The Mena star., 1898-11-16
'"WHY SOCIALISM FAILS"

Ill recent issue or tHe hdISdS City Journal we find a lengthy editorial under the above heading that contains some truth and some errors, the writer referring to nu- mcrous efforts of philanthropic individuals to form socialistic col onies and pointing to the fact that they have generally proven failures.
 Among these arc the Topolo- bampo and the Icarian colonies winch had their run and finally failed. After naming the causes leading to their failure the Jour nal says:
 However, people are mistaken in speaSing of Cahet's colony us d social i-tic experiment.. In reality it was an autocracy as rigid us that of an unlim. ited monarch. Cabet ruled with an iron hand. His word was law. To be sure, he was honest and held he prop erty as common to all but the mem oers of his colony had no more inde 1 pendence than so many Turks or galley slaves. Like Brigham Young, who l led the Norman hosts. he was at the head of n hierarchy. Every so-called socialistie colony which has endu at all was goverened in d like manner. The coionists were organized into ser vility not equality So long as the master hand was there they might cling together, but it was on account of the master haLd and not the com nnnlstic principle.
 The foregoing contains both truth and error. They were not 'socialistic experiments in the true sense, yet they did contain or possess "the communistic princi- pie"
 The true reason why socialism called fails is because all experiments have been mere ex- periments of all aggregation Of individuals unsupported by any general law to control or sustain them in their efforts.
 Upon the other hand true social ism, as adopted by the nation, the state and cities, or municipal so- cialism, has always proven sue cessful and very desirable. For the nation we refer to our splendid postal system, and for states to the public roads and free school systems, all being purely socialistic. These are all support ed by the public and sustained by law, each individual citizen or child having equal opportunities and rights under them. For cities we have water works, lighting and telephone plants, street railways, and fire companies under municipal ownership and control in many places, and daily becoming more popular as organ ized and conducted under true socialistic principles supported by law.
 Surely. the Journal remembers the great fight 1t made few years ago to help the city get control of the water works of that city then owned and being run by a private corporation which refused to yield it's hold until the courts compelled it to do so. And surely, the Journal must recognize the fact that as long as the city-thc people-own and operate those works they do so nnder true so- cialistic principles.
 Socialism adopted by the people and sustained by law does not fail" but so-callcd socialism whereby q few individuals associ- ate together to carry out private ly and without any law to sustain them. ideas that should only be adopted by the people as whole, cannot succeed.
 Any one who advocates the mu- nicipal or public ownership and conduct of public utilities advo- catcs true socialism and the Jour nal has worked along that line.
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 Mena the Best of All.