The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-08-09
A Tilt on Socialism.

In a recent number of the Independ-
ent Mr.. W. J. Client, contributor, and
the editor Of that paper used some
plain language in 4 discussion over
the professional classes as allies of
capitalism. Mr.. Client had the first
say, as follows:
You publicists, professors, teachers,
minister's editors, lawyers and judges
you who defend the existing regime and
oppose the struggles of the working class
for better life; you whose business it is
to find a practical, a juridical, an ethical
and even a spiritual sanction for things as
they exist, and who pirate and drone the
cheap moralities which are the reflex of
the interest of the class that employs you
there is word to say to you which
needs to be spoken.
You serve, as your intellectual fOrbears
have ever served, as expounders Of the
special moralities which the ruling class
has ever sought to impose upon the ruled
But you are dishonest in that you do not
acknowledge the class character Of your
teachings and that you seek to give a.
social and general sanction of what is
purely an expression of the needs of your
employers
After thus boldly stating his propo-
sition Mr.. Client charges that the "open
shop" is defended solely in the inter-
ests Of capital, that the evils Of child
labor are never aired except when
economic conditions demand reform,
and that the killing and manning Of
tens and hundreds Of thousands Of
workmen in the industrial callings
every year are passed over by writers
and preachers" as being a matter of
course. In support of his contention
that thrift and hard work are not the
salvation of the workmen Mr.. Client
points out that in an army of !, 200, 900
railway men only 1900 are general
officers. In London, he declares, one
person in every four dies in receipt of
some form of public charity, while in
New York city one in every ten finds
a grave in potter's field. The profess
sional classes, Mr.. Client adds, are in
reality pensioners of the working
classes, yet are serving the ruling
classes and decrying socialism, which
is the workman's only hope.
The editor of the Independent holds
a brief for "our newspapers and
churches and takes sharp issue with
his Socialist contributor. He says:
eve believe we know the proletariat
as we'll as you do. 1t is they for whom
we work. They are our supporters.
The labor unions we believe in as we'll
as YOU AS to the animus behind Mr..
Clients attack the editor believes it
to lie in the fact that ''the professional
classes" have not accepted the prin-
c1ple of common ownership Of the
means Of production, radical step for
which, it is argued, society in America
is not yet ripe.
The editorial concludes with these
| words:
We cannot, Mr.. Client, answer railing
for railing. We do not think it would be
courteous or just. We do not say that
you are dishonest" that you pirate and
drone cheap moralities, for we believe
you are honest, and you don't drone. if
you do prate.
We admire your earnestness, the liter
airy art with which you adorn your philip
| pic and the poetry with which you berib-
bon your rapier. Neither our space nor
| our choice allows us to follow your ex-
ample. We simply wish to indicate that
you have no monopoly Of honesty and
| that the class for whom you assume to
| speak repudiates your right But we
| agree with you that we want more social
ism, while we cannot agree that private
wealth is theft