STATE SOCIALISM.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1050, 13 February 1911, Page 7

STATE SOCIALISM.

. THE' GROWTH 'OP-' THE.-TRUST. • 's ■'i. : audienco assembled in His'Mojesty'li l«st eveningto hear Mr. C. E., Russell's address on'"The Religion of ; Bocidllsm." Mr. TV Glover was chairman. . 'Mr.'Russell's'address was an extremely clever one, and ni nn exposition,of some of.thp, aims bf Socialism,, for in advance of what ono generally hears. •' He confined himself,, generally - speaking, to that, de'partmerit of Socialism known as 'State ownership." .H< argued that it was impossible to prevent the oncoming of .combination.' One might as'well try to hold back a. glacier by shooting holes in' it with a snot gun. It was ridiculous to legislate, against: trusts and combines and •to look upou them as wicked affairs. The truit and combine wcro tho, natural ovblutioh of ■ tho -first attempt' by two gomsnaths in Florence in the thirteenth century to 6ccurd greater-efficiency and economy in thoir by combining. The Vintervenfng centuries ' had witnisssd" the:gradual, growth of the idea. .AVJjatr should bo dono was to follow tho "trend,>only,-instead of.private individuals controlling-theso great, enterprises for their' own good, the. people themselvpj etibiild hftvo chargo.of them, and they should bo conducted, for tho good of all. That was tho natural .course, the lesson leiirn'ed from history, tlio great object to which •• workers ; should all devoto; their labours.; Mr. Russell also' declared, and gave many illustrations of his statement, that there was a .greater , combination now than therol had ever been against tho workers of ■ tho . world:. He advocated tho union of all, labour,:and the obliteration in this great cause, of all national and racial barriers.