The Aims of Socialiism.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7763, 15 March 1905, Page 2

The Aims of Socialiism.

(Contributed.) In New Zealand, which reputedly and actually has advanced further on Hie way towards the Socialistic ideal than any other country, nothing is more common than to heal from ill-informal ami professedly individualistic persons unfounded insertions as to the aims of Socinlisie. Some few years ago our present King, while still Prince of Wales said in a moment, either of levilv or of reflection ;' We are all Social ists." ami this trite remark was le ported in perhaps every journal ; the Umpire. Kxnetly what th. speaker mean I 110 1 in- , ,d to en«|iiiie. It wa.-, enough ;. .. Ilov ally had s-iid so for e e:-. , , -„,- porarily to lind il fashionalde to avlmil that Socialism is no Had tin- Prince said " II be-lieve in Socialisin." that particular economic duel rim- would for a lime have become- as fashionable as Alpine hats or moleskin w.iis'r uvts. This, howex er,' is not the .-ait of acceptance that Socialism seeks or e\pedos. Ilelief in the principles of any-ism can come only from thought, and conviction is the price only of intelligent effort. There is probably no person in New Zoainml to-day who does not I hold some sort of opinion for or jagaiu.-t Socialism, but m too many cases : this opinion is far from intelligent conviction. A few days since it was thought worth while to cable from Australia the utterances of the Commonwealth Premier, in which he announced his personal determination to orgnnisv a " fair and .s'quni'c light with the forces of Socialism in Australia." To those who know the history of Air Keid's political life the only .startling ilem in this announcemenl is found in the terms

" fair and square." Anything politically fair and square, under the leadership of Mr Hcid would he a novelty indeed. Hut what the Commonwealth Premier does or dot's not. intend is merely an incident, and is remarkable only as illustrating the fact that even public men in high -positions are ready to denounce Iw'hat 'they do,not understand, or, understanding, choose for private motives to pervert and misrepresent. Every organised society, to the extent that in some of the more essvnitial respects it conducts operations I for the beuelit of all is Socialistic las far as those operations go. In I New /Valntid the extent of our So'ciulistic legislation and administration is beyond brief recapitulation, but a irw reminders will not be out lof place-, Wv have railways, post and telegraph and telephone systems, |education and life and lire insurance departments, harbour boards, gas j mid water works, and three great city train systems, all of which are .socialistic in the last detail. There is no thinking citizen of this colony ( who would wish to see any of thesci public, interests worked and controlled for private profit, and the direct and immediate benefit to thtf community derived from each «>f t-henv lis marked and undeniable. We have Imnde a beginning at the socialisuj tion of our land tenure, and though the forces of reaction—the private selfishness which looks no further | than its own immediate ends, is strongly opposed to its continuance 'or extension, there is great cause for hope that a more, enlightened jview is opening itself to the minds of the majority of those whose voting power decides for or against adivancement. It is to be observed that nearly all our progress towards the Socialistic ideal has been made without the outraging or wan-lon I wronging of private interests. Even the expropriation of large lamlholdjets, which has Ireea steadily progressing since the accession to power of | the present Government, has been conducted with a. -minimum of friction, and with even more than due consideration for those who would stand in Ihe way of national progress. There has been no sudden j upheaval, no revolution, and nothing done in any way except decently and in order. Nobody has talked 'Socialism—under the name —,b,ut an overwhelming majority have acted socialist ically, and are obviously determined so to continue acting ; and .both these things are so because 'mere words are of no nio-

