The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-23
Harpers Weekly.


Mr.. Bryan belongs to an order OF men
that is at least as old as the art Of writ
ing. From st. Basil to Henry George,
from Louis Blanc, LassalIe. and Karl
Marx TO Jules Guesde, William Jennings
Bryan, and Governor Alt:eld, men of
this kind have teen imagining human
sorrows where no SORROWS existed, human
suffering where there has been prosperity
and happiness. They have been trying
to relieve the woes conjured by their
imaginations by war on the systems of
civilized government, under the pro-
lection and encouragement OF which the
human race has develops into its pres
ent high estate; under which, too, wealth
and the comfort of all classes have in
creased so rapidly that men OF the last
century, IL all this progress In material
we'll being had then been foretold, would
have scoffed at the prophet for pred dicting
&C movements far beyond the power of
man TO accomplish. On the part OF the
socialists II has been now a war against
factories, now q battle with the results OF
inventive genius; again IL has been
scheme to divide ell wealth, to give to
the occuper all the benefits of the land,
and to deny the owner any benefits what
ever; now the theory has been that men
would bo happier IL the State should own
the land. or copfiscste the rents; again
II is declsred that the institution OF
marriage is an evil, or that men would
better fulfil their destinies IL they
called one another "brother"; now the
farmer is to be able to borrow money OF
the government on his growing crops to
the amount of so per cent of their market
value, and then again the government Is
to lend every citizen ten dollars or moro
whenever his necessities may require.
Some OF the schemes are mad enough to
excite laughter, like a few OF the ex-
travagances of the Ocala platform; but
others, like many of the the declarations
OF the programs adopted at the Congress
OF Basle in 1869, or at the Congress OF
Gotha in 1875, are more menacin9. Out
of the socialist movement, which has
grown stronger or more noisy since it's
halt educnt ed orators and writer's enjoy
the freedom OF the press and OF speech,
have come crude laws In some parts Of
this country, which have resulted I'm the
exclusion Of capital from the States that
have adopted them aud in consequent
loss OF population. In Europe there nave
come societies OF anarchists bonn mb.throw-
ing, Gssassinstions, and finally the "ln
ternational," which Is endeavoring to
teach the working men that their class
everywhere ought to be dearer to them
than their country. At the basis Of
Il all is the jealousy felt by those who do
not prosper OF those who do. All these
movements, which began TO gather
strength In Europe with the French revo-
luton, but whose doctrines were taught
by some OF the early fathers OF the
Church, are, in their essence war OF
capital and on government which pro-
tects and fosters both capital and labor.
NJ. Bryan Is OF this movement. lie
may not know II, but socialism, whose
finest fruit age is anarchy and murder,
Ia the philosophy OF his candidacy and
campaign. Beyond his feeble aud isnor-
ant presentation OF his money horesy lies
the depc abyss of socialism, into which.
consciously or uncor sciously, he is invit-
log the American people TO plunge.