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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10659, 12 May 1906, Page 5 (Supplement)

connection with the Reform League, Colonel Bell (formerly United States Consul m Sydney) delivered an address recently m Sydney on "Democracy v. Socialism." tie said that all we had to-day of real civilisation arose from individualism, yet to-day civilisation was challenged, and there were people who boldly proclaimed it to be a failure. The British Empire was the triumph of private enterprise, and it was private enterprise that sent sturdy colonists abroad. Private enterprise lighted the lamp of progress as all the world marched by. Under socialism they would lean against the post and borrow a match while the billet was passed round on a silver plate. Socialism was a monster with enough hands to go into every one's pocket, and a head not big enough to hold 4oz of brain. The socialists were trying to make socialism popular by making it respectable. So they called it social democracy. The two things weije utterly different. Democracy would level up, socialism would level down. Socialism continually proclaimed to the world that man was incapable of taking care of himself. The socialist party had _ an objective. They were going to nationalise monopolies. A monopoly was nothing but a condition, and it was just as impossible to nationalise a monopoly as. to nationalise a parallelogram 6r a bad smell. (Laughter.) They would never get people into.Australia unless they crushed out socialism and confiscation. People would not fight to defend a collective community. There never was a. case yet of men who fought to t defend the boardinghouse. (Laughter.) He was not saying a word against the leaders of the socialist movement, but his experience of them m various parts of the world led him to think that, they generally sought a place m the band waggon.