The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-12-04
SEES A MONARCHY
AS OUR FUTURE.
Control OF Capital by the Few
Or. Van Eeden Asserts, is Great
Menace to United States.


negle Hall. Or. Frederick Van Eeden.
Hollands foremost poet and practical
sociologist. who expended fortune
in experimenting with practical COM
munism. placed social conditions OF
the United States on the grddle and
served warning that the coantry is
trending toward monarchy through
despotism, due TO wealth in = few
hands.
Ruin and dissolution await, he ad-
ded. unless there is facing about.
When questioned during the period
OF Interrogation following the adj
dress. he failed To muster sufficient
courage TO takes sides On the ques-
tion OF woman suffrage.
Though discussing practical COM
munism as affording a solution OF the
problem OF the unemployed, he ad.
Litted his inability 10 offer any pre-
scription which here and now"
would offer cure for this social all
ment as encountered in the United
States. He argued for "A world wide
business organization, which. based
on the foundation of cooperation and
following modern business methods.
would methodically provide employ
ment, but tAe way TO this end, he adj
mitted, involved contest OF years
and a complete cutgrowth OF existing
conditions. In part. he said:
Common wealth is "A blessing and
necessity for higher spiritual de-
yclopment But private wealth.
without restriction or Limitation. as
We know IL in our present tisordered
society, is a curse and a cause of de-
privation and ruin, Of idiotic and sui
cidal waste. Everywhere where the
private individual was allowed TO ac-
cumulate unbounded riches for his
own use only. for extending his pri-
vate power, the result was a fatal
luxury, deprivation and demoraliza-
lion.
People in the Old World used to
have only one king at "A time. but
America seems TO entertain "A whole
crowd of them-steel kings. oil kings.
sugar kings, railway kings,
do you really believe that your
present social institutions are more
truly democratic and a better guar
antee against common dissolution
and ruin than those OF the Athens OF
Pericles and the Rome of the elder
Cato? Do you even presume TO have
realized the idea Of democratic re-
public as IL lived a little more than a
century ago in the minds of the great
founders of the American nation?
Are you really aware that you are
not a bit further from becoming a
monarchy that the Roman Republic
at the beginning of the Christian era.
or the first Frencrr Republic; and
that for the simple reason that in
your present condition this form OF
government is the form that you de-
serve. and because every nation gets
the form CT government that it de-
serves and nothing better?
Society to-day is constantly push
ing our most capable workers into
the whirlpool Of luxury and extrava-
gance, running them by allowing
them TO live on the fruits OF accu-
is bleeding society slowly to death.
THE remedy? II is clear. II
would mean 'he formation Of com
munity which kept in common pos
session those goods that, for the wei.
fare and preservation OF all. ought
TO remain common property-and
which, moreover, did not allow any OF
its capable members TO squander the
common goods without giving useful
work-a community which restrict.
ed the possibilities OF extravaganza
usury, parasitisp and idleness. and
on the other hard suffered no pauper.
ism and would never let any capable
and willing member starye for want
OF work.
Are all those who firmly believe
I'm the necessity and possibility OF n
better social order not free at any
moment TO form a body or corpora
tion with exactly those experimental
rules and institutions they think just
and rightful? The Salvation Army
affords a model. But / would have a
labor salvation army which would
bring ideals down 20 the plane Of bus
iness and raise business 10 the level
of ideals. and which would prevent
the making Of destitutes. That would
mean organization on mod rn busi.
ness lines and constructive growth
which, like tree, would outgrow
and overspread the underwood OF
present social conditions"