Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-04-25
Large and Appreciative Audi
ence Greets Able Young
Lecturer.
Points Out That Socialists Are
Enemies of Church and
Labor.
NOT AN ECONOMIC MOVEMENT

Macauley's Theater was filled
Sunday night with the best people
of Louisville, eager to greet Peter
w. Collins. of Chelsea, Mass, who
lectured on "The Coming Conflict,
or the Menace of Socialism," under
auspices of the Louisville Council,
| Knights of Columbus. In the boxes
and among the audience we're Mayor
Buschemeyer, Rev. James p. Cronin,
| v. G., Rev. Celestine Brey and many
others of the clergy. Camden Nc
Aztec presided, introducing Mr.. Col
| Inns as one of the greatest students
of Socialism in the country and the
author of many books on the sub
ject.
Socialism is the greatest OBJ
stacle today in the path of progress
for the workingman. The coming
conflict will be not between capital
and labor, but between labor and
Socialism," Mr.. Collins declared in
the beginning of his address. 'It
has been set forth by the Socialist
that this doctrine is being promul-
gated for the benefit of the work.
ingman, and it is claimed that 1t
originated with the workingman. l
deny that it had any such origin. 1t
originated in the minds of German
intellectuals, who had nothing in
common with the workingman-
notably Karl Marx" He declared
that the "atheism in MARKHAM So
cialism is sufficient to convince any
right-thinking man that that doc
trine did not spring from the work
lngman.'' The workingman is es-
sentially religious, he said, and is
spiritually incapable of denying the
existence of God, as he declared that
Socialism does.
1.-The materialistic conception of
history is the definition they give
stripped of it's classroom togs and
verbiage it means simply: There is
no Cod" Mr.. Collins also de-
clared that Socialism would demol-
ish not only religion, but private
property as we'll, and that ii would
end by demolishing the family. He
read quotations from Karl Marx,
Frederick Engels and other Socialists
in support of these assertions, and
concluded this part of his address
with the declaration that the labor
ing man was an inherent believer,
not only in religion, but in the
sacred rights of property and in the
sacred integrity of the home.
Thus he said, "the statement
that Socialism had it's origin and has
it's beneficiary in the workingman
becomes ridiculous" Government
ownership, the minimum wage, the
initiative and referendum and many
of the other planks that the Social
lists have included in their platform,
he declared, were not Socialism at
all, but were included in their pro-
paganda as a bait for honest persons
interested in reform. Socialism is
not an economic movement" Mr..
Collins declared. "In the early
stages 1t boasted an economic tenet
in the proposition: Labor is the
source of all wealth and culture
But at a later conference of Social
list leaders this tenet was repudiated.
and the movement is left without an
economic basis"
Reverting to the subject OF So
cialism and labor. Mr.. Collins de-
clared that the Socialists were
endeavoring in every way possible 10
destroy the efficiency of trade
unionism and the constructive labor
movement.
They are doing this because the
unions are an instrument that con-
tribute to the workingman's content
ment, and the Socialist movement
can not recruit its ranks from con-
tented men. II appeals to the
prejudices and passions OF the dis
contented. melting to class hatred
| and class struggle. There is no
class struggle in this country. except
such as is fostered by the soap-box
Socialist orator"
When the lecturer concluded he
invited any Socialists present TO fire
THEN balls and he would try and
catch them. This he did, in every in
stance scoring a put-out. Answering
calmly but quickly every question
proponnded, Mr.. Collins made plain
that the Socialists we're either ig-
norant or untruthful. In the course
OF his address he had referred 10
the /. w. w. as the 1 Won't Work
ers of the World. A woman In the
balcony arose and asked Mr.. Collins
what he would do about the unem-
ployed. There are two classes OF
unemployed" the speaker responded
"The men who won't work and mer
who would work II they could gel
employment. | dismiss the first
class as undeserving of our atten'
tion. AS to the second, 4 say give
labor an eight-hour day and goot
working conditions and We won
have any unemployed"
Mr.. Collins also fully and forcibl,
explained the position OF the Catholic
church toward Socialism and labor
reading the Papal encyclical and de
,larine that no Catholic, Christian
nor orthodox Jew can be a Socialist
Before leaving Louisville he ex
pressed himself pleased with hi
risit to Louisville. which he terme'
a wonderfully progressive city.