Dr. Wooldridge And Socialism

Dr. Wooldridge's communication in another column is a curious illustration of the tendency of many educated men o rush, without much thought, to exreme state socialista as a remedy for he unjust distribution of wealth which s so plainly seen even in the United States. The book which he praises is nothing more than a plea for state socialism, - a system in which the government would regúlate all industry. Such a scheme is so visionary that it is idle o talk of its adoption. Stil], even lorace Greeley, whose great soul was agoniced by the misery of the poor, dreamed and wrote of a state of communism. One pulpit in Ann Arbor has hinted at socialism ; the press is teeming with books and pamphlets advocating it. The discussion which it is receiving will have an important influence upon the future of this country ; and there is no question that if our present system of monopoly continúes the government will be compelled to undertake a larger oversight of industry. General Grant saw this when, on hiö return from his foreign trip, he said in a speech : " The problems in relation to affording employment to laborers that have long engaged theattention of the best minds in the old world will soon become the great problems in the new world." The old world would have been in conyulsions over these problems long before this had it not been for this continent and Australia ; but these new countries are fast becoming settled and the opportunities for employment are becoming relatively smaller. What will be done with the poor people when there are no new countries for them to settle? When this country has a population of 200,000,000, and every acre of the land is owned by a comparatively few individuals, there will be trouble here, greater than the world has ever seen. Suuh a state of affairs may lead to despotism and decay, but not to state socialism. Before there could be thing like communism or socialism, there most be greater equality in education and wealth. Bat the coming on of despotism and national decay is jast what bas happened many times before, and why sbould the United States escape? The United States will not escape unless asystem of exact justice be adopted. We must do away with a system whereby one man can grow rich by absorbing the results of the labor of others. As there can be no wealth which is not produced by labor, so every man who gets wealth without doing productivo labor, or without rendering any adequate service to mankind, is preying upon society. Take for example the several counties in Pennsylvania in which the coal beds lie. There is to be found a slavery far harder and more odious than negro slavery. We must open a new abolition movement. So long as such injustice remains, tbere will be plenty who will advocate socialism, communism, and anarchy.