New-York tribune., 1903-06-28
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
SOCIALIST LION ROARINGS.
Soft as the Voice of Any Sucking Dove.
TO the Editor of Tie Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Anent reply to Architect Hill, OF Boston. on
Socialists. ETC., June q. There two ways to
look at theatrical performance-from the front
and from behind the scenes. The man on the roof
of the procession than the man in the
ranks. The man in the mine knows more about
mining than the investor in mining stock. The
active student, nay teacher, in the vanguard OF
militant socialism knows more OF socialism than
the writer Of articles which nlslead readers into
believing socialists would wilfuly deprive those
in lawful possession of honestly earned property
of their rights. In other words. you lead your
reader to believe that If the advocates OF social
ism were elected control Of the political ma
chinery they would take the honestly. lawfully
earned property from its possessors and give 1t TO
those not entitled to it. Some men. and those
directing socialist thought in this country. are
sane men. and would never permit that TO be- Fol-
lowing IS the rock which socialist tnougnt III
this country is built:
Labor produces all things not directly produced
by nature. That being thus. labor should be In
possession OF all OF its product
If an axe the product of labor. IS laid at the
root Of tree (the product Of nature, which, /. e.,
the tree the laborer needs build him house.
will that tree be fe1led? Does it not require the
labor power of the laborer to WELD that axe 10
cut I'D that tree to construct that house? Is any
other person entitled to any part of that product
1or no other purpose than 70 secure tbi1o & TnoTs
"o'hihs less N0S' JOSEPH WRIGHT.
Now serving as juror in Part III Supreme Court 25T
sI shall watch for the pub pu6Ga9n & 2osfa G5 2 seT
vice for no other reason than because OF my a ad-
right Don't add the =, please.
TProudhon said Property is robbery" Brad
laugh said, Socialism denies individual private
property" Marx said. Capital is the command
over unpaid labor" The official programme Of
of n
demands Cumulative taxation upon ell incomes
exceeding 81. 500 year. Reputation Of the
national debt" The programme Of the Guesdist
or Marxlst socialists in France calls for "Abo-
Iition Of the right of inheritance of fortunes
above $4,000"
Our correspondent says socialists would not
take the honestly lawfully earned property
from its possessors and give 1t to those not en-
titled to it." No. But since, according TO Marx
capital is the product of unpaid labor or IN
Proudhon's epigramu1atic word, theft" it does
not in the socialist view come under the head
of honestly lawfully earned property and
there is thus nothing to prevent the socialist
from confscating it and giving it to the men
who. according to the socialist theory, really
earned it.
Every one who has followed the course of So
ciaIist speeches and publications for the last
few years knows quite well that they nave
gbounded in demands that the fortunes OF rich
men and capitalists be seized, confscated ana
distributed among the poor and in promises
that just that would be done when SOCIALISTS
came into power. We are glad to be assured
that such utterances were mere 'bunkum. But
we cannot profess any extravagant admiration
for those who make a lot of sensational pronun-
ctamentos and promises for the sake OF at
+rao+ing attention and winning support, and
then these ends gained. repudiate the means
used TO gain then.l