The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-10

possible for a OouFt W forecast tbs ohanana
Of Tho market on which tho value OF labor
ADD the jus, rate n payment Tor v mus.
depend, While thu market h Tislna y
tho court haa only to register thu fsIr dc
mand fOf n pfopOftlOnate flae IN waGPa,
10 which tho employer readily CONSENTS,
oil Goaa wall, but when a fall In thu market
calls fog q fpduotlon ~ waaea trouble, n
world aeem, IL sure 10 begln, Can any
court hy its award compel b employer
10 carry on business at o l0aa ~ the artisan
10 90 on working fof leas wages than he
could got eisswhefe' Ifas there been any
ciear oass u practical enforcement N stich
an awaFdS Mediation may, 81 cotfae, ~
useful In bringing dlaputanta toeeeher and
inducing reflection on both sides, The
famous agreement between the coal owners
and the men appears not 10 have teeh q
oass Of arbitration, pfoperiy ~speahIns, but
81 mediation. though trough, about and
morally enfoToed BY public authority. IL
vas not the award Of o court Of Law.
Class feeling blends its bitterness With
that OF industrial war. This Ia q mani
testify imperfect world. No man OF eensl-
billy can have failed 10 reflect with sad
ness on tho tsrribis inequalities OF the
human lot. Why Ia the life Of ono man
n life Of opulenoe, ease and Refinement,
that Of another man 20 sadly the reversed
Why are the gifts Of nature. health, strength,
brain power, good looks. long life, 20 un.
equally beetowed7 Why is one man born
in q civilized and happy, another in q bar.
barous and unhappy, agef There 10 not
only 'something,' but q great deal, In the
world that IL "amiss,' and may. and We
hope will, DO 'unriddled by and by Mean
time the cottage, 30 long ss IL has bread
Ind domestic affection, might, II IL could
look into tho mansion, see that which would
help to reconcile II to its lot.
In estimating the rate Of progress We
have to allow for an immense. In some
cases reckless. inorease OF population as
we'll 60 for the retarding influence Of faults
and vices which have not been confined 10
the money GLASS.
There can be no use In venomous exag-
geration. There can be no use In applying
TO q whole class epithets Of abuse whioh
only the worst members of II can deserve.
There can be no use in saying that any
set of men have been stealing from an
other set their right 10 health, homo and
happiness This IL not the road to reform;
1t Is the road to class hatred, which indeed
some Of the most violent Socialists do not
shrink from avowing; IL In the road TO social
strife; it is the road, II ar attempt Is made
to despoil and destroy q powerful class,
TO civil war.
The term Socialism Is very loosely used.
II 10 applied to the assumption by the public
Of the railways, telephones and street cars,
hitherto in the hands Of private companies.
That policy would be evidently good where
the public administration is honest. This,
however, Is merely a matter of particular
policy involving no general change OF funda-
mental principle or OF the constitution OF
But when the services have been
left to private enterprise and private capt.
tai has been embarked, confisoation, to
which come extreme reformers seem dis
posed, would be like robbery of any other
kind worse indeed than robbery Of any other
kind, since it would mako the Legislature
a robber.
Socialism has never told us distinctly,
II 1t has tried to tell US at all. what its form
Of government is to be. Can it devise q
Government which shall hold all the in
Of production, distribute our
industrial parts, regulate our
ton, yet leave us free2 Without freedom
and personal choice Of oallings how could
there be progress, how could there be in
~vention, how could there be dedication to
pursuits2 Can the Govern
ment pick out inventors, scientific disoov-
erers, philosophers, mon Of letters. artists,
set them to work and assign them their
rewards7 By what standard will 1t measure
rem~unerationf Tho products Of manual
labor 1t might oonoeivably measure; but
apparently those alone.
Competition, Of which the ard ent COM
hopes to get rid, has no doubt it's
harsh aspect, and We should be glad to
change 1t for universal cooperation; but
it has been hitherto. and 30 far as we can
see Is likely to remain, the Indispensable
spur. After all, there is more Of ooopera-
ton already than we commonly suppose.
Let the co. -lmunist take any manufact-
ured article and trace out, as far as thought
will 20, the industries which in various
ways and in different parts Of the world have
to its production, including
the making Of machinery, shipbuilding and
all the employments and branches Of trade
ancillary to these; let him consider how,
by the operation Of economic law, under the
OF MuubtTldi nUorty, tuo prlC6, IL
may be q single penny, Is distributed Justly
among ali these industries, and then let
him ask himself whether his Government
or his group OF Governments is likely to do
than nature.
1t would seem, then; that there Ia some
thing to be said for aoquiescing. provision
ally at least, In our industrial system, based
IS 1t is on the general relation between
and labor, and trying to continue
the Improvement Of that relation In a eaoe-
full way, without GLASS war and havoc.
Progress, ip g word, seems moro hopeful
than revolution. When the Socialist ideal,
brotherhood, is realized there will
be social happiness compared with which
the highest pleasure attainable in this
world Of inequality, strife and self-interest
would be mean; but all the attempts 10
rush into that state have proved failures,
Of them much worse. 1t Is conoeiv-
able, let us hope not unlikely, that all who
TO progress may be destined
In some way to share it's ultimate fruits,
there Is no leaping into the millennium.
Respectfully Submitted.
Kn,cpsn-what proof haye vou TIM, ,o.,, a.