of those men whose one
and sole test Is money"
Again. he declares that his aim has bean
Ito give what seems to him the true es-
sence OF socialism as an industrial system"
Having studied carefully the writings of
various socialists, he has stripped from So
cialism those accessories which, IL seems to
him, are no part of IL. and thus has given
that presenta ton of the subie-t .'xhat
seems to him TO contain its greatest
strength.
In no country OF the world does he think
more violent, hitter and even unprtncipled
extremes" can be found than here. ON the
one hand are seen 1.-The anarchists OF the
poor, who aim to arouse bitterness and
hatred, and who shrink from no exercise OF
force, provided they think that thereby they
can accomplish their ends. With them the
torch and the dynamite bomb are questions
OF expectancy. 1t is in precisely the same
spirit that another class OF men advocate
the claims Of wealth. These men. also. ara
fanatics, and they. too, would not hesitate
to use force to maintain existing privileges
and they would rejoice 10 see anything like
a socialistic reconstruction of society pre-
vented by torturing and putting 10 violent
death the advocates of socialism"
The spirit OF these men is the spirit that
has eve- greeted the reformer who has adj
for their cry as. Cruelty him. Cruelty MIMI
But between these two extreme factions,
each Of them apparently quite SMALL lies
"a large class OF fair-minded. weil-meaning
men and women. who are the hope Of the
country"