The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1903-11-28


simple. The party is composed Of 4
disseminated elements whose members /
do not agree amOng themselves. IL 1
Won doubt this, look around and see /
II you can find half dozen socialists I
who will agree as to the cardinal /
principles OF their creed. For 4
illustration. the state organizer of 4
the party visited Occur d'Alene the /
other day on a mission seeking con
verts To the faith and incidentally
called at the Press Office. He Is a
nice gentleman. means veil, bat Is
carried away with one phase Of the /
=ocialistic idea He says that
many socialists, such a. belong 10
the Appeal to Reason class, are not
true socialists At all. bat are in fact
communists. believing in community
property aud the common ownership
of all things. Some would extend
their theories to the social status OF
a community and abolish the marriage
relation. Others are communists of
a nilder type. Mr. Miller, the state
organizer. says that socialism means
the government ownership OF all
things aud believes that the change
from the present conditions must
come through Rational legislation,
which the future, fifty, hundred,
or several hundred years will bring
by the gradual education Of the
peolpe to the benefits of the doctrine.
Just how the different classes, those
~ho labor by brain and those who do
the drudgery, will be satisfied with
conditions and the difference in their
work and stations, Mr.. Miller says,
Is a question for the future and he
does not believe in crossing these
bridges before they are reached.
When asked how be could satisfy the
man who worked at hard manual
labor while his neighoOr enjoyed
comparative ease and luxury, he
could give no satisfactory ans wer
except that these things would be
adjusted.
George Boomer, we'll known as a
socialist, has another theory which
looks nice to him. He would have
the man who does the digging work
one hour each day and the Office man
work six hours. That would be an
inducement to do the digging; bat be
never explained how his theory could
be put into practice to cover the
thousands Of different conditions and
hundreds OF thousands of varying
dispositions. He would have the
government pay all the same wages,
the industrious and the lazy alike,
the drunkards and the sober men the
same, and all would be kept on an
exact equality. He does not explain
how this can be done; but says that
IT will be so under bis brand OF
socialism. He does not agree with
other socialists in many respects.
The Appeal TO Reason says that
the present idiotic medium Of
currency will be abolished; that the
boys who would not study would
have to take such places in tbs
industrial hive as their attainment;
would fit them-dOing the hard,
dirty work, perhaps. Those qualified
for higher work would be higher in
the industrial scale. There would
not necessarily be any more pay
added to the higher places, as any
place would furnish all the physical
needs Of each worker, but there II
something higher than mere material
longings. Who would not prefer t.
be at the head Of some Industry thar
at the bottom! As for the men who
would not work-they would not
have the ability to get any Of tbs
results Of the work. As nature
requires them to have something u
eat and wear and the only way they
could get it would be to belI
produce, they would have to either
help produce or starve. Under
Socialism each would share according
TO the time he had given to tbs
public service in the things tbs
public had produced. Thus a mar
working eight hours should have
twice as much as the man working
four hours"
IL needs but little study Of tbs
above theories to convince any reason
ing person that they are absolutely
impractical and impossible. 4 govern
msnt constructed along such linei
would fall Of its own weight. II Il
the dream Of dreamer; the idiOsyn
Grassy Of an eccentric; the product Of
a diseased brain; the ramblinRs Of /;
discontented mind; tbs croakiDg Of I
croaker; the thought Of one who
thinks without thinking; an idl'
idea Of an idler; the communion Of
communist; the slogan Of socialist
the theory Of q theorist; the idol Of