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T< BRIN<; ABOUT
THE CO-OPERATIVE
COMMONWEALTH
6c per copy . 50c per year,
INQUISITION IN
SPAIN AGAIN
Leaders of Radiral Elements
Subjected to Terrible Tor
ture(Jirls Jailed
PARlS.—Though the revolution in
Spain is no longer a menace to the
government, the country is still
writhing under the lash of the mon
archists and clericals, who arc de
termined to revenge themselves for
the almost successful attempt at
liberation on the part of the op
pressed people.
Word has readier Paris that So
cialists are being imprisoned and
tortured, merely because of their
political affilations. Kvery worker
who belongs to a union is suspected.
Republicans are being forced to re
cant publicly or are hounded into
exile.
Report Came Too I.ate
The Spanish Socialist submitted a
report on their case to the recent
French congress of the party at Bor
deaux, but it arrived too kite to be
debated by the gathering. This is
to be regretted, as a public tiring of
the report might have made some
impresion upon the Spanish govern
ment. The following were some of
the charges made:
"In the province of Biscaya pris
oners have been submitted to out
rages recalling the most sinister
practised at Montjurich, Barmelona,
at the time of the execution of
Francisco Ferrer.
"Hundreds of miners have been
arrested, in spite of the fact that
the 20,000 who went on strike a cou
ple of months ago followed the in
structions of their leaders and re
frained from acts of violence.
Tortures Resorted To
"Between September 20 and 20, a
number of Socialist were thrown into
prison at Bilbao. One of those
seized, was Rebolleda, municipal
councillor of a nearby village. He
was tortured by having his fingers
twisted about wooden pegs, then
jerked out of joint. Rael Carbonell,
of the People's House in Bilbao, was
also imprisoned and tortured, but on
being released to await 'trial' Ke
used the opportunity to escape into
France.
"Many of the accused, who de
clined to make confessions which
might incriminate their comrades,
were told that they had been con
demned to death, led to the place
of execution and loaded rifles level
led at the breasts. In nearly every
case, they endured the test and their
torturers were forced to take them
back to prison.
"One young man, who refused to
the last to give any information
about the revolution, was made to
turn his back to the firing squad.
Several volleys were then discharged
in the opposite direction. On each
occasion the prisoner was told that
he had escaped by a miracle, but
that the next time he would be cer
tain to fall.
Women and Girls Seized
"In order to terrorize the Social
ists, their innocent wives and daugh
ters have been seized and thrown
into jail. Some of these women
have been in solitary confinement
for more than 40 days, without any
charges having been filed against
them.
"The president of the Metal Work
ers' union of Biscaya province, and
the well-known Socialist doctor, Ru
fino Gastanos, are among those who
are awiting trial on trumped-up
accussations in connection with the
revolution."
In Madrid interest centers about
the cases of Besteiro, Largo Gabal
lero and Anguiano Saborit, all three
municipal councillors, who have been
sentenced to life imprisonment for
their activities in the recent upris
ing.
Resteiro To He Reinstated
The conservative press has been
bitter in denouncing them, but in
liberal bourgeois circles scarcely less
horror has been shown at the se
verity of their sentences than
among; the radicals. The mayor of
Madrid called upon them in jail and
offered his sympathy. The presi
dent of the League to Advance the
Rights of Man and the reformist
leader, Melquiades Alvarez, also vis
ited them.
When the minister of public in
struction notified the I'niversity of
Madrid where Besteiro was professor
of logic, that the chair was vacant
owing to the Socialist's conviction
and sentence, the faculty voted unan
imously to decline to recognize this
ruling. The rector of the university
declared in an interview that the
chair would be reserved for Beateiro,
and that he hoped the latter would
be released some day and permit ted
to occupy it once more.
The Royalton Co-operative Society
cleared $327.97 for the quarter end
ing August 7.
