New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-22
NEARING CHEERED
In SOCIALIST TILT
With Hillquit, He Debates
Against Fl. Bedford
and Associate.
BROOKLYN CROWD
SPLIT IN FACTIONS
No Decision Made After Attacks
on Money and Power Are
Heard and Answered.
Thank goodness. that. settled

Thank goodness, that's settled
To the complete satisfaction Of 5000
young and old men and women in the
opera house OF the Brooklyn Academy
Of Music last night, II was definitely
determined that socialism is and Is not
desirable in the United States and that
II will and will not eventually be our
system Of government.
No one who listened to the debate on
the questio participated In by Pro-
fessor Scott Nearing. details Of whose
departure from the University of Penn
sylvana are still fresh in the mind:
Morris Hillquit, a well known social
list; the Rev. Father John L. Bedford
and Professor Frederick NJ. Davenport,
Of Hamilton College. a Progressive e
could fail TO arrive at the decision out
lined. Inasmuch as the Brooklyn In
stitute Of Arts and Sciences. which
staged the argument. neglected TO pro-
vide Judge or referee. one will have
10 accept that statement of the re-
suit as fnal-or leave it,
The crowd which poured itself Into
the opera house was on the scene so
early that for some time It was feared
Brooklynites had misinterpreted the
announcement and had attended in the
belief that the occasion was 20 be
night and not a debate. The time set
for opening hostilities was s:l5, but
by o'clock the hall was so Jammed-
200 persons we're accommo dated on the
stage-that 300 or 400 persons we're
barred at the doors. The crowd was OF
a tremendous social mixture and Of So
was well dressed and generous with
applause and Kisses; and il was very
fortunate that the hall contained seats,
for otherwise some OF the auditors who
came. in the course Of the verbal quar-
rel TO dislike the attitude Of some Of
the other auditors might have had
better opportunity TO decide the ques-
tion along other lines.
Time Limit for Speaker.
professor Nearing and Mr. Hillouit
spoke on the affirmative side. and
Father Bedford and Professor Daven-
port on the negative. Each speaker
was given fifteen minutes for opening
and ten minutes In which 10 declare
that what his two opponents had said
was wrong, incorrect and bally rot.
When Professor Nearing was intro
duced he received what. had opera been
the card, would have been described
as the biggest hand OF the night. This.
OF course. was largely due TO recent
events in the young mans life. He had
TO wave his calming right arm several
times before the audience would stop
its applause.
Socialism. he said, Is becoming inev-
liable in this country, and it's approach
Is being promoted by the actions Of
Just such men as those whose opera
tons the trial Of the New Haven direc-
tors is disclosing. When our fore
fathers settled this country and the
Indians, he said, the resources were suf-
fcient for every resident; what the in
dividual could do best he was permit
ted 70 do, and what communities were
best fitted TO perform was left 20
them.
Socialism said Father Bedford, as
a plan, with economics as basis, 20
reorganize society. With socialism
there will be no man or woman, no
starvation, no poverty. no suffering.
no crime and no worrying about en-
ployment. II must necessarily exclude
religion, for one Of its principles denies
:he existence of everything but matter
Socialism denies the right Of owner
ship.
"But economic evils here are not
intrinsic TO private ownership. And
socialism has never been able to prove
that collective ownership is an effics-
cious remedy"
Mr.. Hillauit declared tia. democracy
in this country can never be complete
without Socialism.
less than / per cent OF our pepu-
lation control our lands and method OF