SOCIALISM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 176, 20 April 1908, Page 10

SOCIALISM.

• -4 — SPEECH BY MR. TOM MANN. . AN ATTACK ON THE CHURCHES. Mr. Tom Mpjhi, who is again visiting Ne\ Zealand;' addressed, a , meeting in tho Opert House last evening,-, under the auspices of the Wellington branch of the Now-Zealand Sa cialist party. The audience filled the-Opera House in every part. Mr. Robert Hogg prr sided. . ,'i ' .. .' . ... Mr. .-Mann, who'■• was received with .'applause; arid .many of whoso remarks •wer* . received with enthusiasm, spoke for tw\ tours. He reviewed the evolution of society ; through the: successive systems , of ■ cbatto! slavery And feudalism to. modern capitalism,. and declared .that capitalism in its tiirn.waa working itself out..; Unrestricted competition • was being modified by combinations of difi ferent kinds 'among capitalists,. r What, then, was Revolutionary socialism P Th'ero had been an industrial revolution, t a complete change of system from land production.. t<) machiuo and factory production; Revolution was the culmination;of. evolution.. Thus, by way of, illustration, cosmic impact, as; described by Professor Bickerton — (applause) — was ■ in : - strict accord with evolution, and yet-in its . suddeii formation'of new worlds and other cataclysmic changes, might well ,be called;.re- ' yolutioiiary.. So'also society might.-change, - rapidly, and be _ 'suddenly and i greatly modified. Of this nature was So- " cialism,and Socialists ' wore ; helping forward evolution. Parliaments-evdn in Aus--tralasia' wore class and capitalistic' 'institutions. He would-hot dep'reeiato honest efforts to better the general conditions, tut ;how - much more than a, living wage did the worker . in New Zealand get,- when lie had' to'.pay 225. a week for rent?.' (Applause.)'. The capitalists had as -firm a. grip: of. New Zealand, now as they had ten years ago. The Literals had . not tried, to throw'.'them off.'*-. .The. churches always, ■ and in' all countries', sup. •. ported the material interests of; the ; ,domin- ' ant class. : Tlie'y dare not .say, as Moses'did ( - .l- ---" Thou slialt not lend money. to thy brother . on usury." Moses dealt with'the .land. question, and said the land should liot be sold for ever, but should be restored every "50 years.. The churches daro not preach' thatj -because. the . landlords' wanted.-them to' defeiid . th» present system. .They' "dare, not -say, like tin' prophet Amos, that tho rich were treading ■ upon the poor. And so .the. churchcs had-lost ' their power'and all their.intellectual virility (Loud applause.) ..i.There was not an intelli-. - gent man 1 to be found how who .cared two'; straws ,for what Was said in the 1 pulpit. '. (Applause.) There were exceptions :<in "the churches. There was J. Campbell, who . had given up entirely the "jiggery-pokery" of tho old .theology, and told his congregation so. That did not' disprove the general censure just pronounced upon the.churches. Campbell was one "plum, aiiil tlie're waS a loti of duff there. (Loud applause.) The churches overlooked the .teachiiig of the parable of tho vineyard, under \yhich the man who had not ■ had a char.ce of putting in a full day's work was paid tho same as, the man who had. Mr. Mann, declared that the Socialist movement was now making ranid progress in all lands, and 'aftor .describing the benefits 'which its fidl realisation-;..would, confer ho urged his hearers to with > it as with'a great,,and glorious'cause. (Ap>plause.) ' . Tho meeting, concluded amidst further de ; monstrations of enthusiasm. • - , .