, 1908-09-26
ASPECTS OF
SOCIALISM
RAILROAD CONDUCTOR WHO HAS
PRONOUNCED VIEWS ALONG
THE LINE OF POLITICS.
Asserts That Fundamental Principle
. Socialism Is Abolition OF Elk
pIcitation and Cites Leading EN-
ploiters Of several Apss-Msn
Are Equal But Not Alike.
laramie, Wyo., sept. Is. 1908.

- r". HNHt-t
Laramie, Wyo., Sept. rs. 1908.
To the Editor of The Republican.
AS election is approaching. l want to
say a few words to brace up those
weakened republicans who are on
the fence whether to vote for Taft or
Debs. l will have to jot 1t down In a
hurry; my caboose is first out now, and
you will have to correct the grammar
and Try AMI give it some form OF CO
herency and let her go, Gallagher!
Would Abolish Exploitation.
The trrime object of socialism Is to-
abolish exploitation. / believe Chisto-
pher Columbus was the first explciter
| read about; he Was sent on an
errand by the Genoese merchants who
were rivals of Venice. j.. J.. Hill OF the
Great Northern railroad is an exploit
ter; so was the late Cecil Rhodes.
There are others far back In TIE
musty ages of antiquity-Joseph lead
ing his brethren into Egypt and Moses
leading them out.
We are all exploiters.
A Man and A Horse.
l also believe socialism. claims that
the man who performs the labor is
entitled to as much as the one who
directs 1t. II SO, the horse that drags
the pillow Is entitled to as much as the
man who directs him, Notwithstanding
the horse II left to his W resources,
would soon s~tarve; more likely he
would get tired and quit, since come
to think about it.
| believe the architect who labors by
the midnight lamp drawing his plans
for next day is entitled to more than
the daily laborer who quits at 8.
Some socialists agree that If property
held by private persons was found nee
essary for the public welfare it should
be purchased.
sows Dehs Aphorissns.
have before me a copy Of Every
body's Magazine for October, in which
this question is put to Mr.. Debs by Mr..
Lincoln Steffens, and his answer Is
characteristic; he says, Take 1t"
Mr.. Debs is authority; he Is the
author Of such terse epigrams as the
following during the A. r U. strike:
Save your money and buy a gum al
so during the Haywood trial, I'VE will
lead a mob to Idaho.'
l believe the expression, take IT,
was ~practiced by the Jacobins In the
french revolution.
Equal But Not Alike.
Turning from the Industrial aspect
of. socialism, l want to say a few words
about what seems TO be the Impractical
side of it, 1 will not dispute the JET
| fersonian theory that 'all men are
born eq~uai,"Abut l DO, believe all men
are not born alike; there are many
| shades of temperament from Dogenes
| to Cecil Rhodes. Diogenes was con
| tent with a tub for a house n a tin
| cup for his furniture. imagine that
with few cares for the present, he had
little apprehension for the future; was
as devoid of sentiment as a mile stone
| With no desires. he could smile Al
| trouble. shake hands with misfortune,
land give. sorrow the merry hal ha!
| Cecil Rhodes, the empire builder-e1
| ploiter IL you willEwas the antithesis
| If this, and on his deathbed exclaimed
How much to do, how little DONE
| What q gospel fs this for those who
| believe in an S-hour or a 6-hour day.
Some Noted Differences.
We are not all alike. Some are born
| practical, some ideal. some senti
mental, orher imaginative and impul
sive. How does socialism expect to
blend this medley into one harmonious
whole? AS we'll might one expect a
cat on a post to contemplate in costa
tic bliss her open-mouthed pursuer at
her feet.
system Not Perfect.
I do not uphold everything in our
|present social system, but l believe mel
Their c~oniscaiion 10 philanthropy will
| solve it. Humanity did not attain Its
| present high domain by either. 1t is
IN labor now In total ignorance OF
either, and it is an easy thing for 50
cialists to negate everything in our
present system. A Ounce can ask a
question a sage cannot answer, and be.
cause 1t may not be easy to answer, he
may imagine himself intoxicated with
the exuberance Of his own wisdom.
Any Herastratus can fire the Ephesiaa
temple but-can he replace it?
e. T. GARRITY.