Arizona republican., 1904-06-19
A Primary Lesson in Socialism.

A Prescott subscriber signing himself Socialist" writes to The Republican. complaining that this paper in discuss ing the anarchy in Colorado does not properly distinguish between socialists and anarchists. Our correspondent points out that socialism is based on the idea that all men are brothers and should cooperate .unselfishly fer mu- tual welfare, and he cites the success of tke Salt River Valley Water Users association as an illustration of prac> tical socialism.
 0fhe trouble with the position of our Prescott friend is that his eyes are fixed Cn the rosy clouds of theory. It is evident that he belongs to the law abiding, scholarly and benevolent but clalists-the school to which such dis tlnguished dreamers as William Dean HOwells. for example. belongs.
 The truth is that the leaders of the Western Federation of Miners in Colo rado, while calling themselves social ists are in fact anarchists. Not a few such enlightened men as our Prescott correspondent become confused and misled by the mere fact that these ac> tive anarchists call themselves social ists-when, in doctrine. of course, there is the widest difference iElagin- able between socialism and anarchy. Practical socialism implies the opera tion of law to the ultimate detail- the compelling of all men to do their share of labor fo- the community, and an equal sharing of the proceeds of their labor. Anarchy. on the other hand means a defiance of all law with no limit to individual passions and selfshness. To make the doctrines of socialism practicable it would be necessary to eliminate all human greed and selfshness, or exercise a despotie control over them. Anarchy makes selfshness and greed the only guide.
 But it is not what a man calls him. self, but what he does, that counts the classification of him is arrived at
 
 tions. And when an agitator advocates the trampling of law and order under foot and advises the destruc ion Of property and plots the murder of his fellow men. it is absurd to claim that he is a socialist. He is an anarchist.
 The cunning leaders of the Yves tern Federation of Miners take full advan tage of the inability or refusal of the masses of their followers to think for themselves. Knowing that .he aver age individual prefers to do right, pre- fers justice, and wishes to see better ment of social conditions, these agi:a- tors play upon the sentiments of their dupes. Into the mining camps they carry a flag labeled "Benevolence" but on the reverse side of the banner are the skull and cross bones of piracy and murder Most of the miners--the American miners. at least-foolishly think that in surrendering their for tunes into the keeping of these selfish agitators they are taking long steps for the advancement of humanity. In real ity they are throwing their powerful inhuepce on the side of forces which threaten the destruction of the republic.
 And the strange fact is that such intelligent men as our Prescott friend fail 70 discriminate between hypocriti- cal profession and murderous practice. When The Republican speaks indls- criminately of the Western Federation not with ignorance of the wide differ ence between the two doctrines, but with full knowledge that so far az the federation leaders are concerned the two terms mean the same thing: an- archy