New-York tribune., 1918-04-27
Why Is a Socialist?

Our neighbor "The Evening Call"
makes quotation from recent article in
which we suggested that large part OF
the discomfort and feeling of the work
ingman toward existing conditions was
due to the persistent endeavors of "igno-
rant newspapers, demagogic politicians
and even men in high places in the gov
ernment to feed them up with the idea
that they are the victims of combina-
tions, trusts and profteering scoundrels."
"The Call' doubts not that "in the
estimation of The Tribune it would be
included as one of these ignorant news
papers," But it adds: 1--WE have never
presented the workingman's case in that
manner" 1t declares:
Eve have pointed out that he is the
victim of system of production and dis
tribution that is rapidly becoming hope
less and unworkable for him, irrespective
of 'scoundrels.' If they were called saints
instead of scoundrels it would not make
a particle of difference in the situation"
We have put two words from this quo
tation in italics because they seem to us
to disclose almost the whole of the So
cialist obsession.
We assure our friends of "The Call"
and others who believe with them, that
we should never suggest that they were
"an ignorant newspaper" in the sense
of not knowing their economics and
understanding the arguments of more
orthodox writer's. They know them ex-
tremely we'll.
That of which "The Call" and, we
think, practically all believers in social
ism are ignorant is that new science
has been born which is beginning to re-
veal why we think and "believe" as we
do
The average Socialist has implicit
confidence that his ideas are reasoned
ideas, that of them he has "proof" and
that "reason'-his reason-will one day
prevail!
In this regard he does not differ from,
for example, the believer in Henry
George, nor, we regret to say, from the
average of men who write so passion
ately against them.
Yet nothing is clearer than that all
economic belefs-we care not whether
it be the Socialists, or Henry Georges,
or Herbert Spencer's-are rooted in
feelings or emotions. We feel first and
reason about it afterward.
The proof is that if the same set. Of
facts, or any kind of happening like
Homestead strike or the labor war in
Colorado, be laid before jury Of any
hundred men you could choose at ran
dom-no matter how educated or intel
ligent-you would have at the very
least two or three radically different
groups of opinions or verdicts. 1t is
always so, and probably always will be-
All this is tacitly, if not clearly, recog-
nized by Marx and his followers in their
ideas that socialism is essentially a ''class
war" Yet it would be difficult to find
single Socialist writer of standing, be-
fore Marx or after, to say nothing OF
that extraordinary person himself, who
does not implicitly believe that his is
the fright" that his cause is Gust" and
that it can be demonstrated by reason"
They must. 1t is a necessity of self
justification, or, if you prefer, of ego
tistic reinsurance. And so must thew
all, "The Call" or Mr.. Spargo, or Mr..
Stokes, or Mr.. Walling, and all the rest
They must, because if they recognized
that all their ideas were founded wholly
upon such primitive emotions as selfish
ness and Jealousy and the most childish
fancies they would not think it worth
while to write and preach so passion
ately for the Justice" of socialism. Yet
1t IS just this which exploration in a
new field OF psychology now clearly re-
Veais. In this view all our thoughts
Deiiefs, concepts, spring principally from
few basic groups Of emotions or az
'hey are termed, "complexes."
Ihus we all have in greater or les.
degree the "Gdipus" complex, which is
nothing more than the boys love for h;s
mother; or the Electra" complex. which
's girls love for her father and from
these spring powerful attractions. like
love at first sight," and antagon;sro
such az the child's jealousy of it's father
or mother, which 80 deeply mould our
lives.
Then there are others hardly less
powerful, az, for example, that which
right be named in similar wav the
A'das' complex, the desire of grea,
= ichts, and its twin sister, what we
rai8nt name the "Catiline" complex.
tgaiclEy and hatred of the ricb Ava