Wi}t Cooperative Jleto*
In Things Essential, UNITY In Things DoubtluL LIHKRTY In All Things, FKATKKNITY
TEUTONS HERE TO
DEMOCRATIZE (JKHMANY
CHICAGO, 1.. Designating the
lierman Keichstag as a "debating
society," with practically no author
ity, Americans of Teutonic descent
here today issued a call for the for
mation of friends of (ictman democ
racy. The call was addressed to
"all loyal residents of the United
States of Herman l<irth or de
scent" and was sent to fiOOO Chi-
C&gOBJM as a starter. Germany's
militaristic government was denounc
ed. The organization has establish
ed headquarters here.
Millions of dollars are spent in
making you buy Brown's syrup in
stead of Smith's syrup -but the
syrup is just the same. You are
made to pay for this waste.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AND EDUCATION
The Standpoint and Viewpoint
of the Workers
(By S. T. Eddy)
In the first place, what excßM
have we for demanding the money of
the public or the individual to edu
cate our children? The answer
can be but one or two —either to
build a better and more intelligent
citizenship or the creation of a more
efficient servant class.
The latter alternative is so raw
that not even the capitalists them
selves would openly father it. This
leaves only the former to be con
sidered.
To build a more intelligent citizen
ship it is not only necessary that
we teach all that has been taught
in the common school and teach it
better but we must also teach eco
nomics and social science as well.
To do this it is necessary to reduce
these sciences to the vocabulary of
the common school. This is the
task of the economist, the sociologist,
and the literary genius. When I say
that we must teach all that has
been taught in the common schools
I do not mean to include the fake
history, hero worship, and spurious
patriotism that creates a false ideal
ism, a sort of Lethean fairyland
where child minds are ruined for
life.
I think that this subject of work
ing class education should be brought
to the attention of every Socialist in
the state, that it should be made a
part of the demands of the state
platform, and through the state
delegates to the national conven
tion so that the Socialists of Amer
ica could be aroused.
While the capitalists are not tell
ing us that the aim of their educa
tion is the creation of a more effi
cient servant class, a subject class
capable of creating more surplus
value, that is just what they are
striving to do. They are introduc
ing manual training and domestic
.science and vocational training for
no other purpose. As a Socialist
I am not opposed to manual train
ing nor to any other training when
it is in the interest of the working
class. But Socialists have no busi
ness falling for these methods where
by the enemy hopes to fasten the
chains of a more servile slavery
upon the workers. It is up to the
scientific Socialist to expose these
frauds as they have exposed boy
scouts, the civic federation, craft
unionism, etc.
This is the machine age. We want
to do and will do everything by ma
chinery that can be done with less
labor power than by hand. The So
cialists should not oppose any use
ful education, but the interests of our
class should be our guide at all
times. Things should come in their
order in such a way as to benefit
the workers who are the vast ma
jority of human society.
At the age of twenty-one males
and females of a certain description
are entitled to vote and thus influ
ence society. If they have had an
intelligent education their influence
will be in the direction of an intelli
gent ordering of life.
AMERICAN SOCIALISM WINS
ITS GREATEST TRIUMPH!
(By .1. Louis Engdahl)
Socialism's greatest triumph in
America was achieved at the elec
tion, Tuesday, November 6th.
So great was the victory won by
the Socialist Party forces that
"Fusion!" has become the over-night
demand of the desperate old politi
cal party bosses.
We may, as a result, go into the
state and national elections next
yea?-, if they are held, with the
startling spectacle of a republican
democratic combination against the
Socialist Party for all offices.
They will do this, as the Chicago
Herald points out in the hope that
the "two great parties" will beat
the "one kitimll party. "
EVERETT, WASHINGTON. THMS;i>AY. JoV. ','.', mv
SCHOOL ELECTION
IN EVERETT
The Worker Should I'ut Their
Own Representatives on the
Hoard
(By the Cub EUporttr)
On the awning of November IKIh,
a meeting whs held at which was
nominated two Socialist members for
the school board, to be voted upon
at the owning election which will
be the first Saturday in December.
A. K. llolmerg and Peter llusby
were the unamious choice of the
rnwting.
