The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1898-02-05
Ihibo0aux Sentinel.
So Per Year
SOCIALISM.

OTieHnS, tIiE tuif't VI q EciteS - 49, |
lures on Henry Georges theories re-
garding progress and poverty, and,
incidentally, touching upon socialls-
tic and communicate propositions.
We reproduce from the columns Of
the Picayune the following interest
ing report of his lecture:
The talk was largely on poverty,
its iaison d'atre, fuses alleviating
measures, and also embraced argu-
ments against socialism in SO far 90 it
tended to preach the doctrine of an
equal division Of lands and money.
Father Por,a showed how futile
and illogical were the maxims OF
communists and socialists relative 70
the possibility Of equal division. he
~eloqusntIy elaborated the axiom that
inequalities are Natural and eauali-
ties artificial
Inequality is the Law of nature. II
is the law of the universe aud even
of heaven, for the holy writer's have
toldus that there 10 her
archy in heaven. God only is the
supreme, Interchangeable, omnipotent
ruler.
If equality were to be the rule in
this world then there would be nc
incentive for labor. Ii everybody
had the same amount Of money. the
same amount of landed possessions,
the socialist world would come to a
standstill, because Of she well-known
fact that two powers Of equal force
neutralize each other.
Therefore the phenomenon of one
person of wealth, position ana powe.,
equal to another person, being en-
ployed by the other, would be in the
nature Of an absuraity.
L grant the maxim that men are
porn free, said Father Porta, but
men are free in the abstract only.
They are not free. considered IN their
own surroundings. The child is
dependent upon the parents, and the
latter are dependent upon the state
which in turn 10 governed by the
law.
Another maxim, men are by ma
ture equal is only partly true.
Concede that all men arc equal in
those things inherent to mans ma
ture-to humanity but nego, that
men are all equal as individuals.
As surely as there are varieties,
wonderfully diversified, and infinite.
y dissimilar in s~ountsnanee, capacity,
attributes, disposition, capacity, in
telligenoes, ETC., of individuals, 80
surely are there varieties in social
position, wealth and capacity to &C.
quire property.
The gift of aceumulating wealth
is not possessed BY all mss. Tha,
cannot be denied. Therefore the 30
cialist or the communist, instead OF
enjoying HIS neighbours wealth
should rather eomplaia of his swn
lack of those qualities which have
helped his neighbor to become rich
Wealth is the result. not the means
Poverty cannot be abolished. Il
can and must be alleviated. It 10 q
law Of human natsre. If there wers
no wage earners there would be nc
capital, no industry. So, relativel,
speaking, poverty IS a blessing
From the dawn of creation theE<
have been saperiors and interiors
master and servant. rich and poor.
Envy. born Of poverty, has giver
birth to socialism and communism
1t is natural fer the poor man e
look with longing eyes on the posses
sions of his more fortunate neighbor
The masses would have long age for
chilly wrested from the classes TIN
latter's money and goods, but for th'
ignorance of their own power and fol
the lack of a guiding spirit to shov
them the irresistible momentum 0
united forces. Of late years, how
ever, the masses have slowly beer
organizing, and we have seen tn
result OF organization in the supper
given by the working men to thei
brethren who were engaged il strikes
There is no remedy to this DANCE
rous tendency of the poorer CLASSES
to band together as socialists, CON
nunists and anarchists, for the dis
ruption of society and the ~insensat
endeavor to equalize money ant
landed possessions. The remedy lie
in o1i,oafinn tha Ynacono ~ a raaliZs