The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-24
Dchs' AItruists.

Debs' social democracy plan contem-
plates combining the interests of several
thousands of persons under a scheme
which does not recognize the existence Of
personal ambition, seIfshness or envy. In
the place of these very human attributes
are to be established a perfect code OF
social ethics founded upon brotherly love
and self-sacridce for the good OF the com
munity. The scheme is an ideal one. 1t
is the aim of education and religion to civil
lie humanity up to the point of dwelling
together in perfect harmony. 1t has been
the dream Of bright and cultivated minds;
of philosophers and sages; but even they
have differed with regard to essential de-
tails.
Who are the people that win assist Mr..
Debs in working out his scheme? That is
a salient point, for without the material
to work upon Mr.. Debs would be power
less to even begin his work. After all, 1t
is the people who win follow Debs that
will make or mar the success of the so
cial democracy" Debs himself might be
ever so fun of the milk of human kind
ness, ever so meek and loving and Iowa
BILE, but If his followers were lacking in
the necessary qualifications, he would
never be able to establish Altruria.
Who are the people? Most of them are
natives of Chicago. Debs himself is vir-
tually a Chicagoan, and is thoroughly
embued with the Chicago spirit of push,
and fight, and blow, and fight some more.
That this is true was demonstrated when
he led the big railroad strike. The strik-
ers were even in the notion to fight the
United Statesl Many Of those who pro-
pose to follow Debs into the Promised
Land we're graduated from the American
Railway Union, and took lessons in rough
and-tLmble on the railroads centering in
Chicago. They participated in the big
strike, and probably also in smaller ones.
Are they people who would be chosen to
demonstrate the possibility of large num-
bers of men, of divers tastes and tenn
permanents, dwelling together in perfect
harmony? This is not said in disparage
ment of the wor1ingmen out of employ
ment who are supporting the Debs move
ment, in lieu of something better to do.
They are no doubt good men in their way,
very we'll fitted TO cope with life in Chica-
go. But they are not philanthropists, they
wear their hair cut short; they are
not philosophers. they are not altruists-
they are Chicagoans
An observant and careful writer who at
tended one of the Debs meetings the other
night noted that practically every man
present was a city-raised man. There
were no farmers. Probably not one in the
crowd would be able to run furrow If
provided with horse and pillow. I'm spite
of my natural sympathy" says the writer
referred to. Il must in common honesty
say there was not substantial looking
person in the hall, and by that I mean
that did not see a person wholooked as
If he had ability to be the foreman of an
ordinary workshop" Continuing he says
There were abstract anarchists present
single takers, communists, new-fiedged
and illiterate socialists, but the average
face was either dull and unintelligent,
or was plainly fanatical."
Lack of work is no reproach, in hard
times, and poverty is only to be pitied;
still 1t is extremely fanatical to think a
heterogeneous mass of the unemployed
can be picked up in the great cities and
welded into a homogeneous community,
held together by ties of brotherly love,
merely because it would be a good thing if
such a consumma ton were accomplished.