Comrade Holfflberg is a member of
the Union, a plasterer and cement
worker by trade and would be a valu
able acquisition to the working-class
movement were he to be elected
to represent the workers on the
school board. It is essential that,
we elect one member who had a
practical knowledge of all kinds of
building, cement work, etc.
l'eter llusby, the other nominee,
has been for years connected with
the law business in this city. It
goes without saying that a lawyer
who would represent the working
class interests of Everett would be
invaluable.
Both of those candidates are in
all ways fully qualified in every
respect to serve efficiently on the
school board, and the Socialist party
calls upon the workers of Kverett
to see to it that they are elected.
ALLIES WILL NOT
RECOGNIZE THE
BOLSHEVIKI
The Operation of the Commer
cial Highways for Private
Profit Is a Failure
WASHINGTON.—The Maximalists
will not be recognized by the allies.
This assurance was received at the
Russian embassy here today from
the Russian ambassadors in England,
France and Italy, praising Ambassa
dor Bakmetieff for his stand in re
fusing to recognize any government
other than the Xe l ensky provisional
rule.
They say this represents the real
sentiment of Russia, as well as of
the allied countries in which they
are serving.
Ambassador Bakhmetieff, in a
statement immediately following the
outbreak said that the Maximalists
were conducting a purely local rev
olution, and that they did not rep
resent the will nor wish of the Rus
sian people.
While no official statement has
been given out at the state depart
ment regarding the attitude of this
country, it has been asserted that
the United States will not retreat
with any but a stable government
and one that will remain loyal to
the cause of the allies.
It is assumed here that the va
rious ambassadors in London, Rome
and I'aris have already been assured
by those governments that the Max
imalists' rule will not be recognized
by them. This makes it practically
unanimous among the entente and
gives further assurances that only
a prowar regime will be in accord
with the nations fighting Germany.
It now appears to the Allied Capi
talists that the Russians might now
proceed to establish a real, actual,
and bona fide Democracy—a govern
ment of, for and by the people—in
fact, rather than in name. Of
course, the allies are fighting for
"democracy;" but then, they are only
fighting for it, not that they really
want anything real in that line.
If the people in the various coun
tries became real insistent, the rul
ers might grant a little more po
litical democracy—sops to the pub
lic ; they would turn machine guns
on their own people if the latter
should demand industrial democracy,
which is the real and only DEMOC
RACY.
Political government touches the
people more or less remotely, and
at long intervals, usually; but in
dustrial government touches people
every day of their lives, not only
touches them, but sometimes strikes
down and crushes them, wrings from
them their money, and blights the
life of their children. Yet this
industrial government is in private
hands, and is used solely in the in
terest of private greed and exploita
tion.
The letter carrier plan is the So
cialistic way of doing things. The
mail is distributed in an orderly,
non-competitive manner, with effi
cient results. The milkman's jog
around town is the capitalistic way
of "serving" you. A half dozen men,
with as many wagons, cross and re
cross each other in serving only one
city block. Its crazy, it's wasteful,
it's competitive, and it makes for
high prices.
I KKN< II (iOVKKNMENT TO
KKQI'ISITION ALL COIIN
PARIS. All the corn In.France
will be requisitioned at an early
date, Maurice Long, minister of pro
visions, announced iiy, the Chamber
of Deputies. All the grinding mills
will be put under (fflWernment con
trol, so that bread m^y be supplied
throughout franca it the sainl
price.
CANADIAN CENSOR
BLUNDERS
Administration at Ottawa Fa
vors Criminal Adventurer
Comrade Adolph Sakni, of Astoria,
Ore, writes us a long letter about
the troubles of the Finnish-American
newspapers here and in Canada.
Canada had one Finnish paper be
fore the war but it -lpad to suspend
on account of financial stringency.
However, there have been several
Finnish papers in the U. S. that,
circulated extensively north of fifty
four forty. After the war started
a Finn with a cViminal record
from his native couaitry started a
pro-war paper in Cftnttda with the
field all to himself, 'except for the
completion of the pupers from the
States. This Finnish criminal by
his pro-war activity and by ingra
tiating himself with the Canadian
censor succeeds in .having all the
Finnish papers published in the U.
S. excluded froi> -Jwie mails and
from every kind of circulation in
Canada.
