The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-02-16
COLLEGE PRES. SAYS
SOCIALISM IS DREAM
Head of Cornell University
Runs Up Against it In Hot
Debate With Socialists.
President Schurman Opposes
All Kinds of Public Owner
nership, Even Railroads.

NEW YORK, Feb. 14.-President I.
Morris Hillqu1t, the Socialist, discussed
'Individualism VS.. Socialism, at the
Peoples Forum before an audience Of
1000 persons, Of whom many were Hill
quits friends from the East side Of
Manhattan.
They enthusiastically applauded Hill
quits points, Kissed and shouted mo!
MOI" when asked by MIR. Schurman If
they believed they could make. a mill
lion honestly, and when Mr.. Schur-
man asked what Mr.. Hillquit pro-
posed to do with the great captains Of
industry, whom he described as mon
sters, if socialism were substituted
for the present industrial system, they
shouted:
I'VE will make them go to work."
Good for you," retorted Mr.. Schur-
man. II like to. see every man work,
but If you adopt Socialism you give
these men larger field, and If they
have become your bosses now, they
will be worse then that they are to-
day.
MIIonaires Names Kissed.
At every mention of John D. Rookie
Teller and other millionaires the So
cialists Kissed, which caused Hillquit
to smile.
President Schurman described So
cialism as a dream and an illusion.
Socialism is the ownership. of all
ma chinery Of public production, and is
only an idea in a mans head" said the
professor, but which will never exist"
mo generation can lay down rules
which will be binding upon succeeding
generations" he said. 1.-THE conditions
and the evils Of a generation must be
met by that generation. So far as
the governmental function is concerned,
I am one of those that believe that
the less we are governed the better.
But every emergency must be met and
settled according to the exigencies Of
the case, and above all, we must see
that justice is done.''
Public ownership was still an ex-
pertinent, he said, and he was not
aware that the experiment had ap-
probably advanced the millennium.
He was opposed to government owner
| ship of such utilities as the railroads
at this time. He wanted to see the
results in the smaller field of NUM-
| cipal ownership first. The govern
| ment, he said, could not afford to in
| vest billions Of dollars in buying all
the railroads of the country and then
sink other billions in mismanagement
and political corruption.
Socialism Defined.
conception of Socialism as voluntary
| combination of labor and capital. In
! the place of labor and capital he said
this Socialism would bring about CO.
operative companies, themselves own
! ing the capital and dividing the prop
erty.
"This is brand of Socialism," he
continued, (which will appeal to all
English speaking people. 1t appeals
to us that 1t is based upon the old
fashioned virtues Of Individual indus
try and Individual intelligence. This
experiment has been tried in Germany
and England, and understand has
| been successful"
Speaking of the accumulation Of
! wealth. he said:
"A rev years dSO, Ill Ills country,
one could count all the men of mil
lions on his fingers, but now we are
all familiar with millionaires, and
even with billionaires. In the presence
Of so much wealth we are apt to for
get the general prosperity. Some peo-
pie are too quick to cry that the few
have been enriched through the i'm
poverishment Of the many. The truth
is that we are all. richer and better
off, because there has been such an
accumulation Of wealth. Our very
rich men are q help to- US 30 long q.
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