The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-11
IR. BELLAMY'SNEW BOOK
EQUALITY" Us A FORMAL ECONOMIC
TREATISE RATHER THAN A STORY.
The Author of ''LOOking Backsasa .
with Ripened Judgment, Discusses
the Social Order Again.

writing of Looking Backward" has been
distinguished by an unprecedented and uni
versal discussion o: the principles for winch
that work stands, and the book was one OF
the great factors in precipitating that ols-
cussion. For author ten years is long
time between books. But the delay mas
perhaps been providentiaI. The power OF
monopoly, of gigantic combinations or pr1-
vate capital was then ominous. 1t has
now become menacing in its arrogance, Its
usurpations of the governmental functions,
its irresistible might in legislative corrup-
ton. Witness the Senate at Washington,
the Illinois Legislature, the Chicago City
Council All signs indicate that the time
for concrete action is near. On the peoples
side the forces are gathering for deter
mined resistance TO the new tyranny, and
the great wave only waits for the impetus
that will send it forward with oVerWhelm-
ing momentum.
Equality is the title of the new book.
1t is more elaborate work than Looking
Backward" and in fact is a comprehen-
sive economic treatise upon the subject
that gives 1t its name 1t is a sequel to it's
famous predecessor. and it resumes the
story on the day succeeding the dream that
carried Julian West back to the nineteenth
century. The element of fiction is even less
than in that book-juSt enough to give it
sustained interest the discussion of the
subject being carried mainly in a series
of conversations between Julian and our
old friends, DIR. Leete Mrs Leete, Edith
and Mr.. Barton, whose powerful sermon
was a feature of Looking Backward"
! These talks give Julian detailed knowl-
edge of the new institutions that surround
him and ihform him as to the, to them,
strange and barbarous social basis of our
own age The keynote to the work is given
in the remark of DR.. Leete that the i'm
mortal preamble of the American Declara-
ton of Independence characterized as the
true constitution OF the United States)
logically contained the entire statement of
universal economic equality guaranteed by
the Nation collectively to its members in
divldualy. The corner stone OF our state
Is economic equality, and is not that the
OBVIOUS, necessary and only adequate
pledge of these three rights-ife, liberty
and happiness? What is life without its ma
terial basis, and what is equal right to
IRE IRE ., put a right to an equal material basis
Tree who must ask the right to labor and
TO live from their felllow-men and seek
their bread from the hands of others? How
else can any government guarantee liberty
70 men save by providing them means OF
and how could that be done unless the gov
eminent conducted the economic system
upon which employment and maintenance
depend? Finally, what is implied in the
equal right of ali to the pursuit of happi-
ness? What form of happiness SO far as it
pound up with economic conditions and
nov nov shall an equal opportunity for the pur-
Dy guarantee OF economic equality?
THE RIGHT TO LIFE.
The ethics of wealth under the new or
der is stated to be extremely simple con-
slsting merely in the law of self-preserva-
ton, asserted in the name of all against
the encroachment of any; resting on the
principle of the supreme right of all to
live, and consequently to insist that So
ciety shall be so organized as to secure
that right. The doctor declares that it has
been a principle subscribed to by all gov
eminent and peoples that it is the first and
supreme duty of the state to protect the
lives of the citizens, and be tells Julian:
Whlle processing this principle so broadly
IN words, you completely ignored in prac-
tee halt and vastly the greater half OF it's
meaning. You wholly overlooked and dis
regarded the peril TO which life is exposed
on the economic side-the hunger. cold and
thlrst SIDE You went on the theory that
is was only by club, knife, bullet, poison
or some other form of physical violence
that ufe could be endangered as If hunger
cold and thirst-in word, economic want1
were not far more constant and deadly
Zoe to existence than all the forms of yio-
lence together. You overlooked the plain
TACT that anybody who by any means
however direct or remote took away or
curtalled ones means of subsistence at
tackled his life quite as dangerously as 1t
could be done with knife or bullet-more
tack he would have a better chanA of
defending himself" 1t is shown THAT
f Snder d the old order the principle that the
nFst duty or sectsty to safeguard the lives
OF It's members fully admitted and
mat In failing to give 1t an economic as
Wen as police, judicial and military inter-
probation, the world convicted Itself of an
Inconsistency IL as glaring In logic as it was
cruel IN consequences All civilized govern
Gems from assaults against their lives, but
sgoin any any ana every sort of physical
70 protect men In their dignity as well as
In mere bodily integrity in securing the
citizen eid IN his right to life on the economic
slae the new order is shown to follow
studiously the old-time presidents in safe
guarding him from direct assault IF we
dld but secure his economic basis so far
as 70 avert death by direct effect of hunger
ana and colo as your paper laws made a pre-
tense or doing, we should be like state
in your day which forbade outright mur-
der, nut permitted every kind Of assault
that tell short of it. Distress and dqpriva-
tion resulting from economic want Falling
short of actual starvation precisely corre7
spond to the acts of minor violence against
which your state protected citizens as care
fully as against murder"
THE RIGHT TO LIBERTY.
In considering the second great right.
that to liberty-the right not only to live
but to live in personal independence of
ones fellows. owning only those common
social obligations resting on all alike-it is
shown that while the monopolization of
wealth and of the productive machinery by
portion of the people was, first of all a
threat to the lives OF the rest of the com
munity, nevertheless the main practical eff
feet of the system was to deprive the
masses of life outright but to force them
through want, TO buy their lives by the
surrender of their liberties THE indus
trlal system of the world before the great
revolution was wholly based upon the COM
puIsory SerVitude of the mass of mankind
TO the possessing class, enforced by the CO.
efclon or economic need" 1t is pointed out
mat there could be no such thing as liberty
SO long as by the effect of the INEQUALITIES
OF wealth and the private control of the
means or production the opportunity of
men 10 obtain the means OF subsistence
depended on the viii of other men 1t NAV
be in place here to observe that the late
Francis A. Walker, In discussing the stat
utory limitation of the hours of labor
stated that the compLlsion of circumstances
In depriVing men of their liberty-as i'm al
lowing them the privilt ge of working only
under conditions imposed by others-Was as
absolute as that of physical force
one or the very strongest points in tba
book is the clearnesS with which tho 60
cial fund is demonstrated to be the Great
factor in the production OF wealth whi1e IN
dividaal eXerton is insignificant by com
parlson. This being true, il is shown thar
an equal distribution of the products of in
dusSIF is the only possible equitab bile basis
for the reason that all persons have eO1Iai
title in the social fund by virtue Of eduai
membership In the community to which H.
fund necessarily belongs. Saws DR. Taeta.
he mo- In