The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-26
A CURIOUS ATTRACTION.

Tine SOclaIlSt party Is eXnlUllIHS loIS
of activity these days. 1t held itssstate
convention for Minnesota in Mime
apolis on Monday, and placed a full
ticket in the field with the exception
of judges for the supreme court. Equal
activity is reported from North Da-
kota, where very strong movement is
going forward to divert a portion of
the Republican strength to the support
of the Socialistic ticket.
We have no objection to cutting the
ground from under the feet of our
party enemies, but we could wish that
it were done in a worthier cause. 1t
would be far better for the country
that even Republicanism should con-
tinue than that the Socialist party
should rise to power. However i'm
bued with noble motives may be many
of it's members and leaders, its funda-
mental principles are so destructive of
individual liberty and so utterly hope
less of future progress that no greater
calamity could fall upon the country
or the commonwealth than to be led
captive by the strange delusion that
socialism contains.
The socialistic idea is a climax Of
the idea entertained by other people
in less virulent form-that laws and
institutions can override and make and
unmake human nature. The PROPOSE
ton of socialism contains contra
diction in it's own terms 1t says that
society as now administered is a fail
ure because those chosen to administer
it help the few at the expense of tho
many. This, if it be true, is a fault
of the mass of people. They are not
intelligent enough, courageous enough
and patriotic enough to choose over
them men who will represent these
qualities In themselves. Socialism,
which proposes to turn over every
thing to the state. instead of the rela-
lively small portion Of human affairs
that it now manages, must rely upon
this same inefficient public to select
its instruments.
The real argument of socialism Is
that society, having proved incapable
of conducting successfully a portion of
it's affairs, should therefore be intrust-
ed with them all; that an agency
which Is unequal to the accomplish
ment of part of the task will be
beautiful success when compelled to
perform the whole; that human lin
itations, which become so painfully
apparent in business and politics as
handled today, will somehow vanish
and disappear when the burden and
the pressure upon them are greater.
1t is completely beyond us to under
stand how intelligent men can make
themselves believe, as some of them
do, in socialism as practical, pres
emit working system. We can under
stand how socialism might succeed In
such state Of society as millennium
is disposed to represent. When all
the people are absolutely intelligent,
Just, charitable. patriotic and perfect
along all lines, then the control of all
industry and all activity could be we'll
given over to them. Short of that, the
socialistic system, which would have
to work through some kind Of admins
trative machine. through executive Of
ficers holding great political power and
subject to immense temptations, could
not, with human nature as 1t is, do
anything but multiply and aggravate
the evils Of both existing political
and industrial systems.
1t is very curious to us that the utter
impossibiiity of success which social
ism must confess by it's own present.
| ment of its own case does not prevent
1T from gaining single adherent, ex-
| cept among the most reckless and
| light-headed of enthusiasts.