Montana news., 1906-10-18
Criticizing a Critic.
IT. J. Rooney. in Machinists Monthly
Journal.)

III mas Deen sald that Fools rush IN
where angels fear TO tread" l was re.
minded of this old saying upon reading
the article in the Machinists' Journal
for July by NJ. J. Fry, Socialism is An
archy in Disguise
II is surely no angel who would rush
before the intelligent audience of the
Machinists' journal with that old capi.
talistic chestnut about "dividin' up"
illustrated by Pat and his goat story,
And This" says Mr.. Fry, ''is socialism"
I'll wager a dollar to a doughnut that
Mr.. Fry cannot give an intelligent defni-
tion of either anarchy OF socialism.
lie says they tell us socialism means
perfect government" Who are they"
viii Mr.. Fry please name one leader of
socialist thought from Marx to the pres
ent time who says socialism means a
perfect government He says The
trouble with the socialists is that they
seek the millennial age prematurely." I"
| can't call to mind just now where
Marx or Engels or Kautsky or any rec
ognized socialist writer says anything
about the millennium age" but sup
pose il to be the millennial age we are
seeking. how does Mr.. Fry know so well
we are seeking it prematurelyH Has
he any inside knowledge as to the
schedule time the millennial age is to
arriveY We are seeking an age when
men and women will not have TO devote
their entire thought to the getting Of
enough to eat. To some men a full
belly is the millennium, and they think
that when a mans living is assured
there will be nothing more to strive for.
The fact is, men cannot devote their
thought and energy to higher things
until their living is assured. The
trouble with most of the people who are
so anxious to criticize socialism is that
they have never taken the trouble to in.
form themselves about socialism. Mr..
Fry gives some incoherent talk about
regeneration and reincarnation. Don't
know anything about them-haye not
run across anything in regard to them
so far in my studies of socialism. Per-
haps when get up to the "thirty fourth
degree" ] may understand.
II beats all what prophets these crit.
les are. We can't tell them just how the
cooperative commonwealth will come
just what moment il will arrive, nor
Just to the minutest detail how il will
run when it gets here-and they are
mostly from Missouri. But they can tel
us all about il. They know just how
"despotic" and "domineering' II will be
and Just how il will rival the "pomp oi
a royal court" They know so much
about human nature. They are SURE
no man would be satisfied in a society
where he got the full product Of hi:
labor; that the only way to have peo
pie contented and happy is to rob them
of eighty per cent Of this product
Sheep would not grow wool nor lambs
play if the wolves were killed off, and
chickens would surely never scratch il
there were no hawks around. They
know that brutal competition for the
means of life is what brings out and de.
yelops the better qualities of human
nature, and they are positive that when
women gain their economic independ-
ence it will break up the home and raise
hades with the human race generally.
oh. yes. they are a wise lot, these critics
who gain their knowledge of socialism
from reading such trash as Mr.. Parry's
"Scarlet Empire"
And Mr.. Fry is fearful lest the Ameri-
can people will declare for this system
Of government at the polls" How scared
these patriots are of the rule Of the ma
iority when the majority don't want To
rule their way; how solicitous for the
welfare of the government when they
feel the control of government slipping
from their grasp. To head this of he
would have the disciples of such a
heresy" excluded from organized society
"by deportation to some land where they
could work out their own theories, a
desert for instance" Well, it's q sure
thing that II deserts are TO be made to
bloom and bring forth fruit it is up to
the working class to accomplish the
work
But mere he has a nightmare. He see:
that "a community Of such people
would soon perish Of starvation and
mutual determination" Yes. il would
be pretty tough on the masters and theil
satellites IL the slaves should all die of
Well. don't worry. Mr.. Fry. we are not
going to be deported. There is moi
| nower enough To deport us there IL n,