The advocate., 1894-01-31

ou6LACu COAu1JIOus NOW, II SOIQS man
had come in and said, This beam, or
this upIight, or this something or other
is crooked, is out of plumb and had
fixed that particular part of the old mill
just right, the old thing would have
been thrown all out of gear and
wouldn't have been fit to grind mud for
brick yard. Just so with the exist
ing social system. It's all out of whack,
so if you straighten up any particular
part OF it, the old thing will be all
knocked out of gear, and Wen be
worse Off bye and bye than we are now.
You've got to overhaul the old mill all
through, or you'd better let it be as it
is. Patch work won't do any good.
You've got to be satisfied with things
as they are, or you've got to have
socialism, one or the other. There's
no middle grOund-nO room to tinker
eyes, but, john" said the father,
1--WE daSen't get so blamed radical, or
we couldn't accomplish nOthin'. The
peoples homes are bein' taken away
from ,em right now, and we have to do
somethin' to stop it, without waitin'
for the millennium. The people are
conservative, specially farmers, and
if we go too fast for 'em, they won't
help us get what they've got to have
right away"
"NOw, Father" said John, "that's
precisely where all you shreWd, prac-
tical folks make your great mistake.
You think your different from the rest
OF the people, and imagine yourselves
away ahead of the procession. You
make a great mistake. The people
must have some great end to accom-
plish, and their enthusiasm will be
aroused, Mere patchwork notions
can't arouse 'em. Right now, what is
it that's given the new movement such
boom? Why, it's the scattering of
thousands Of Looking Backwards
more than anything else. Yet you say
socialism would scare these same peo-
ple."
"Why, in COURSE" said the father,
'nObOdy'd get scared at the "Lookin'
Backwards scheme. I'm a national
iSt myself. Lots of us are. But it
would never do to talk your socialism
to most of 'em."
John laughed. "And what is ma
tiOnalism but another name for social
ism? ?" said he. "Why, Bellamy's book
works out the very same plan the state
socialists have been writing about for
years. Only a new name to dodge
prejudice, nothing else"
us that so, John = asked the farmer
in surprise. 'Is what "LOOkin' Back
wards" about socialism? Well, L vow!
l didn't know that"
''It'S fact all the Same,'' said John.
Owe socialists have been laughing in
our sleeves to hear the same people de-
nOuncing socialism and declaring
themselves natiOnalists. It's the same
old thing, but it's bran new to them.
They're like the man that got religion,
and next day licked the first Jew he
met. When the Jew asked him what
he was licking him for, the new con-
vert said it was because the Jews
killed Christ. The Jew yelled: why,
that was 1900 years ago. The devil
it vast said the new convert. We'll, l
don't care when it was. | didn't hear
of it till last night, and I'm going to
lick you anyhow
Besides, you're not fOoling any
body. Your whole platforms built on
SOcialistic foundation. You can't
prove single thing you demand ought
to be done without proving Socialism'S
right. Take your Sub-treasury plan.
Where's your principle to plant that on?
What about the government owning
and running the railroads? Where's
your foundation for that? And your
demand for the issue of more money?
Don't you see that, when you come
down to it, you're saying all the time
the government Oughtn't to be simply
policeman, but a great national, CO.
operative society?"
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