The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-27
on ACcncrArrn PRESS
LESSON IN SOCIALISM


corner the workings of socialism, and
showing that socialism is failure as a
scheme for human amelioration-at
least, socialism insofar as it has been
developed into practice. 1t will be
d recognized that, as Wells says, social
ism is but partial theory, and has
not developed to the working out the
conception of this new political and
social order of which our world admit
tedly stands so much in need" and
ettfthat no socialist sect has yet defined
u its projected government clearly" but
the soviet experiment can be regarded
as being as complete as existing ma
terials allow, as having been upon a
large enough scale to show it's quail
ity; and it has not been seriously in
terfered with by outsiders. 1t is a
failure, contrary to all that has been
predicted of socialism. 1t has not pro-
I. duced what it promised. 1t has had all
the opportunity any human effort
could expect to have to prove its
merit, and as it has failed the fault
must be looked for in the scheme
itself.
Of course, it will be said that Lenin
and Trotzky are to bear the blame ;
but if there is one thing that has been
shown it is that these two men actually
tried to introduce socialism and to en-
force its practice. We need not ask
what motive they had, or whether they
were seeking simply their own selfish
profit from the stupidity of the Rus
sian people; for the fact will not be
disputed that they acted as believers
in socialism and ran the whole gamut
e. of practice of socialism. When they
abandoned it we may be sure the rea-
7son was that they found they could
mot go on with it, and that socialism,
as at present constituted or as doc
trine for the guidance of human con-
duct, is a failure. We do not have to
wait to see these leaders thrown out
and their system repudiated by the
Russian people. Their own course sup
plies the proof of failure.
aware of the catastrophe that has
dovertaken their religion in Russia.
They see it in the tremendous decline
of their membership in this country,
which would naturally be at the high
est mark today if the practice of So
cialism had proved successful, but
which is at the lowest point since the
beginning, having shrunk to 12,474
from $4,000 four years ago; they see
it in the small attendance upon the
party's national convention held last
week in New York City and in the de-
pleted condition of the party's treas
,nry; as also in the confessions of the
soviet members themselves, and in the
publication in the Moscow official or
gans of the soviet.
1t is asking too much to expect of
them any criticism Of socialism itself.
They have never defined the system
and they still have hope that if the
thing were defined it would prove to
be panacea; but they do find fault
with sovietism, and pronounce it fail
urc; and that is enough for practical
purposes, seeing that sovietism is all
the socialism the world has yet been
able to see demonstrated, and all pos
sibly the world will ever see.
Mr.. Abraham Cahan, editor of the
Jewish Forward, was the principal
Speaker on the subject of the soviet,
.,J +o1d tho oopvap+ioy, thot socialism,
had been flirting with sovietism long
enough; that the socialists had given
Lenin and Trotzky their chance and
they had failed. When Lenin declared
two years ago that the wagon had
been pulled as far up the hill as it
could be pulled and could not be got
zen over the hill, he admitted, as all
NOW, that the effort was a failure.
eve have been studying them and fol-
lnwing them for two years, and what
Gas happened? The wagon went down
Ind down into the mire." He added
eve now see that Lenin has gone
down with it."
- 1t is natural that the reasons found
for the failure are lack of moral char
acter in the leaders, selfishness, ras.
cality, the thousands of takers and
Erafters," and the mistaken ideas and
actions of the precisely
the obstacles every reformatory move
n1ent must expect to meet, and If it is
To- prove success, overcome. There
never was an important human under
taking that was not beset by such; anc
70 confess failure on account of then
is to confess that the movement itself
lacked vital character.
We are glad to be able to say that
the work of wrecking socialism has
been done so thoroughly by the soviet
that in all probability it will never have
to be done over agan-and in this re-
spect the world is the beneficiary from
what has happened in Russia.
q -.-.---.---
~ AN ATTITUDE OF POISE