; . ment, and the benefits which accrue y 'are undeniable. Nevertheless, we 11 .have among us two classes of ' 'persons who are an obstacle to proI gress—the one being the men who :i want to go too fust—Die persons 0 Who form the Liberal and Labour 0 League and the other the mum to r whom the ideals of Socialism are as & a red rag to a bull, something to '. be bellowed at and charged head t down without thought or reason. 1 Nothing is commoner with the hitler J I class than lo assume that a Socialt I ist is a person who falsely believes J that all men arc born with equal - powers, and that the ablest in real- < ity should be cramped and hampered t and kept down to the level of the i loust capable. Another fixed Itelief of ' jlho same ignorant person is the nsI sumption that Socinlsim means I' Di--1 vide everything equally and begin 9 again." Jt is unnecessary lo say to • I those who have been suhiciently ca- - pubic or interested to think before talking that Socialism is utterly misrepresented by these foolish a&- , sertlons. To refute in detail all the i immoral principles ignorantly im- ) ed to Socialism would be to maini | tain nil the- principles of Humanity > J against the wild and unprincipled as- '. sections of those who, if they could, I would revert to the days of iinbridi led individualism'—the days of priiui- • live man, when physical might was , moral right, uiid the best, man was , tho, bjiggest blackfellow with the : heaviest club. To say what Social- ■ j-sm contemplates as the ideal state • |lo be attained slowly and steadily in . proportion as man becomes more enlightened and more altruistic is the : simpler course. Socialism does not 4 suppose,, contrary to all human experience, Ihat all men are born with equal powers. H knows that K Hie reverse is the case, that is, .that 1,-elwien individuals there is in- ' jllinite diversity of powers, llut it be-I jllevi's that all human beings have somii powers, and for these it demands the cultivation of the good, j'and the stern discouragement of the ,evll. It demands fair opportunity | for all that is good in every indivi- ' dual, and the development of his' , I very best for the benefit alike of j himself and The society in which he Jives. To this end it opposes the I | individualism of grab and greed and J oppression— the .subordination of the ' Jlinany to the one, instead of the one ' , to the many, It believes that everv- j lone according to his capacity should 'be educated, and according to his rability should be a worker. lle- ■ cause as a man receiving £I.OOO a ' "year would 7iecd to work one thou- j | sand years to makV a million pounds. ' ft believes that millionaire is thief "writ large." It believes this because it is known that all wealth is the product of labour, and if one ! man possesses, and yet did not earn h'-Mlwrefore slole-slole within the law It may be, but none the les S •stole us a chartered thief. It proposes not Lo take away his million hut to deprive him of his charter-no more and no less. And it proposes lo issue no more charters". With this end in view it ndvocnles the Statu control for the bciicfM of every avenue of wealth. That is the "I'm of thp Socialist—the aim not of » man 01 ignorance, or of an unthinking evolutionist, but of one who sees that all the progress of - humanity depends upon the wise adjustment of human me u iis to human '■ ,*' . illKi "'ho recognises that ' | Hough civilisation a.ml . .again progressed a certain distance, ■he „ T'' y . I,ls,ori «'l sel-lmck has I I in due to the rich and sellish < ,Mo«imr richer and more sellish ' «nd th,.. poor and ignorant grow ; inA . Poorer an,, more ignorant to "tho < | bunking poi „ t . Jt ~„■„, , , -I'eeea and Home does not necessary ' i.\ 'mark out for good and all the •' "■mi ol national life or the acme ' w luimwii ondeavotiiY. O n the contrary it believes that not anv of ' hose states need have died." had ' Kiev known the cause of their de- •■ eay. and realised how compleielv lo ' fop it. li| „„y e aS e, though he'mav ' have much to learn, the true Social. I Ist stands f„r progress and lust ice I JJp would wrong none, and see fair J'b'.\ to all, and his- principles are ' based on Ihe tirm foundation of immulable justice. Though his doctrine J may he espoused by half-taught men <■ and made texts of by faddists, > though his aspirations uiny be mis- >' represeiilni and condemned |,v ignorant enemies, he holds to' h?s t muh, because he can no more he f. persuaded jt is wrong ll m „ t. ha t two' and two make five. Tie Is „„ady tq admit any amount of room for detailed improvement, and many signal failures in .imperfec I schemes c HO he can easily ami freel\ ehal- 1 engc reiutation for his iiriiuiplvs H that all should woik and none, n should steal, and for his hope thaf, g gnen things thus the world «. ju j t l r UJ happier. 't