Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/195

 SOCIAL DISCONTENT AND LABOR TROUBLES l8l

Countless thousands have come to our shores in search of civil and religious privileges and material prosperity which in lands beyond the sea they could never hope to obtain. Eminent students of civil government De Tocqueville, Macaulay, Maine, and others have foreseen in socialism the greatest danger to American institutions, but thus far, their fears have proved groundless. German and French democracies have leaned toward socialism, but American democracy is grounded upon individual liberty, for which our forefathers so steadfastly fought. Public sentiment in this country has ever set strongly in favor of law and order. This was shown at the time of the Pullman or Debs strike in Chicago in 1894. Before that now historic outbreak, its leaders, who expected to start a revolution, claimed that 80 per cent, of the people were with them, but the sequel showed that less than 15 per cent, were in accord with their methods. When a Democratic President called a halt to riot and destruction of property, he was promptly and over- whelmingly sustained by the whole country.

In the future, as in the past, outbreaks may occur, accom- panied by lawlessness, and disorder. More than two hundred millions of dollars are now being expended in New York in the construction of municipal and railroad tunnels, and in other public or quasi-public improvements ; and probably proportionate amounts in other industrial and commercial centers. Hundreds of thousands of men, mostly of foreign birth or descent, are employed in this work. When these undertakings are complete, and, by reason of the exhaustion of the funds available for such enterprises, or by reason of financial depression, others are not commenced, many of the men will be thrown out of employment, and there will doubtless be suffering, discontent, and disturb- ances. The situation will afford the professional agitators their real opportunity; and the sentimental socialists strong in sympathy, weak in judgment, long in theory, short in practice are paving the way to make the outcome as disastrous as as possible.

The preachers and prophets of socialism and disorder have come to this country generally from Germany ; of anarchy and