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Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL
Newspaper Page Text
wmmmmmmmimmmmmmmmmmmmmm the selecting of a man for mayor to the presidents of some labor unions. Because when election time rolls around the majority of the presidents of labor unions cease to be labor men and become henchmen of the old party political leaders. The president of my union is out for Roger Sullivan, hook, line and sinker. And he, like many others, is weak when an economic question confronts the working people, as it does today. My president could not indorse a penny phone proposition; he could not admit that cheaper gas would help solve the high cost of liv ing; he could not openly declare that he is opposed to strap-hanging, or a subway that would terminate outside the loop. Let every union in Chicago meet and select a real union man from their ranks and donate him to the Socialist party, the great cause, to work and stump the city in behalf of th.6 laboring class an'd Seymour Sted man, and pay him out of the union's treasury for services rendered, and chalk it down as money well spent. Por mine, Seymour Stedman is the only man running for mayor, because I am one of the masses 365 days in the year. Mr. Stedman is the only bona-flde candidate from a labor standpoint He is the only man that could handle the building trades rot if It comes to a head. He would give labor a fair and square shake in the new depot project He has the only solution of the transportation puzzle. He will not let the telephone trust get away with the phone deal. He will have jitneys running before you can gay Jack Robinson. A Locked-Out Pressman. PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. W. H. Wallace very properly condemns the popular legislative fad of "How-not-to-do-it" by commissions. A com mission is a perfect automatic side track for the storage 6f things that tawtnnVerft dAn't want done. Btlfc why call upon lawmakers to become independent and statesmenlike when the people who elect them cannot agree among themselves as to what 7 kind of laws they want? The further a lawmaker gets ahead of public opinion the quicker he loses his job. If those who cast the t ballots would get together ott one7 thing they wanted done, and stick to gether through two elections, their will will be done. It is important that7 the thing selected to be accomplished shall be something fundamental, something which lies at the founda-., tion of the social organism and which, will lead toward an equal freedom and better conditions for the wealth pro- . ducers. No doubt but public ownership and f operation of all public utilities would r be better for our city than the pres- j ent system of private robbery by cor porations. Chicago voters once got together on that point and were in sight of success, but they didn't Btick. , They got cold feet and 5nt back to voting for the old flag agMemocrat- , ic and Republican mwe of party government and party flKravagance. We should learn something by ejt- - peneuce. ims cuuuuy tuufty uem- onstra.tes that government by party ' machines is a total failure. It gives , us nothing but mlsgovernment It may be too late for us to do any thing at the coming election. Which ever candidate wins we are sure to end up by wishing the other one had been elected. Reforms, however, are ' not effected very much by the results of elections. They are born and ' nourished in the minds and hearts of ' the people. Often they come in unlooked-for ways, but the force be hind them is the wish expressed at times -by revolution and others by peaceful means. It always results in something which will better the con-' dition of everybody. Things which only help & few should not be done at all. They are but a form of special privilege. It i3 ' now time for us to talk among our- selves. What do we want done? Wlf J