The herald., 1897-08-11

their conversion into public highways il
fact as well as in name. In short, as
fast as things become of sufficient pub
lie concern, either nationally or to those
locally affected. they will pass into tbs
hands and under the control of the
general or local public, and some fine
morning, if you live TO a good old age
you will wake up and find yourself living
! in an almost communistic state of So
ciety, having gotten there by transitions
50 easy and natural you didn't realze
their occurrence It'll the job was done.
You don't see the profit there would be
in all this to you! The devil you don't!
Well, neither do Joe Hudson, Grover
Cleveland and other mollusks. Neither
do Rockefeller. Huntington, ]. Pierponi
Morgan and other licensed bandits
Neither would Robin Hood, Captain
Kidd or Jesse James, if living. The profit
TO you. my dear sir, consists in keeping 6
the othsr fellows from making their
profits off you, and saving them to your
| self.
LAS society is now constituted we live
| by making profits off each other; that is,
taking away from each other portions OF
our earnings. 1t is supposed to be the
only way we can live. Accumulation of
prolific begets power, confers ease and
happiness and draws admiration to the
taker; consequently everybody is striv-
ing for the most that can be gotten
and every way short of downright lar
ceny is considered legitimate The bold
est, most forceful and unscrupulous get
the most. and they use what they have
as a leverage to obtain more. You say
say that is all right; say it is not. a
score of good reasons can be given why
it is not.
THE SOCIAL FUND"
"Tll mention only one, and that is that
these great accumulations of wealth are
almost entirely drawn from the social
fund, as we call it, Never heard of the
social fund, you say. Well, l suppose
not. The social fund, sir, is that excess
of power, that additional production,
that accumulation of values, which oc-
cur through organized industry, through
the specialization of the industrial forces.
Two men working together can exert
greater power, can accomplish more
than they can working singly-that is
to say, the result of their joint effort is
greater than the aggregate of their in
dividual efforts Now, the excess of
what the two working together can ac-
complish over their united product work
ing separately. constitutes what we call
the social fund or part of it. There are
some other ingredients entering into it,
but I'll not take time now to explain.
Young man, to whom do you think
that social fund, the existence of which
is only possible through the efforts of
men working together and not singly-
to whom do you think it in good con-
science belongs? l think it belongs to
the men who made it. 1t is in large part
heritage to us from the past. 1t exists
in the form of inventions and scientific
discoveries, and in the advantages and
opportunities and institutions of social
life which cooperative effort alone has
made possible. 1t therefore belongs to
society as a whole, as much so as the
| natural elements of earth and air and
ocean do.
However, as things now go it is a
storehouse from which the loot and
plunder of the worlds great fortunes
have been drawn. Socialists say that, by
the Eternal, this pilage of the already
overrich upon that common property of
all must cease, and do you know, sir,
| they are the only faction or body that
is numerically on the increase.
SOCIALISTS INCREASING
They haven't organized as a party
and may not do so but they are to be
found in all parties. This day a major
| ity of the voters of Kansas are distinct
ly tinctured with Socialism and hold to
orc ter
ideas. Even your own paper, the Star,
is advocating the municipalization of
such public utilities as water wC>ks, cleo
trio lights, etc. That's Socialism. Why,
sir, nearly all the books and magazines
published nowadays are given Social
!stic flavor and have a Socialistic moral
"Give me book list, and for every
half dozen publications in. the last half
dozen years, in advocacy of the old time
political economy and the old-time COM
petitive order of things I'll pick out q
thousand of the opposite teaching or
| tendency.
You must understand that the lies
| told about Socialism and Socialists have
about spent their force. You have been
taught to believe that Socialism and an
archy were one and the same thing
| whereas there are direct opposites. You
thought Socialism meant tearing down
the flag and breaking up the union, cen
| fiscating property andrepudiating debts,
making the other fellows divide up and
running off with another mans wife,
| trying to live without work and raisir Z
hell generally Well, it don't mean any
thing of the kind. 1t simply means the
collective ownership of the natural mo
nopolie,s and public utilities"
That brings us back to Bryan's re-
ply to Gordon again. Don't you believe
that he is opposed to what you call col
lective ownership" the reporter asked.
mo, sir. l don't so interpret his letter.
He was asked whether he believed in
SOCIALISM in the sense of the collective
Ownership of all the agencies of pro-
duction and distribution. He said mo-
tribution take in a great deal, and !
don't know but l would answer the same
as Mr. Bryan did.
WILLIAM ]. BRYAN WARNED
But if Bryan means to say that he
is opposed to the public ownership of the
public agencies of production and dis
tribution he may as well right now with
draw from the race of 1900 There are
more than 1000, 900 socialist votes in this
country which would be cast against
him were he to make such an avowal"
In conclusion Judge Doster said: