The advocate., 1894-01-31

NA&g4S PAPNA9
The socialistic schemes
"See?"
The sociallstic schemes Of government ware
bouses for farm products and Of government
issues of loans on farm mortgages are about
to relapse
"And so forth. This other ones
from a republican paper the Baltl-
more American:
Life is laborious work for the majority
you bet tits!
Life is laborious work for the majority, no
matter how 1t is viewed; but 1t cannot De
made easier by calling upon the government
to do what 1t was never intended IL snould
do
"There's the policeman notion OF
government, you see;
and what, if the request was granted
Chow does that strike you? These
people tell us we are the government
ourselves; yet when we really want to
do something for ourselves, they say
it's something we're to beg the govern
ment for and have granted, just as If
the government was somebody else,
and not us at all.
And what, If the request was granted, 1t
would be sure to do much worse than the
farmers could do it themselves
"Then where's the use of government
at all?
II the government has the right to do the
financiering and managing for the farmers
"And now listen.
1T has also the right to undertake the regu-
lation and management Of all other indus
tries
"Can you deny that?
'and if this were done the result would be
that in short time individual enterprise
would disappear altogether, and state social
ism would be substituted
"They don't want that, and so the
paper goes on to coax you:
The troubles of the farmer, though hard to
bear are temporary in character, and will be
removed by increased experience'-
"YOu know what a lie that is.
without the intermeddling ofgoVernment.'
"You see they want government to
be thing outside of society, while you
are talking of it as a mere machine to
be used by the people for their own
benefit. The very fight made against
you movement is that it wants paternal-
ism-as if the people could be their own
daddy; and we WOrkingmen OF the
cities want to know why, if it's good
thing for the farmers to have govern
ment sOcialistic as to agriculture, you
don't seem to think it would be good
thing for us to have government social
istic as to other industries. You have
to bear the blame of meaning straight
socialism. Why don't you say right
out: We do want socialism, and what
are you going to do about it?' Make
your platform out and out socialism,
and send out speakers that know what
socialism is and that believe in it, and
it III make your heads swim to see how
fast the wOrkingmen will join your
ranks"
"Well, I'll be blamedr' said Sam
Cotterell. I'm goin' to fetch that up
next time our committee meets. See
if | don't. Why, the way you put it,
John, it's as clear as the nose on a
mans face. What dogoned fools we
be to let 'em yell socialism, at us and
scare off all the blamed fools, while
we're afraid to sag socialism, and SO
lose the others that have got some
gumption.'
"Remarkabler' exclaimed OvertOn.
"Where did you learn this doctrine SO
well, Mr.. Cotterell!" addressing John;
"while the rest of US have been so ig'
nOrant? How came you to be a
socialist? Are these ideas quite gen
orally entertained by workingmenE'
eyes, they are," said John, "and
they're spreading all the time. But
learnt my socialism when l was only
about eighteen or nineteen years old. y
"You did," said Overton. "Pray
how, and of whom? 1t is all so new to
me-"