Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-06-20
MARKHAM SOCIALISM
Its Definition and HiStor-
iCaI Rise.
Editor News:

III ldsb L DOl met
out the fact that the American Social
ist Party in its platform of 1904 haC
said: 'As an American Socialist Par
ty, we pledge our fidelity to the prin
ciples of international socialism as EN-
bodied in the united thought and act
ion of the socialists Of all nations ,
Here was an official endorsement by
the American Socialist Party of Inter
national Socialism. l also quoted Nor,
ris Hilquit, a national committeeman
of the Socialist Party to the effect that
the international Socialist movement
is all based on the one MARKHAM pro-
gram and that this MARKHAM or inter
national socialism is the socialism of
the American Socialist Party and the
only socialism worth discussing. Then
came the question: What is this Mar
xian socialism, To this question | pro-
missed an answer which | now proceed
to give. But first let me say in order
to forestall objections that will al
most certainly be made that do not
hope to be able to give definition of
MARKHAM Socialism that all will ac-
cept that is wellnigh an impossi bility
All shall endeavOr to do will be to
give definition that will show the
chief and essential features of this So
cialism. / define MARKHAM socialism
to be: That proposed economical and
| philosophical system of life which, on
its economic side would substitute the
collective ownership of property, the
means Of production and distribution
of products for our present individual
ownership and accepts as its philoso-
ply materialistic evolution or monism
which it has adopted under the name
of the materialistic conception of his
tory or as socialists now prefer to call
it, Economic Determinism No
one who has studied MARKHAM social
ism will object to this definition and
no real socialist will even wish to do
so.
A little later we shall discuss this
definition. In order to understand it
better and to determine its real mean
ing | now propose to dip briefly into
the history of modern socialism and
lay some facts before the readers of
the News in regard to it. Socialism in
itself is not new or modern. 1t held a
place in the discussions of the Pagan
philosophers long before the Christian
era, while as early as 1900 B. c., we
find kind of communism introduced
to the island of Crete. Modern Social
ism, however, took its rise from the
great development of industry and the
consequent modification of social con
3itions dating from the later part of
the eighteenth century, which witness
cd the French Revolution. In the ear
" rart of the nineteenth century sew
eral men in different parts of the
e nIi IiuEs
ideas and various attempts were made
to establish communities on com
munistic basis. All of these, however,
failed. Of the men of this period the
great agitator, Ferdinand Lasalle
(tS25-1S64) exercised more perman-
ent influence upon the development of
socialism than any of the others, at
least in Germany. But the man who
was destined to reduce sociallstic Ideas
to a science and to become, as the Ber-
lin "'Vorwarts'' called him, "The
giant pathfinder of socialism" and
the greatest teacher Of the socialist
,@lties of the world was Karl Marx,
who was born of Jewish parents at
Treves, May 5th, 1918. In 1884 the
whole family embraced Professionalism.
Marx was we'll educated, took course
of law and philosophy and in 1841 was
admitted as private professor at the
University of Bonn. In 1843 he mar
ried, moved to Paris and there gave
himself up to the study of political
economy aud of sociallstic writings
and was soon gained over to socialis-
tic principles. While at Paris he
made the acquaintance of Frederick
Engels, who became his fast friend
and collaboration. In 184S these two
at the request of the Communist I'm
ion drew up and published the "Man-
festo of the Communist Party which
contained the germs of all the leading
ideas afterwards developed by Marx
and closed with the battle cry of mod
ern socialism, "Proletarians of all
countries unite % From this time on
Marx became a leading spirit i'll the
socialIstic movement.
In 1864 Marx took the lead in the
formation of the international Work
ingmen's Association. He drafted the
statutes and the declaration of princi-
rles OF this organization which we've
ratified by convention OF working
men held at Geneva in 1866. Thereaf-
ter an international convention was
held almost every year until 1873
when the organization was disrupted
internal dissensions. One of
these conventions held at Brussels in
1868 already gave evidence of it's an
tagonism to Christianity which has
since been evidenced in socialism,
when it adopted a resolution to replace
the Bible and religion by humanita-
rianism which would leave out God
and pay honor only to those men who
had gained distinction by increasing
the material we'll being of mankind,
In 1867 Karl Marx published the
first volume of his famous work entit- |
led "Capita" in which are enlarged
and developed the ideas of the Com
muni>t Manifesto In this work Will
be found the economical and philosoph-
icsl features of MARKHAM Socialism as
| have defined it. 1t is frequently re-
ferred to as the Socialist Bible and
has taken place among socialists sim
liar to that held by the Bible among
christians.
In the meantime thele had been
growing in Germany movement !
known as the Social Democracy which |