Some of the papers suppressed
were even pro-war and pro-ally in
their policy; yet the,censor saw fit
to exclude them froth Canada. This
could have been donfe only because
the tho't controller Jof our sister
country was blindly Jed or deceived
by the aforesaid parity who had an
interest in having competitors ex
cluded. Even protests to the cen
sor calling attention* to the facts
seem to have been of; no avail. Such
dictatorial conduct his part is
sure to discredit thf Canadian ad
ministration and maty result in its
overthrow in »the • *.minsr election.
The workers can get along with
out the capitalists, but the capital
ists can't get along without the
workers. Some day the producers
will learn this simple fact.
Subscribe for The Co-operative News.
Come and bring your friends to hear
Lena Morrow Lewis
recently returned from a five years stay in Alaska
who will speak in
THE FORUM
1612 CALIFORNIA STREET
SUNDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 25th, AT 8 O'CLOCK
SUBJECT:
"Capitalism's Contribution
to Civilization"
Single Admission 15 Cents Two Admissions 25 Cents
ADVANCE OF
SUFFRAGE
The Rest of the United States
Is Likely to Follow
NKW YORK—New York has en
tered the suffrage column.
Twelve states previously had suf
frage, and in these the women voted
last year for President.
Nineteen states will have the
women citizens voting for Presi
dent at the next election.
In 1916 the suffrage states gave
ill electoral votes, and now 172
votes come from suffrage states.
The British government is pledged
to give suffrage to women before the
next general election.
Most of the women of Canada
have the full suffrage this year as
a war measure.
Women in Chicago, San Fran
cisco, Cleveland, Providence and Lit
tle Koi'k can vote.
Woman suffrage carried the state.
This was hailed as one of the
biggest of victories not only by the
women who have battled actively
for -i\ \i-ar~ to get the suffrage,
but to radical! of all kinds.
In means that the largest M.t'.
in the union grants women the
right to vote.
| I means that now there are 13
states that have given women equal
WATTS IN NEED
OF ASSISTANCE
Comrades Who (an Help Should
Do So
Pater llusby,
Dear Comrade: We are denied the
newspapers that are sent us, so
you had better not send me any
more. We have not the least idea
why we are denied them, but sus
pect it is another part of the ad
ministration's plan to "make the
world safe for Democracy."
We have been trying to get an
Interview with the officials here in
regard to other matters but after
■fa days of trying, the interview
has been put off on one excuse or
another. Maybe the officials' time
is too valuable to grant the request
of a common criminal, for I guess
that is what I am in their eyes.
Have contracted a bad cold and
feel out of sorts, what with one
thing and another, and have just
decided that the best thing I can
do is to raise some money and have
my ease thrashed out by an attor
ney. There is no reason in the
world why 1 should be treateil this
way without making an attempt to
present my case in a proper man
ner.
When I landed here I had decided
that I would let things take their
own course because I did not want
to have anybody dig down into his
pockets, but conditions have changed
and so I have decided to issue a
call for funds to place my case be
fore the immigration officials in the
way it should be.
It hurts me to have to make this
appeal but after all is said and
done I know the comrades will be
willing to grant me a little financial
aid after fighting with them In their
battles during the past two and a
half years in Everett.
I am not losing heart. I am
willing to take my medicine with the
best of them, but see no reason why
I should lie down when there may
be an opening for me to present
my case. If I should fail in my ef
fort, then they can keep me here or
anywhere else for the period of the
war and then they can send me to
hell if they wish.
H. W. WATTS.
(Note) —Send all contributions to
the Co-operative News, 1612 Califor
nia Street, Everett, Wash.; and des
ignate that it is for the Watts De
fense Fund.—Editor.
PRESIDENT MAY
TAKE RAILROAD
WASHINGTON.—President Wilson
has set the machinery of the federal
government in motion to avert, if
possible, the threat of a paralysis of
the country's transportation systems
so vital to the war.
At a conference with the heads of
the "Big Four" brotherhoods at the
White House on November 22, Presi
dent Wilson will appeal to the la
bor leaders to defer action until after
the country has passed through the
period where its transportation sys
tems are vital to the conduct of the
war.
