SOCIALISM IN PRACTICE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 144, 12 March 1908, Page 4

SOCIALISM IN PRACTICE.

■f .:r-.Bir,T-Your! leading: nrtiolo Saturday'?: ! - issuo doubt be read with muoh m- . torest, in- viow of tho -alarm which the'-'doc- ' ■ trine qf Socialisnr creates on the' one hand • -. y ;^ and/ the.' h'opd'jil other. From whom,-however, aro wo likely! to get a correct,.roprosentation of'a givion'philosophy—its expononSs.. or opponents? /•'(All's fair in iloyo and >war"omayv bo a very' ; i convenient guiding/'maxiin: orsprinoiploj. buV . ..it-docs not> by:''a , hyjmeins3co*nstittito:iav.^ii' l, / • fight. - The el^^^ ■ opposed to ariy/chango 'jn .th'6^prosent : 'social' the agency of thoir":Pr6s(i,'tho, progress !df : ■ : sociotyvtowards .Sobialisig—thai . . would / be' v -opan treachery to;-thoir ~avowa]s.:/i!p don so-" ..■ 'quently, >: 'mbdern;' Socialists do riot' hope: for •••.•• nor 'do looki tqTJfchem •i corning ■; conception of jtpf . essontial' that we study tho teachings :of modern scientific ; Socialists, and not the : columns of the caDitalistio l'ress. ■■■■■',

JBofqrci <wo .can' .hare - Socialism wo must liqyo'a majority, of. Socialists; each fully understanding tho-ijnaturo of his wants and tijp iniod^^pporqjj^whiolijiwil.l\ "securo" to hi.rii'th^rpali^tioi?;. • of;• his ;ideas. _• .That wjiich /is''{ermc.df jYj-'Stato". or 1 • "municipal Sqpialisni; is "Stato . capitalism, • 'anjl; every possifyjoi feature is indicative 1 of .'tjip'jlatter tlio -correct' term: Do tho wqrking classes own 'the ' tramways'; of:-tho; city of Wellington, or the . State collieries of thjo' tho_ miners of .the Blackball, :.Jtnjoi) At? present in dispute with Socialism or'tho Govcrnpieut; of Ne>v. Zealand , (the agent, of tho foreign moneylender) r \'*Tw6ul3 be as rcasonablo to declare that KinglEtlward VII' was tho' leader 'of'. tho. : party, of. Great Bri;tam. : ■ ; ,, ...... ; '"-Again; communities which havo claimed as fthoir : guiding principle the; doctrino of brothorly love have in numerous casos been promoted in- allCparts of tho world, and tho failures of thbso,in' most cases: to: establish a workablo basis,liave. been invariably flung at Socialism's as., "silencers", for all argument.• 'The success.of Socialism cannot lie in.a confusipn' lof' its^coricepts,! but only, in a clear arid, knowledge of its funda-' montBl :; '-'''pnrio;pl(A-;solf-interest.. _ ; Brotherly (lo'voViiivimaii may,,-be a ;very glorious virtue,! djui;rst ■ iftfQbmplotcly overshadowed.' by ; man's ;-selMntfere^t ; ' ;;i ici.;) ' • i bßdrhc;spcuringibf' .''the world for, tho world s tthrougK' political and economic, organisation—'that is. tho. true • definition of So-•bialism-^caniio't' by ? any possiblo -twist' of -the brain-:bo construcd to mean' "tho city tram■iways'tfor'ji'thd,^ im^iingj;oitizcn's^y.-.r, This .being,'ioj • how can from tlio. Edinburgh ; "Scotsvmkitfi claim?weight; '0f.,! argument against .Socialism,- ''pMhat; "Brest'is .a''single modern ■exaimpWof/a; city-tindir^Socialism?"-—l' am, fe.r ' ! JAMES 'KNIGHT. 3l|irgh .7,': 1905,. .; ,V. f-." ;.

