New-York tribune., 1910-01-24
MORE ON SO .IALlSM
IN BROOKLYN
Professor 1. f. Russell and
Norris HiUquit the Sneakers.

F1fteen hundred persons crowded into III.
Labor Lyceum. at Willoughhv and nf,,r,1a
avenues. Williamsburg. yesterday a,,ar-
noon, to hear Professor Isaac rr.n,,I,,
RUSSELL. Of the New York University r.,
school and Morris Hillouit. the soo,oi,s+
lawyer. debate on Socialism Versus the
Present Order" The police of the Ham
o"Fs avenue station closed the doors whom
tne haH was filed. and hundreds were nm
aoie 10 gain admittance. The debate vas
arranged by the Peoples Forum of Rrook-
lyn. 0i Dfooh-
in opening the debate Mr. Hillouit said
that the subject created an ERRONEOUS a.,
preston in that it implied that rocio,,sr,
was arrayed against the whola as+.L,,.t,a.
social order. He said that sooia,,s. -.
an industrial movement, that its fcllou,ar.
were not opposed to private proner+v and
uio not propose to divide up He daapes
uhe oasic claim OF socialism as follows.
and SYctTnSih TbaI advocates but one basic reform.
S-an<-ai riiat one fully reaAzable within the
SeneIal framework of modern citiii1a me ilte
- :, demands that the principal indnstriaa
U - tale nauon, the business of r1roducing ths
itecessaries OF life shall be condncfe5 'iIv he
small cFkae cFkie Tor the people, and not by one
diyidusi sS-;n, Gt Ine population for their in
me corrective ownership of all social IN. in-
roads. ernS Tnineo OF prodnction-the land. rail-
-a,s.
tin!hery, and the democratic adniinistra
thn tioa OF the industries based on them for
'iie dement, Of all the people.
In his answer to Mr.. Hillquit. Professor
Russell said:
1nSl,.n ana .neresy for it's attacks on capital and
CAPITALISTS; Capital is indispensabIe m en-
Of N gsrc II Is the source and handspring
"a wages. The laborer cannot pay himself
"a! ny wages out of the finished product of
a-;t, I.-s Ipii, eIse he would have no quarrel
winch We are building the Panama canal
ana our city schools, rests on visible &C
sources sources IN lands. franchises and personal
charge socialism with economic error
IN IA aoXocatng rate of wages determined
mand and supply. No producer of me-
ceandlse can for any appreciable length
% % LlIlle continue 10 pay more than the
market rate of wages. and keep out of
bankruptcy. Assuming that he has TO meet
competition he is doomed as soon as his
capital shaH have vanished. Nor is it in
accord with sentimental Justice to nav
some favored toiler more than his EQUALLY
worthy brother can earn.
socialism reDresSes individual deveIon-
ment 1t substitutes for self-direction the
aa3uthorlty OF the many. It dwarfs and
turns the toiier from his chosen ''isI fed of
Iovlng ,.oIIss iaoor to the pathway of dreary and
selfish advantage prompts him to dis
semole his genius If he has any and hide
the gift that threatens TO double his tasks
eIn rebuttal Mr.. HillQuit said:
charge Professor Russell with the crime
OF having created q man OF straw labelled
him socialism and then slaughtered him
with premediation and deliberation It is
a hagrant case of straw slaughter
l charge capitalism with cruelty and hy-
pocrisy in its attitude to work and in
reyiiing human labor. l charge the capital
ist class with ,cornering the machinery of
wealth production, upon which the life of
the people depends. I charge the capitalist
class with extorting extragavant wages
from the workers without giving any real
equivalent
No decision was announced. but the
audience seemed TO favor Mr.. Hillquit.
District Attorney Whitman presided.