SOCIALISM AND THE FARMING INTEREST 



under a complete hallucination. There is 

 much history to prove how enticing and 

 ideal a plan may look when viewed in the 

 block, yet fail hopelessly under the search- 

 ing test of experience. Compare the ex- 

 pected with the actually realized, (a) in the 

 freeing of the Spanish-American republics 

 from Spain; (b) in the introduction of free 

 trade in Great Britain, and (c) in the aboli- 

 tion of slavery in our South. 



The best substitute for trial by fire is an 

 analysis of fire and of the bodies which are 

 consumed or purified thereby. Can we not, 

 by a parallel process, analyzing the system 

 and also the nature of the human subjects 

 on whom it is proposed to try it, ascertain 

 what the results would be were the state 

 made employer of all and popular social- 

 ism put to the test? Let us attempt this. 



Frankly, socialism, as popularly advo- 

 cated, /. e., general government ownership, 

 would be likely to promote reform in a few 

 not unimportant particulars. It would per- 

 haps at points act more happily than any 

 less drastic change. 



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