With the announcement of this
conference, it was disclosed that
President Wilson, while entertain
ing every hope for a complete agree
ment, does not intend to permit the
country's transportation systems to
be tied up by a strike at this time,
even if it becomes necessary for
the government to operate the roads.
Do you realize how near Xmas is.
You should call up Main 118 and
arrange with Myers Studio for a
sitting.
rights with men on election day.
It means that before long the en
tire country will have suffrage for
women for as goes New York so
goes the nation/
KI'ANIAIIDH ISITTEK
ACAINST STATE
The unions of Spain have sent an
appeal for help to thp unions of
Groat Mtituir^ and other aliied coun
tries.
The Spaniard! declare that the
government has killed and imprison
ed many labor officials, and is en
deavortng totally to disrupt the or
ganizations of the workers. Wages
throughout the war period have re
mained virtually stationary. When
demands were made for increases to
meet the higher cost of life's neces
saries, they were refused; and when
the workers peacefully quit their
employment they were set upon by
the military and police.
The Spaniards request financial
aid, and also ask that the world con
demn their government's brutalities.
REGULATION OF
THEH.C.OFL
At a meeting of retail grocers and
sugar refiners' representatives in the
office of Henry Moskowitz, commis
sioner of public markets, yesterday,
charges were made that wholesalers
and jobers were compelling retailers
to purchase other groceries when
they l.ioiif.hi sugar. The retail gro
cers complained that in many cases
abnormal prices were asked for these
groceries, and, though the price fixed
by the government for sugar wan
maintained, the jobbers realized large
profits on other goods.
"The retail grocers said they
were choked up with groceries at
abnormally high prices," said Mos
kowitz. "Many of them were forced
to use the same procedure with the
consuming public, namely, that they
sold sugar only on condition that
other groceries he bought. They
also maintained that in consequence
of this procedure on the part of
wholesalers and jobbers, the sugar
was not equitably distributed that
some grocers had more sugar than
others, while many had none.—The
New York Call.
Nothing could more clearly show
the futility of trying to regulate
the exploiting activities of Business.
Teddy broke several front teeth try
ing to regulate trusts; but the
trusts continued to grow in ac
cordance with economic and indus
trial evolution, Mr. God-Knows-I-
Don't also tried his hand at the
game (perhaps for political effect)
yet it was more like a pat on the
cheek of the coy maiden (Trust.)
Even if so-called regulation were
immediately and extensively ap
plied it is too slow to catch up with
cute and slick devices and subter
fuges that astute and cunning busi
ness men can think up over night.
But regulations are slow and cum
bersome. Men have agitated for
years in favor of certain regula
tions without getting results. It is
only when it is feared that people
will get at the seat of the trouble
that Business permits itself to be
"regulated."
Control of natural monopolies and
the exploitation of the workers by
greedy capitalists is the seat of the
trouble.
The solution is: Ownership and
control of natural monopolies by the
nation, ownership and democratic
control of the tools of production by
the workers, to the end that the
necessities of life and happiness be
produced for use and enjoyment in
stead of for the profit of the few
who have secured control thereof
through inheritance or chicanery.
36,000 FEEBLE MINDED
IN STATE, IS REPORT
ALBANY, N. V.—There are 36,
- persons in this
state, according to George A. Hast
ings of the State Charities Associa
tion, who spoke today at the welfare
session of the State Federation of
Women's Clubs. The state takes
care of 6,000 of these dependents and
5,500 more neede state care, he
said.—New York (all.
You're wrong Henry, you're wrong.
You should take into consideration
and add to the above the number of
working men who voted the capital
ist tickets In the last election.
But what can you expect from
an industrial system that demands,
and generally ■•CUTM, child labor,
sometimes in spite of the law. A
system that grind* people down into
poverty, and herd* them together
into foul and disease-breeding tene
ments A .-y-item that puts dollars
above human life, and human sym
pathy. A system that does not give
man a chane to develop into what
he ought to, and can. I
that drives people to insanity, to
crime, and into premature graves.