v jW (OnrfiScpffespbijdorit's letter, _is ;agreeably ifre'e«frbmVthtft&buso rwliich!. usually forms a' contributions of.:»up- _ porters.: "of.; I ,tho Socialistic theory'.. Tins can*! '' "self-interest"' ! is ' . tho <'guitHngrprinciplo'-bf Socialism, arid that such virtues as brofherly lovo are completely pveri sliadowed-by it,'may to somo extent account.: Socialism as. prac-; tisedi it Brest. i'-Tho study of self-interest to of ono's fellows ; maybut surely-the 'su c_ cess'so attained'must bo a( the oxpenso .of 'sbiileone? r> At Brest, in tho end, the whole .community suffered '..through it—would the jsfuffering' bo 'tlio pipe-, ' tices to 'bo spread- ovor a wider area —say, 1 tjie '.Wholoworld? ' 1 'Socialistic catpli"-ci;i,es'.ai:o-!easy;to; invent; but thd ya'gub' theories '.which, tjiey,,embody, • as shown,', work out disastrously ./h /practice.) ■ kind i "permissionl- • would •'.an.ent' •; tho. .-iljaWding/iarticTo!-wKich' : :'app"eared 'in your .issue cif Satunlay laßt upon tho abovo subject.' It l'ronch naval .port ot Brest ;' .returned 'a Jmajprity.' of 'men. who' called thorn'.'.seiyfis"Socialistsj'i>o.'their:.town . council,:; .in .■'Mayy ISOi, 1 and that in- less,-,.than- twelve tliajvwprjcers in every trado" i'of :>,im-'portajjeo-werp on 'stflke.- - You do not state, however; 'that tho .'trades in, question' were nw>i&|;■ a 1 t^ttQllad. .by tho (town -'council, in 'tho peoplp'».as ; be-under:'a' regime'-of: municipal Socialism, 'aTsafaSinfbrenco .toVdraw;- without illcriowifts (anything of; tho' factsi'.'that .'privatb'. jjw'terp'risp'jcoiitrpllbd' tho 'industries-;pf Brest' .well; as l ,'before'; tho ! advent'. of; v ,thd ;Sooialistic /tbwh'.couiicil.-r ■'! Lea'.ying-iputupf .question, the! excitable 'and impptuous :• temperament' .'of. Frenchmen; ( ''it'is': haktlly; ; givih'g;S.obialism''a iair trial, to. ojcpect.gflpfl.results from.conditions such, as. th'oso~ivhioli "obtained in Brest. Ono of the | cjiiof r.aimjs' of Socialism...is' to''-'disperiso- with cKnflicting ,ai^d 'antagonistic''class'.interests) and; ;tp : m ergo , J alKt®lasses('of ■ the.'cbnimuriity into : ' bne ..runite^p'&ibcracy. whose 'collective' ii(|eai ; i will , ljo\ , ii!svMy6lop! a.' higher of: ;huma'nityi ,: 'Eveft®oUtoutest'champions, of; private admit that tho :gettmg of wealtlfaor onoV own graification irr6spectivo ; of the others'.is'riot a'; make,: better men arid women of.us. \:• -..

; t> Maji jdoes,: not 1 hve ■ by 1 bread .alone,: and i WQi'igm ; eyolvp ,a social'system, out ' : of/the',present chaotic.(StatoYof . affairs in; which none -will„^o: hungry, while '.there is /plenty {orYill^ and-which willprovidofor the :iptellect'uill' of rtlio ipeopjo' as .well. ,a^! supplying " their , material' . bettor tliari contiiiiuiig olass against' class and nation' afeainst'liation. \ •'. ■. .' I •'•ijiThs: loßsdiT .'ofoißrest; should 'show.'honest ;l3abo'ur : lfea4'ers,lf!%lid :are not lighting: Social-. ,i|jn'for jobs;ptjaco cannot reighj-so . long;, as interests 'of employers. awl§'omployeesY cohtiniie ian- -• tK ! goni stic. and-opposed to-each other as .tliey aVo, at present.—r amireto.,: :/- / i NYM..: '!vSliaKH'<krJfarch"9'• ■ ', v