The Washington herald., 1908-08-28
Socialism as a Campaign Bogv.

lions.
Socialism as q Campaign Bogy-
/ 1lr. Bryan has countered effectively
upon The socisrstc bogy that is brought
4 forward at every election 10 confuse and
/ rreiudice the minds CT the voters. The
/ public can no longer be frightened into
/ spasms by declarations thai this. that
+ or the other thing is socialism. yet Re
1 publican writer's and speakers stH cling
/ 10 the notion that they have potent
/ campaign argument in the assertion. 10
+ quote from their national platform. that
. the trend Of Democracy IS toward SC
ciaIsn-" M Bryan replies 20 This that
the Democratic party adheres to its an
cient faith in individualism. 10 the extent
. Of standing up for The economic doctrine
/ Of competition a doctrine the very an
/ tithesis OF socialistic- while the Repub-
/ Iican party is ranging itself Or the side
{ OF reasonable restraint Of trade and the
/ development. under Federal regulation.
I Of more OF less monopolistic interstate
corporations
/ He shows also that these great corpo-
I rations, essentially sociaustic in their
nature and tendency. have been built up
+ by the Republican policy OF protection,
the mother Of trusts. and he might have
gone farther 10 say that protection useIf
/ is sociaHstic rather than otherwise. mas
much as il pretends 10 guarantee high
wages 10 labor and what 4Ir. Taft calls
"a reasonable profit 70 the employee
That socialists themselves regard trusts
as a part OF thct economic revolution
w-ich is 20 usher n the sociaIistic regime
IS too well known 70 require dem0nstra-
ton OF the protectiCnist theory. Lau-
renee Groniund. in his exposition Of So
ciaEsn. says that il is so much II har-
Do1y with the present tendency OF the
state in the direction Of sociali--- TAT
We cannot but syupathize with .-- This
view Is by no means uncommon. nos only
among socialists. but among economists
who have no sympathy with socialism Il.
then. there IS any tendency toward So
cialism il our national policies. the Re
publican party, as 8Ir- Bryan rightly OBJ
serves, cannot escape responsibility for Il
The truth IS. OF course, that the politi-
cal drift Of The day IS toward socialism
If socialism may be broadly though not
very accurately defined as a belief IN
the continuous and indefinite expansion
Of governmental functions, particularly
those having TO do with the regulation Of
economic activities. \ belief Of this sort
is widely prevalent in this country. and
while those holding II may stop short Of
pure socialism, OF may be strongly op-
posed 10 the entire absorption Of pro
ductive energies By the state. there can
be 10 question that the steady extension
OF governmental functions into the eco
nOmic order. and the constantly increas- /
ing interference Of the state with the IN /
dust-iaI and commercial operations. have (
a strong socialistic favor.
Writing before his accession 10 the
Presidency. E-r. Roosevelt predicted that
'as the people Of a state grow more and
more intelligent, the state may be able to I
play a larger and larger part in the life I
Of the community. while at the same time
individual effort may be given freer and
less restricted movement along certain /
lines" Mr.. Roosevelt is far from being
a socialist yet his Presidential policies (
stand for a centralized control over COM
merce and industry that certainly viii
not be condemned by any philosophic So
cialist To the extent that Mr.. Bryan
accepts these policies. or their Demo 4
cratic equivalents. we doubt not he IS
willing TO stand or fall as a socialist with
the President Both believe thoroughIvi 4
II making use OF the legitimate authority Z
Of government 10 combat the recognized /
evils Of plutocratic industrIalism. even If
that course does interfere with what usa5
10 be considered, narrowly enough. as in
rights OF person and property.
Il IS q rather loose employment Of /
terms, as we promised above. 10 class
every extension OF governmental func-
tions into the economic order as social
ism Yet the classification IS partially
JUSTIFIED by the paradox that such sdvo-
Gates Of extending state functions as
President Roosevelt and Mr.. Bryan seek
by their policies 10 avert socialism, while
socialists look upon these same policies
as part though possibly minor part.
Of the social revolution which they as
sert TO be carrying US all onward to a
new order Of things We are all going in
the same general direction, according 10
the sociaiistic view, though most Of US
aver that We shall stop a long way OF
from the sociaiistic ideal Being victims