The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1903-07-16


locking ct and acting in. He there
fore utterly fails to understand many
things at Athens or Rome or anywhere
else, which come to us like our A, B.
c. After referring to Ranke and Cur
thus, as illustrating this general de-
feet, he closes high eulogium upon t
Mommsen with this statement OF the
points in which he fails as histor-
ian: What is lacking in him (Momm-
sen) is political and moral insight
which is born with man, the political
insight which Is gained only by living |
in communities of freemen.' (Free- /
mans Methods of Historical Study, PIP. |
2S9-291) Where Curtius and Ranke
and Mommsen failed to estimate cor
rectly the simple and ordinary machin-
cry of free communities, it. can hardly
be deemed remarkable, as we have
said, that Won Hoist should have mis-
apprehended the novel and peculiar in
st;tution presented him for study
among us" Jameson on Conyen-
tons, p. $751;
This is the American English, and
Swiss view of the criticism OF the
Germans when they venture an opin-
ion concerning free institutions or
their product. If SO strong case is
laade out against the German hlstor-
ians, how much stronger must the
criticism be of German thought which
attempts to deal in futures-forecast
the political and social institutions?
The German socialists forecast is ut
terly vitiated by his surroundings
The tendency of the universe is away
from the German political system and
toward the sovereignty Of the people.
and as the ideal commonwealth will
be controlled by the sovereign people
it follows that the present-day Ger
man concept of the ideal state is al
most sure to be erroneous. For ex-
ample, the German concept usually ex-
cludes voluntary association. Volun-
| tary association is the bedrock OF our
Liberties. 1t follows that the Ger
man idea of industrial organization is
erroneous. government will pre-
| vail, which always results in liberty
liberty to work where one may
choose and live where one may choose,
and in such manner as one may choose
provided he does not infringe the
rules laid down by society for the
promotion of the general welfare.
This and other principles of liberty,
which result from the sovereignty of
the people. are the basis Of the Eng
i lish and American system of society.
but are unknown in Germany, Russia,
China, and many other countries. 1t
is impossible, therefore, that the Ger
man socialists can have forecasted the
state of society which the American
and English people are to develop.
Scanning the views of American So
cialists we find one faction fighting
against the adoption of majority rule
the referendum and initiative. Mr'
A. M. Simons, editor of the Interna-
tional Socialist Review, is of this
school. Another portion of the So
cialist party base their philosophy on
the sovereignty of the people. Mr.
Wiltshire is of this school. Mr. Will
shire has worked and is working fol
: the real sovereignty of the people
whereas Mr.. Simons and his co-work
ers are laboring for the sovereignty
of the socialist party-the rule of ths
i few. The highest conception whict
I Simons and his comrades have is par
! ty government, whereas the American
: school of thought stands for enlight
a ened majority rule, which, when it il
: established, will as unerringly root ou
f legal privilege as gravitation brings
> down the apple.
This leads to another Fundamental
s distinction Americans aim to abolish
!, legal privilege (private monopoly
e and this has been the demand in Eng
G land and America for the past thre
e hundred years. The German socialist
: aim to abolish private capital, havin
n no adequate conception of free insti
e tuition and the great corollary, "equa
It rights to all, special privileges t
il none" The American remedy is t
e abolish private monopoly Privat
q monopoly is the crying evil of the da
h and is tending to produce a seriou
depression, yet the aim of the socialis
d party is the immediate public owner
e ship of not only the monopolies, but
If all the means of production and dis
n tribution. The reason assigned is ths
)e competition has been and is the caus
ly1 CT industrial depression, and therefor
ef to remove these depressions it is nee