Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-03-21
WHAT SOCIALISM MEANS.


Henry George writing in the New
York Journal In 1896 called Populism
the organized discomfort OF America
and It Is Is thought by many that 80
cialism would be fitly described In the
same phrase. But this the Socialists
deny. They think 1t would take at
least a sentence to convey the mean
ing of Socialism. The descriptive SEN
tence might read something like this
Socialism is growing body OF doc
trine which expresses the political
ideas and sentiments of an increasing
number Of discontented work people"
It will be noticed that In this SEN
tence Socialism is not regarded as a
completed thing. as 1t would be II the
phrase used by Henry George to de
scribe Populism was considered ade-
Quate. On the contrary, Socialism Is
here regarded as something that is be-
ing enlarged both In doctrine and in
membership. New bodies OF dIscon-
tented workers are constantly coming
Into the organization. and as each
member has an equal voice In 1t. new
political ideas and beliefs are being
constantly added to the body OF doc
trines which at any time go by the
name OF Socialism. This does not
mean that there are no permanent
beliefs in It. For no one can Join the
party until he or she has signed the
following application card;
a. the undersigned, recognizing the
class and the working class. and the
necessity OF the working class consti-
tuting themselves into political
party, hereby declare that have sew
cred my relations with all other par
ties; and hereby apply for admission
to membership In the Socialist party"
When a man signs one OF these
cards he says he believes there Is
class struggle going on. But his be-
lief need be only nominal. He is not
called upon to prove he has a clear
per ception Of the lines that divide
the contending classes. nor that he
can give any clear account OF the ma
ture Of the struggle between them. II
such requirement were insisted upon
only those having trained intellects
would be eligible to membership, and
In organization limited to that class
would have no chance of becoming
majority. The Socialist organizations,
therefore, depend for their recruits
upon a rapidly forming class. which
they think will soon have majority
Ct tho votes-nameiy the discomfort
ed workers.
The men who are organizing the So
cialist party know that people will not
come into their organization until they
are dissatisfied with conditions exist
Ing outside. And they also know that
the conditions under which the work
crs live are so bad they will have no
lack OF material to work on. Discon.
tent is the raw material out of which
Socialism is built. and It ought TO be
worth some study.
Beginning. as we must. on ourselves.
we know that when we are discon-
tented our minds are filled with un-
satisfied longings or desires blended
win anger. fear, resentment or Other
painful emotions in varying degrees
and intensities. We also know that
this mass OF feeling sometimes prompt
us TO act In uncustomary ways. For
Instance. when a laboring man looks
for Job long time and after getting
II finds himself unable TO make an
effective demand for fair wages. his
feelings sometimes lead him to be-
come a tramp. thief or a suicide.
His feelings do not have this result,
however. when they are guided by In
teIliEence. II he looks around he
will zee that natures resources are
ample to supply all human wants, and
people are destitute and starving only
because they have been denied access
TO the tools and materials o. produc-
ton, seeing this his curiosity or his
needs will lead him to seek the cause
Of his privation: and he will md It
ia monopoly. Having seen this, he
usually thinks the only thing to do
IL TO fight 1t out on the economic field,
70 he Joins . labor union and goes
,n . strike. But after he gets few
wslts over the head with police
nsns club. or = few prods with a
'ayonet he Ands out he had better
% into politics. He then joins the
srty which be thinks has the best |
hanes Of getting control Of the govern
'snt. and'hs has great hopes that tho
plicsrsn's cIub will soon bs on his