The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-12

nationally or to those locally affected,
they will pass into the hands and under
the control of the general or local pub
lie, and some fine morning, if you live
to a good old age, you will wake up and
find yourself living in an almost COM
munlstlc state of society, having gotten
there by transitions so easy and natural
you didn't realize their occurrence until
You don't see the profit there would
be in all this to you! The devil you
don'ti Well, neither do Joe Hudson
Grover Cleveland and other mollusks.
Neither do Rockefeller, Huntington, J.
Pierpont Morgan and other licensed
bandits Neither would Robin Hood,
CAPTAIN Kidd or Jesse James. if living
The-Profit to you, my dear sir, con-
sists in keeping the other fellows from
making their profits OH you, and saw
ing them to yourself
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 sup
posed to be the only way we can live.
Accumulation of profits begets power,
confers ease and happiness and draws
admiration to the taker; consequently
everybody is striving for the most that
can be gotten, and every way short
of downright larceny is considered le
Ultimate. The boldest, most forcefuI
and INSCRIPTIONS get the most, and
they use what they have as leverage
to obtain more. You say that is all
right; 1 say it is not. A score of good
THE SOCIAL FUND"
I'll 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,
1 suppose not. The social fund, sir,
is that excess of power, that additional
production, that accumulation of val
ues, which occur through organized in
dustry, through the specialization of the
industrial forces Two men working
art for
accomplish more than they can work
ing singly-that is to say, the result of
their joint effort is greater than the
aggregate of their individual efforts.
Now. the excess of what the two work.
ing together can accomplish over their
united product working separately,
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? 1 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 adj
vantages and opportunities and insti-
buttons of social life which cooperative
effort alone has made possible. 1t there
fore belongs to society as a whole, as
much so as the natural elements of
earth air and water do.
However, as things now go it is a
storehouse from which the loot and
plumber of the worlds create fortunes
have been withdrawn. Socialists say
that by the Eternal this pillage of the
already overrich upon the common
know, sir, they are the only faction or
body that is numerically on the in
crease?
SOCIALISTS INCREASING IN NUM-
''They haven't organized as a party
and may not do so; but they are to be
found in an parties. This day a ma ma.
tinctly tinctured with socialism and
hold to a greater or less. extent to So
cialistic ideas. Even your own paper,
the Star, is advocating the municipaliz-
alton of such public utilities as water
works, electric lights, etc. That's so
cialism. Why, sir, nearly all the books
and magazines published nowadays are
given a socialistic flavor and have a So
cialiStic moral.
Give me a 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 you
out thousand of the opposite teach
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 they are direct opposites. You
thought socialism meant tearing down
the flag and breaking up the Union, con-
fiscating property and repudiating
debts, making the other fellows divide
up and running off with another mans
wife, trying to live without work and
raising hell generally. Well, it doesn't
mean anything of the kind. 1t simply
means the collective ownership of the
natural monopolies and public utili-
ties
'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, 1 don't so interpret his let
ter. He was asked whether he believ-
ed in socialism in the sense of the col
lective ownership of all the agencies of
production and distribution. He said
no. All the agencies Of production and
distribution take in a great deal, and
don't know but I would answer the
same as Mr.. Bryan did.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN WARNED.
But if Bryan means to say that he
the public agencies of production and
distribution he may as well right now
withdraw from the race of 1900. There |
are more than a million socialist votes !
in this country which would be cast
against him were he to make such an
avowal.''
In conclusion, Judge Doster said: |
Young man, socialism is the coming
power. Make your peace with it, and |
be quick about it. 1t is an oncoming |
tide which will sweep over this and |
every civilized land in the next twenty |
five years, and drown every party and |
politician that tries to impede its |
how.''
Yellow Fevar at Frisco