St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-08
THE LABYRINTH OF REFORM.
Folly of Revolutionary Socialism
Shown Up by Correspondent.


Shown Up by Correspondent.
To the Editor of the Globe.
The discussion of social economics is the
only means of arriving at a better condition
of society, and it should be given the broad
est latitude in the press, as the press is the
only means by which reach the in
telIlgence of the masses
Owing to the marvellous advancement in the
means of production and transportation, thou
sands of wage-earners have been thrown out
of employment in some trades creating two
applicants for each job. 1t has also caused
an unprecedented fall in prices.
The result is the existing prostration of in
dustry. AS consequence this nation has
been plunged into a bitter economic discus
sion. The remedies offered are as variega-
ted as all the colors in the prism, each be-
Ing claimed as the specific for the evil. Sew
eral of the contending parties seem to resort
to abuse and ridicule instead of intelligent
argument Is it any wonder that the people
are imposed upon; that workingmen are con-
fused?
The bankrupt merchant and unemployed
workmen devour with avidity all PROPOSE
tions Of reform without inquiring into their
real merits.
or all so-called reform parties which should
be avoided by workingmen, the revolution
airy socialists as they style themselves, de-
serve a special notice. This acute form of
socialism Is held up to the workingmen as
beautiful dream; it opposes with the utmost
Vlgor all partial reform: its adherents would
fell at one swoop all existing institutions, and
erect upon their debris an entirely new
regime calculated to establish a perfect heay-
en- on earth. The fact that Revolutionary
socialism" breeds an intense fanaticism
proves that such a system would be an in
tolerable despotism. They tell us how beau
t1ful and just their system would be should
1t be established. But they say absolutely
nothing of the means of attaining the end.
They are like little children crying for the
moon. Confined within the limits of private
enterprise or professional pursuits they are
harmless enough, and, indeed, rather anus
ing, but when they are carried into politics
they often work serious mischief. They are
misleading; they usurp the function of legit-
innate argument and, in many ways, tend to
Jeopardize the success of the very cause they
pretend to serve.
The misery of the masses is too real, their
sunerings, both moral and physical are too
deep and too far-reaching in their effects for
the reformers to repel partial relief and wait
for social cure-all. That would look too
much like turning away from the substance
to run after the shadow. The least that can
be said against the programme of the ''revolu-
t1onary socialists" is that 1t is too subversive
Tor practical action in politics. We will not
composed of the rays of Olympus and the
thunder of Sinai, of all that is highest in
pagan lore and Christian WISDOM the fact
would still remain that it is unacceptable
Whatever it's intrinsic merit, it is impracti-
cable for the present and for great many
years to come.
1t took thousands Of years to achieve the
present system, imperfect as it is, and it GER
ta1nly would be preposterous to expect to
carry 1t to perfection at a single bound. For
1000 years the continents of the world have
been drenched with the blood of freemen and
still Plato's republic is myth. Revolutions
ary socialism, properly considered, would be
the organized sum Of all philosophy. But our
so-called revolutionary socialists do not un-
derstand any more about the laws of biology
and evolution than the savages do about
astronomy. They do not take into considera-
tion the different desires, habits and customs
OF the people. They utterly ignore the cli-
matte influence exercised upon man. One
people are slow and cautious, another quick
and rash. To bind these two classes of people
by the same laws would be folly
Ihe revolutionary socialists" want abso-
lute equality among men, in every respect, a
postulate which is contrary to human nature
and to all nature. At one of their conven-
t1ons motion was made to exclude the in
tellectual delegates They wanted no man to
Know more than his colleagues. 1t may be
said, truthfully, that Revolutionary social
ISM is the highest embodiment of human
selfishness, under the guise of altruism. What
workingmen want is immediate relief for
themselves and their starving families. 1t is
time enough to theorize when the stomach Is
satisfied. Workingmen should draw a sharp
distinctive and firm line between theoretical
and practical politics. -Adolphe Paradis,
546 Laurel Avenue City.