The times., 1899-04-16

! son name Will always be associated is the
'spoils system" Mr.. Peck argues that
though great evils are caused by the
abuse OF this system. public servants not
subject to removal become self sufficient
and insubordinate. He says:
That it is inherently susceptible of abuses
is undoniablc. The most serious evil it produces
is its effect political activity 1t renders par
| tisan service subordinate TO the public welfare
| and thus tends 10 make party contest vena
quest for Office instead OF sincere and elevated
contention over large questions OF political prin-
| cip'e and public policy, with the effect of aid
ing mediocre and unfit to push them
| selves into public life. How radical was jack
| sons policy in this matter, and how great the
| innovation he introduced, is shown by the fact
| that he made more removals for political reasons
| than all his predecessors together.
| Whether one agrees with the author po-
| liticaliy or not, 1t must be admitted that
he has made a contribution to American
history which is both convenient and val
liable. New York: Harper G. Bros. S2.50)
| Industrial Democracy.
''The New Economy" by Laurence
Gronlund, author of THE Cooperative
Commonwealth is study of our present
social and political institutions, with some
plans for their improvement. 1t may be
accomplished the first thing necessary is
| to know that something is the matter with
the body polite; the next is to know what
the matter is, and the third to prescribe
a cure. In spite Of some of the glaring
evils of our present system there are still
many people who are not awake to the
| fact that there is any trouble; others do
not know the cause of their sufferings,
and third class, fully realizing that the
present state OF things is bad, are afraid
TO move for fear that change will be for
the worse. Mr. Gronlunds book appeals
| to all three. "
| The headlines indicate fairly well the
| general scope of the work. They are:
Something Must Be Done, Industrial De-
mocracy Inevitable, Industrial Democracy
a Most Noble Ideal, Practical Statesman
ship and Leadership, the subtitle of the
last chapter being What the Individual
Can Do.
| In the general view of the subject with
which the volume opens the author re-
marks that in the last national campaign
| the two classes of rich and poor were ar
| rayed against each other, with silver and
| gold as symbols; but it is his view that
free silver was. altogether false issue,
and that it was actually blessing for the
party of the poor that they did not win.
BILE and timely are obligatory industrial
arbitration; effective labor organizations;
| state work for the unemployed; state con-
| troll Of municipal enterprises and the
| liquor traffic, and national control of the
| telegraph, the express, banks and railroad
| fares and freight-rates as a step toward
the naturalization of railroads. These,
| he says. are intended not to solve but to
| soften the social problem.
Of
| is difficult and delicate matter for
| treatment in an essay. Mr.. Gronlund
| thinks that the two great tendencies of our
time, Combination and Democracy. point
out as a goal the Cooperative Common
wealth, and that history leads to the same
| conclusion. AS several other writer's of
this generation have prophesied, SO he
foresees that the Trust is the last stage
but one making machinery ready to the
hand of the COLLECTIVELY.
Another part of the book goes to answer
the cautious scruples of many people
against cooperation Of the national sort,
as thing morally and socially mischiev-
GUS. The author claims that under this
system society, instead of self, will be the
centre, and the social order will be revo-
lutionized as the Copernican system re-
formed astronomy. This, he says, will
"moralize egoism and rationalize altru-
ISM" One Of the things against which he
warns his readers, in this connection, is
the class-spirit. declaring that the Euro
pean Socialists are wrong in preaching
class wars, and that there is imminent
danger of 1t in this country. He thinks
that friends of the cause should be found
| among all classes. .,#
There is nothing of startling newness In
this little volume; but the principles of
the author are set forth in clear and con-
vincing way, and without too much tech
nicality. There is no doubt whatever that
Bellamy's Looking Backward" awakened
large interest in this subject among the
people Of America. and though 1t had things
worked out in way which was rather
like measuring the eternal heavens with a
foot rule, it was remarkably convincing
combination of vision and solid walls. Much
less well known is Howells' Traveller from
Altruria," which confines itself rather TO
generaliZations and principles, and to sa-
tiric comment on the existing order OF
things. 1t is interesting to note that Mr..
Gronlund does not by any means endorse
Bellamy's idea that everyone should be
paid alike. He says:
We are very sure that the successful Collect
twist State will recompense its people according
TO achievements which recompense is not TO be
looked on as a quid pro quo. but the provision
that will enable them to work. The or
gnns in the human body do not receive the same
amount oil Dloodi tney are recoupeiseu accord
ing TO the amount Of work they do.
gatch-carrier is paid more for days work than
a hod-carrier, and the latter does not particu-
larly complain, only he would like that there
were an increase of wages all around. The point
is that no injustice is felt, as long as common
manual labor is the standard that measures the
work done; il is where this standard is not ap-
piled that complaint is made. But the Collect
twist Republic is pretty sure not to pay any
So, 600 or $4,000 salaries
It might be added that were the wheels
of the Republic all running smoothly,
and all production honest as well as cheap,
$4,000 salary would probably buy as
much as four times that sum Will now, be-
cause there would be little waste from
carelessness, dishonesty or competition
Mr.. Gronlund vetoes another common So
cialist idea-that in the perfect state every
citizen shall do his share of manual labor
He thinks that citizen who can do SOME
thing else should be exempt from that du-
ty; and after all, it is not likely that
there would be any great dearth Of labor
ers for at least two or three generations,
in the cooperative state; also there are
many highly educated people even now
who find their greatest Joy in physical ex-
ercise.
Another aphorism evolved by this author
is that society is not a field for inyen-
tion," meaning thereby that the future
growth of the social organism, while II
may be predicted, cannot be invented;
that is. one who knows the causes deep
underlying the changes in society may say
that certain thing will happen; but he
cannot say 1t must take place because we
will make it. The fanciful Utopias OF ha!f
our latter-day thinkers will be swept out
l,f yicsa hxrt &c ya,-;,