CHAPTER IV.

POLITICAL SOCIALISM.-WHAT DO NONSOCIALISTS SAY OF IT?

A REVIEW OF THE STRENGTH, ORGANIZATION AND INFLUENCE OF GERMAN SOCIALISM, FRENCH SOCIALISM, BRITISH

AND AMERICAN SOCIALISM.-NOMENCLATURE REVOLUTIONARY.-RED FLAG, THE EMBLEM OF BLOOD.-SOCIALISM FLOURISHES ONLY IN RICH COUNTRIES, THIS STRANGE FACT ACCOUNTED FOR. AMBITION AND APPETITE.-REVOLUTIONARY ORIGIN.-PLAYING WITH REVOLUTIONARY FIRE.-THE BROKEN WINE CASK.-PASSION FOR BLOOD, ONE THOUSAND BURIED IN A SINGLE GRAVE.— MEETING OF REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALISTS DESCRIBED.LIGHTS PUT OUT. CONCLUSION.

Thus far, I have treated Socialism, if not from a non-partisan standpoint, certainly in a nonpartisan spirit. I have cited more socialist authority, three to one, than I have cited nonsocialist authority, and I am conscious of no disposition to misrepresent. But I now propose to summarize hastily the argument from a partisan standpoint, that of a Non-Socialist. For this purpose, it will be best to arrange the review under different heads:

I. How are we to account for the almost universal prevalence, in the richest countries, of the socialist movement? The working-class in every nation in Europe, from rim to center, is

honey-combed with it. In the German Empire it has an enrolled membership of 600,000 members who pay assessments into the central treasury. Its annual income is nearly $300,000 and of this it puts over $100,000 into its reserve fund. This reserve fund is secret, kept in secret archives, and is supposed to amount to millions of dollars. There are seventy daily socialist newspapers in Germany with over a million subscribers and an organized propaganda is constantly issuing books, tracts, pamphlets, and statistical reports. It maintains a school in Berlin with six professors. It keeps traveling organizers and lecturers in the field. It controls close to three million votes and has fifty-four seats in the Reichstag of whom Herr Bebel is one of the ablest debaters in that parliament. Its programme hitherto has been one of intransigence, lately, however, it seems to be making alliances; and the Opportunists or Revisionists bid fair to control the party's methods.

In England there are six socialist parties ready at the touch of a match to co-operate and coalesce. The total voting strength is difficult to arrive at on account of its blending with the labor vote, perhaps near half a million. Socialists have eight seats in the royal parliament and close affiliations with the Labor members. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd

George, is practically regarded as a Socialist. The Fabian Society, closely allied with the Liberals, is made up mostly of Intellectuals many of whom like H. G. Wells, Sidney Webb, G. Bernard Shaw, Graham Wallis, and Sir Oliver Lodge are conceded to be men of a high order of intelligence and character. The Socialists of England pay more than half a million dollars annually into the treasuries of their "branches," parties, and societies while they raise another half million for incidental expenses. Their propaganda reaches from the soap-box orator in Trafalgar Square to the dilettante in court circles.

France has a Socialist in her cabinet, a large number of socialist members in her Chamber of Deputies, and several city governments in control of the communes. Collectivist communes.

The voting strength of Socialists in the United States is not far from 800,000 and the propaganda keeps up a constant agitation through its 3,200 "branches" or "locals" with 50,000 paying members; through its newspaper press, traveling organizers, lecturers, pamphlets, books, conventions, congresses, debates, and other forms of controversial growth. It has a school in New York City endowed by Mrs. Rand formerly of Burlington, Iowa, heiress of a fortune made in what is called by the Socialists, the Lumber Trust. Some of the most active and enthusiastic

propagandists are women. Just now, Socialists in this country are centering their fight on the federal constitution and the courts. The Fourteenth Amendment and the Dartmouth College Case seem to arouse their special enmity and they bitterly attack the early fathers of the republic claiming that "property was preferred to persons. Its organization reaches into forty-two

states.

On the Continent, Socialism primarily aims to control the communes. In England, the fight is made to shape legislation in the municipalities. The London County Council is so far under socialist influence that while annual taxes have increased £100,000,000, sterling, the debt of the city has increased £400,000,000, sterling, the same spirit was noted in Kansas in populist days when bills were introduced in that state's legislature appropriating more than money enough to pay the national debt, and the Milwaukee Socialists ask the loan of a million. The situation, just now, is very interesting because the Liberal Party is charged with being in sympathy with the Fabians and other societies,-much of the stress in the recent campaign was due to that alleged influence.

Everywhere, Socialists greet each other as "Comrades" (or in equivalent terms) and everywhere, they seek to solidify those who have no

property, in the Class-War, against those who have property. The New Social State is their final object and a Social Democracy is to be the means of realizing this State. Up with the ClassWar and down with Surplus-value is their warcry.

2. Everywhere, the nomenclature of Socialism is revolutionary, showing its common origin.* Everywhere, the Red Flag is the party emblem, showing that this common origin has still a common significance,-the Red Flag is the emblem of human blood. Everywhere the Marseillaise is its revolutionary war-song, perverting a noble expression for liberty into an expression for expropriation.

3. How shall we account for this so nearly universal movement? How account for its common motive and common emblem? its common watchwords and common revolutionary song? Its common dialect and other means of expression? Other political parties and movements are national. This one is international. The Tory party of England has no influence in France, neither has the Bourbon party of France any influence in this country. But the Socialists

*A few of these revolutionary words follow: equalitarian, authoritarian, revolutionaire, proletaire, bourgeoisie, expropriate, exploit, militairiste. quatre-vignt-treize, communiste, intellectual, industrial, &c.

Among words which have become affiliated with these may be noted: laboriste, confiscationiste, pacificiste, compensationiste, parliamentairiste, intransigence, Red Republican, Red Cap, Red Flag, municipaliste, Class-War. possiblista, opportuniste. progressiviste, revisioniste, professionaliste, syndicalism, commandeering, collectivity.