The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-09
SOCIALISM TRIED IN AUSTRALIA
TO" t works out-Does 1t Pay-Experiments on a
Broad Scale Do Not Give Conclusive or
Satisfactory Results

hOANAhS ein IllulOnS
| money, Stupendous loss of human
| energy and enterprise, the laying idle
OF a huge fertile territory, and the de-
| Struct1on OF some of their finest and
most indigenous Industries and enter
! priseS, which now stand waiting in de-
| spair to be relieved of the incubus that
has been laid upon them by veritable
| network of legislative restrictions
worthy, and only worthy, of the middle
ages.
If these social, commercial and in
dustrial experiments had never been
tried and had never failed in the
worlds history, the Australian people
might perhaps be justified in calling
upon the civilized world not only to
contribute toward the expense of trying
them today, but also in asking the peo-
pie OF those countries that thus paid
their-shares to study with interest the
results, in order that they, too, might
profit by the lessons and be able to
avoid the deplorable consequences that
the work or the laboratory had re-
vealed.
But 1t Is all old. even ancient, mat
ter-a,veritable rehash, involving theo-
r1eS and noStrumS that have been tried
and exploded as far back as the time
OF Aristotle, and again revived, and
again exploded in later days in the
North American states by the colonies
VI 0AoNARlCo VI fOuE1GF, 81. Simon.
Lassalle and Karl Marx, who migrated
from Europe to put into practice their
Utop1an theories; so that no one who
can andwill read for himself need con-
tribute anything but pathetic laughter
to so vain a series of experiments as
those of the Australian people
Australia is therefore carrying on all
this experimental work In the very
teeth OF history and of the teachings
or the present generation, in some cases
even within or near her own territory.
speaking generally, the Australian
commonwealth, containing 400O, 900 of
people-the same population as that of
the United States at the time of its
federation-is on the edge of a steep
national declvity, which leads to the
stagnant waters of a decaying social
Ism, and no one who offers a word of
warning, be he ever so wise, can now
make his voice heard above the din of
seif-sufficient exaltation with which
each new proposal to regulate society IS
being received.
Political Experts Ignored
There are such things as national
or political physicians-men who do
not, as in the parallel case of an ordi-
nary practitioner in medicine, take part
In the daily struggles of local political
lie. put who stand off and take a sort
OF blrdseye view of a country and it's
progress, making themselves acquaint-
ed with its constitution, its legislation.
and its statistics, just as the great phy-
siclan does with the general condition
and mode of life OF those who travel
afar and pay a high fee to consult him.
Such men feel the pulse of a country
or nation as If by instinct, and foretelI
It's drift, and IL. the masses of the peo-
pie In democratically governed countries
could only be induced to listen and pay
heed to the political diagnoses of such
men the gradual decay of a nation, as
In the case of Spain, might we'll have
been arrested, or a revolutionary crisis
IN a countryss history as in the case of
France. might have been averted.
we might name among examples
from American history such men as
Washington, Webster and Franklin.
and from British history such men as
Mill, Buckle and Herbert Spencer. All
OF these were above the suspicion of
personal or political bias and could be
trusted TO diagnose a nations condi-
ton In the sole interest of the political
patient.
Now, Herbert Spencer has performed
this high and valuable service for Aus
tralia; but his words, though frequent
ly published. have never gained an at
tentive hearing, certainly not as much
attention as would be paid to the utter
who could phrase and give voice to
impossible promises Of what his hear
ers desired
-Four years ago Herbert Spencer
wrote concerning Australia: ''The wave
or socialism is so high and so strong
that nothing but bitter experience to
be suffered hereafter will lead to
sounder views and practices" The
caution has fallen on deaf ears. and
the socialistic movement goes on apace.
The Labor Party of Australia
The labor party of Australia is the
taproot of the socialistic and commu-
nistic tree that has taken such firm
root and grown into such far reaching
proportions in the Industrial and COM
mercial life Of the commonwealth.
Until three and a half years ago
Australia consisted of six states, each
absolutely Independent of the others.
with separate parliaments, debts, rail-
way systems, land policies and national
ideals. The great distances between
the capitals in which the parliaments
sat prevented the growth or any very
strong federal feeling, for there was
, no common trouble" such as the pos
sibiiity of war, TO bring them into close
federal Communication. In Australia
the customs union was the chief at
traction, for the different colonies had
felt for years the loss and inconven-
! fences of conflicting tariffs.
In each of the parliaments Of the
six states there has been a labor party
for about ten years. The labor move
ment originated over what is locally
known as the great shipping strike of
1890. Before that year separate repre-
sentation was never spoken or thought
of, but after that event, which centered
in New South Wales, the leaders agi-
tated for more direct representation Of
the worker. E., physical workers.
The result was that at the next gen.
eral election of the colony named
twenty-four or twenty-five representa-
tives were returned to the popular
house OF parliament, out of total Of
125. This was the germ, for from this
example and the supposed success
which resulted the people Of the other
five colonies, or at least Of four of
them, sent a labor party into their
respective parliaments. Today there is
labor party in every state, as well as
! in both the house of representatives
and the senate of the federal or COM
monwealth parliament.
They were till recently a third"
party in all the legislatures of the
states and the commonwealth. and
their method was to sit compact on
the cross benches, voting as a sort
OF military square. solid. and as the
result Of caueus-much in the way
| adopted by Parnell in the political