The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-31
INDIvIDUALIsM.

II would be idle to deny that social
ism Is making progress in this coun-
try. Not only avowed socialists. but
people who would repu,iiate such a
designation. advocate measures ani
policies which are essentially socialis-
tic in thenr nature. The public mind
is in confusion because of the crop OF
refurbished doctrines. which, while pro-
Tossing to be new. are really old social
istic ideas in new form. People who
20 years ago would have secuted the
idea of furthering socialism are today
outspoken in favor of schemes which
are thus labeled. This situation is
founded upon ignorance. People-most
of them-do not know what socialism
is. They do not recognize 1t. This is
the danger of the situation. Socialism
has changed its spots Where il was
once blatant. aggressive and radical
II is now soft-spoken, sophistical and
altruistic. Its leaders are no longer
hairy, teery persons. who were sus.
pectei of harboring a gruige against
existing society largely because of its
fondness for bathtubs. They are, on
the contrary, men prominent in politics
in the learned professions, in the
churches.
Socialism is talked by men like Mr..
Bryan. Mr.. Darrow and DR.. Hills. and
people of certain mentality rerard 1t
as a new dispensas'on instead Of a
political. social AMI economic heresy
as old as organized society. A ma
jority of these people do not even rea-
lize that Mr.. Bryan and his colahorers
~re talking socialism. Most Of them
probably have vague idea that so
cialism has something to do with
bombs and red hags and fighting the
police. They do not associate it with
the philanthropic, benevolent utter.
ancss Of gentlemen like those named.
They do not understand that a propo-
sition for municipal ownership OF street
railways, for instance, is the logical |
forerunner Of government ownership OF |
all property-a condition which inevit- |
ably involves confiscation and recon- |
fiscation of all individual belongings
Socialism, that is to say, no longer
undertakes to enligh:en people IS to |
the ultimate result Of its theories. On |
the contrary, 1t hides its purposes and
seeks to make people socialists without
their knowing it. Men who would in
stantly balk at the 40 ,trine of confis-
cation are soothed and deluded with
soft talk about government supervis-
ion of certain private enterprises anj
socialism undertakes TO educate them
gradually up to the point where they
may safely be introduced to the cul-
minating purpose of the propaganda
which is the abolition Of private prop
erty and the domination of the state in
all things.
Socialism, in short, has discovered
that its tenets are not to be swallowed
raw; they must be sweetened ard d.
luted and doctored until the popular
palate has become accustomed 10 them,
after which IT is hoped to administer
them in the original bolus without any
disguise. In other words, the socialistic
campaign is now a formidable one, be-
cause it is inspired by shrewdness and
knowledge of human nature. Social
ism, therefore is no contemplate an
tagonism. II is not to be despised as
it was in the days when it had it's habi
tats in grimy beer halls and it's spokes-
men in orators who were chiefly not
able for their aversion to clean collars
and hair-cuts. II is dangerous because
it has become superficially respectable
and because its leading advocates are
shrewd enough to refrain from avow
ing its ultimate purpose before their
proselytes are ready for 1t. It is dan
gerous because it is being preached by
men who are able and intelligent to the
great element in our citizenship which
is always ready to take up with any
new political theory. The fight against
socialism must be conducted upon edu- |
cational lines. People viii have to be
shown what It really means. It will
make small headway when the Ameri-
can people understand that the ulti-
mate object Of the insidious propagan-
ia is the abolition Of the individual
factor In society and the reduction Of
mankind to one dead level. Individual
ism is Americanism, and this continent
presents no field for the propagation of