New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-23
SOCIALISTS "EoUAL Division,

SOCIALISTS EQUAL DIFISIOh.'
We are in receipt of a postal card. signed
"Aurin F. Hill. architect No. Is Isabella-st,
Boston, Mass" which reads as follows:
Your editorial June 49, 1903, on German So
cialists,' had TO me- a strange idea, Social
lists make equal division of all property"
nave openly espoused socialism and never found
one socialist heard Of one before who ad-
vocated IAN equal division of ali property.
Please learn the meaning Of the words social
ism and individualism.
Mr.. Hill misrepresents our editorial We did
not say sweepingly that socialists make an
equal division of all property" Speaking Of
German Socialists, we said: Some Of them
are extremists. who would make an
equal division of all property" That is a
different thing from Mr.. HIS garbled quota
ton.
That some extreme socialists, not only in Ger
many. hut in France in England and in the
United States demand an equal division and
distribution Of all property is so notorious that
we suppose nobody but Mr.. Hill is ignorant of
il or would challenge it. But we may safely
90 much further than that, and say that such
division and distribution form the fundamental
principle of the general programme of the So
cialist party. At the Gotha congress of 1879
the followers of Lasalle, Bebel and Liebknecht
formally declared that labor is the source Of
AL wealth, and as labor that is profitable TO
AL is made possible only by society, the gen.
''eral product OF labor should belong to society
that is TO say, to each OF its members, each
member having equal right TO gather of the
fruit Of such common labor enough TO satisfy
Ibis reasona bic needs" The congress of Halle
in 1890, and the congress Of Erfurt in 1891
called for 'the transformation Of the private
capitalists ownership of the means OF produc-
'tion into collective ownership" Charles Brad
laugh, at st. James's Hall, London on April II,
1884, said: Socialism affirms that society or
"ganiZed as the State should own all wealth
direct all labor and compel the equal distribu-
-tion OF all produce" We might cite innumer-
able other authoritative utterances to the same
effect. IF the State is 10 own all wealth. then
surely each citizen OF the State viii be an equal
share owner of that wealth; and II the State IS
10 control all increase Of that wealth and dis
| tribute Us increase-tbe product Of labor
equally 10 all citizens, then surely each citizen
will be an equal recipient of the increase of
wealth. There will be not only an equal di-
vision Of property now, but also such equality
Of division viii be maintained forever That Is
the socialist creed. II Mr.. Hill will show us
the difference between that and equal division
of all property" we will be delighted to DENIM
strate 10 him the vast. essential and funda
mental difference between Tweedledum and
Tweediedee
We shall be glad to learn the meaning of the
word socialism, as Mr.. Hill so courteousIv sup-
gests, IL Mr.. Hill will direct US TO a de6n;+,on
Of It which is satisfactory TO him and IN bfs
| fellow socialists. and which he viii guarantee
Will remain satisfactory TO them Is It Proud
hons Every aspiration toward the amellora-