Leave the advertising slips in the
movies.
CO-OPERATION
EACH FOR ALL, AND
ALL FOR EACH
NEW YORK CITY
ELECTION RESULTS
Socialist Gain Eighteen State
and City Offices
Mayor-elect Hylan received 297,
--282 votes, or, roughly, almost 70,000
more than McCall in 1913. Morris
Hillquit polled 142,178 ballots, with
out the soldier vote, or four times as
many votes as Charles Edward Rus
sell in 1913.
With every election district in,
Hillquit is only 7,129 votes behind
Mayor Mitchel. The soldier vote,
estimated at 65,000, has yet to be
heard from, and the chances of Hill
quit running second, because of that
fact, remain splendid.
Straw votes taken in Camp Upton,
not by Socialists, but by capitalist
papers, including The World, gave
Hillquit the lead time and again.
And when Hillquit, on one or two
occasions, ran second, his successful
opponent was not Mayor Mitchel, but
Judge Hylan.
Ten assemblymen, seven alder
men, one municipal court judge, and
one tie for the Assembly, were the
fruits of the Socialist victory on
Tuesday.
Of the 10 assemblymen elected in
Greater New York four were elected
in Manhattan, thfee in Brooklyn,
where a tie was also achieved, and
three in the Bronx. Four of the
seven Socialist aldermen were elect
ed in Manhattan, one in the Bronx
and two in Brooklyn, The munici
pal court judge was elected in the
Second district on the East Side
of Manhattan.
COOPERATIVE
ORGANIATIONS IN
THE UNITED STATES
(Prepared by the United States De
partment of Agriculture.)
A careful survey by the depart
ment of agriculture shows that farm
ers' creameries and cheese factories
and farmers' elevators are the lead
ing type of co-operative purchasing1
and marketing enterprises among
farmers in the United States. The
number of purchasing and marketing
organizations of this kind in the
country is placed at about 12,000.
Of these, 5,424 gave reports of their
activities. The creameries and
cheese factories reporting numbered
1,708. They do an annual business
of $83,360,648, and have an average
membership of 83 farmers. The
1,637 farmers' grain elevators and
warehouses reporting were located
in 23 states, doing a total annual
business of $234,529,716. They have
an average membership of 102 farm
ers. The 871 fruit and produce or
ganizations do an annual business
of $140,629,918. The annual volume
of business of 213 cotton organiza
tions is $34,392,258; of 275 co-opera
tive stores, $14,552,725; of 43 tobac
co organizations, $6,746,270; of 96
live stock associations, $9,482,592.
The gross volume of business for all
organizations reporting was $625,
--940,448.
Minnesota Leads
Minnesota leads the states in the
number of purchasing and marketing
organizations among farmers. Of
the total number reporting, 18 per
cent were located in that state.
lowa stood second, Wisconsin and
North Dakota next in order. Farm
ers' elevators, creameries and cheetie
factories and live stock shipping as
sociations are the principal types of
co-operative effort in these states.
Fruit and produce associations are
the chief forms of co-operative ac
tivity in Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana. The farmers' grain
companies are next in rank. In
California 00 per cent of the organ
izations handle fruit and produce.
Cotton associations lead in Texas,
North Carolina, Suoth Carolina, and
Georgia, fruit and produce organi
zations second. Tobacco associations
are found chiefly in Kentucky.
Creameries form the larger share of
farmers' co-operative enterprises of
the New England States.
Valuable Information
The report of the survey made by
the department of agriculture, now
published in Bulletin 547, contains
much valuable information concern
ing the fllaming and business prac
tices of various types of co-opera
tive uaoeiattona. It includes a sum
mary of state laws relating to the
formation of co-operative organiza
tions. It discusses the bearing
which MctiOß ti of the Clayton
amendment to the United States an
ti-trust laws has on farmers' co
op«rmtiv« association.
Patronize the advertisers of the
paper, and tell them M, It will
help us.
Myers photos show the charm of
your personality—get your Xmi. or
der in m«.
Number 3f>6.
