Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1895-09-24
Socialism, What is it, and What its
Relation to Anarchy.

taken up and echoed by that portion
of the country press that sneezes
whenever Wall street paper takes
snuff. The great dailies know better
than to thus blend these two antagon-
isms, socialism, and anarchy. A bet
ter understanding of their respective
aims will lead to wiser discussion.
Socialism, The science of recon
STRUGGLING society on entirely new bases,
by subtituting the principle of associ-
alton for that of competition lie every
branch of human Observation-Disclosures
Worcester.
This is the definition of socialism
that is given by the dictionaries of the
| present duy. u definition as old as
language. Under socialism as thus
defined has come the marked progress
of humanity in that which tends most
to the general welfare.
The public school system of most of
the states is socialism moulded in the
form of law: the building OF highways
Tor the universal use of the peoplc is
the result OF socialism in road making:
the establishment of postal routes and
our mail service is the perfection OF
socialism in the public service; the
uniting and combining OF an entire CT m
munity of people to perform a labor
that could lot be done by an individ-
ual alone is neighborhood socialism:
the procuring metal bases to use in
making newspapers, or OF procuring
partly printed sheets is socialism APP
piled to the newspaper business; and
so with hundreds Of other yocations
and industries that grow and prosper
under various and limited forms of
socialism.
Socialists recognizing the benefits
to mankind from these forms of social
ism desire their exte lsion for the furth-
er good OF the people. They would
have public control of the railroads.
the telegraph, the telephone, the street
railways, the water works, of valuable
and useful patent rights, giving to the
inventor ample compensation for his
invention, they would have govern
ments use their sovereign right to coin
or create money for the masses rather
than exclusively for the classes; thew
would limit taxation to the needs of
government, restricting taxes from
use in building up enterprises in which
all did not share alike, as all had been
taxed.
John Stwert Mill in discussing the
matter, on page 81 in his work on So
cialism says: 'The very principle on
which the production and r,partition
OF all material products is now carried
on, is essentially vicious and anti
social. 1t is the principle of individu-
alism, competition, each one for him
self and against all the rest. 1t is
grounded on opposition of interests,
not harmony of interests,an under it,
every one is required to find his place
in the struggle, by pushing others
back or by being pushed hack by them.
Socialists consider this system of pri-
vate war Gas it may be termedD be-
tween every one, and every one,
especially fatal in an
economical point of view and in a.
moral. Morally considered its evils
are 2tEieets.4ftt the rent OF envy,
I Is.fed, and all uncharitableness; it
snakes every one the natural enemy of
all others who cross his path, and ev-
cry ones path is constantly Liable to be
crossed. Under the present system
hardly any one can gain except by the
loss or disappointment of one or of
many others. In we'll constituted
community every one would be a gain
er by every other PERSONS successful
exertions; while now we gain by each
others loss, and lose by each others
gain.
In its purely economical operation
the principal of individual competition
receives as unqualified condemnation
from social reformers as in its me raj. In
the competition of laborers they see
the cause OF low wages; in the compe-
tltlon OF producers, the cause of ruin
and bankruptcy, and be tn evils they
affirm, tend constantly to increase as
population and wealth mako progress;
no person being benefited except the
great proprietors of land, the holders
OF fixed incomes and a few great capital
ists, whose wealth is gradually enab-
ling them to undersell all other pro-
ducers, to absorb the whole of the OBJ
CREATIONS of industry into their own
sphere, to drive from the market all
employers OF labor except themselves,
and to convert the laborers into a kind
OF slaves or serfs, dependent on them
for the means of support, and COM
PEELED to accept these on such terms
as they choose to offer, Society, in
short, is travelling onward, toward a
new feaudality, that of great capital
ists.''
Socialism seeks to overcome and
obvlate as far as may be through the
use OF government, thus extending it's
power for good and it's benefits TO the
people at large.
Anarchy, on the contrary seeks to
anlhilate all forms of government, to
destroy existing law, rather than it's
improvement to meet the general well
fare. From the earliest period of time
anarchists have existed, and the word
in all that time had no uncertain
Specification, and is thus defined by
the best photographers of the past and
present time.
Anarchy, Want of government, a
state OF society, or a condition of
things, unregulated by any principle
OF government, law or order; confus-
ion, er.-Worcester.
Anarchist author or promoter
of anarchy, confusion or disorder
Tooke.
Arbitrary power is but the first
natural step from anarchy or the saw