The Washington socialist. [volume], April 22, 1914, Image 1

About The Washington socialist. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1914-1915

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Tiie Washington. Socialist
I FOR SOCIALIST NEWS AND PROPAGANDA
be per copy. $1.00 p«r rear.
PROHIBITIONISTS OF EVER
ETT HOLD BIG MASS
MEETING.
MANY SOCIALISTS ATTEND THE
SHOW.
Ex-Governor Patterson Does a Clever'
Stunt.
Last Friday evening was a gala
night for many a wage slave in F.v
orett. The beautiful opera house and
its cushioned two-dollar seats were- for
the evening free to the hoi pollol!
The eight-dollar-aweek clerks and oth-i
or KoOce'eller expectants sat with dig
nified complacency elbow to elbow
with bosses and deacons and bankers
and learned jurists, druggists, *nd
"our leading citizens " in .general, try
ing vainly to doport themselves in
such wise as to give the impression
that those were the seats they always
occupy "when anything good conies tc>
town," It was a great night a night
well calculated to make men who are
not too "close' "to buy a drink when!
they want it tremble from stem to
stern.
A gentleman who makes a profes
sion of that sort of thing told of the!
wonderful progress of the prohibition
movement—a regular draught swet p
ing the country like a sandstorm pas>
ing over a rich and lucious country of
springs and brooklets and moist ver
dure, leaving in its wake an aridity
that would make the Sahara look like
a gnat lake by comparison.
It was very wonderful how intoxi
cating" liquor had been abolished from
more than half the territory of the
United States, leaving the thirsty pop
ulace nothing but marble-dust soda and
acrid Peruna to tide them ever the
great desert that lay between them
and the delectable post-mortem Wai
halla. One might well expect that the
poor booze-peddlers had dwindled
down to a tow isolated breweries and
a less number of disconsolate distill
cries—we need not mention the unob
trusive blind-pigs.
The editor of Th<"> Washington So
cialist, who takes more.interest in see
ing the CAUSE OF THE DESIRE FOR
LIQUOR REMOVED than in the abol-,
ishment of symptoms, hurried home to'
his private statistical bureau to find*
out just how much prohibiting prohibi-j
tion had done. Alas: On consulting
our government's authorities and ir
refutable statistics, he found, as he
had surmised, that most of the abol
ishing of the "liquor evil" was done on
the platform by professional perform
ers just previous to taking up the col
lection.
Here they are:
During the year ending June 30, 1910,
according to official figures, the con
sumption of liquors in the United
States bad increased very consider
ably. In whiskey alone the increase in
the consumption during the year was;
over twelve million gallons, while;
there were 3,181,620 barrels of beerj
produced over that of the previous
year. A corresponding increase has
been noticed ever since.
With prohibition in about half of the
American territory the production of
whiskey in that year increased several
million gallons. From June, 1909, to
June, 1910, the production of beer was;
128,657,776 barrels, against 116,050,265
in the preceding year. One striking
feature in thia comparison is the enor
mous consumption of whisky.
The increase in the production of
whiskey from 1909 till 1911 is shown
by the following figures:
('■allons.
1909 70,152,175
1910 82,463,894
1911 100,647,155
The increase in the total consump
tion of spirits, malt liquors and wines
in the United States during the same
period was as follows:
Gallons.
1909 1,935,544,001
1910 . 2,045,427,018
1911 2,169,356,695
Just ponder over these figures, dear
j reader, until next week, when we shall
ldiscuss tome other aspects of this pro
fhibition movement.
RUBE SAYS
Ever notice how much advice the
farmer gets? G<;ts it free, too. Now,
Jim Hill hands it out to us in big
bunches; in fact, James breaks out
with it frequently, and does it so inno
cently too. Jim, you know, farms his
back yard in St. I'aul and that, together
with his whiskers and home-made hair
cut, he thinks justifies him in claim
ing to be a farmer. Hence the advice
to the rubes. But James, old boy,
the above qualifications do not permit
you to belong to the Order of Rubes
you have too much land that ain't
working. RUBE.
| MUNICIPAL REFORM PARTIES
(Uy Cnrl Ulonakn.)
Municipal reform parties, wo find
; thorn In nearly every small city and
town election!
They pretend to represent "the peo
• pic," but they are only a inuHk by
which the capitalist politicians seek
i to lead the workers astray.
In every city and town where, the
I Socialists have control or partly con
• trol, a citizens' ticket or a "people's
party" ticket was always placed
. against the Socialist party in order to
. defeat them for reelection.
The citizens' ticket or any other
i municipal ticket is only the mongrel
hybrid of the two old parties.
They seek to mislead the workers by
i advocating municipal water, light, gas.
i soup kitchens and what not.
i Hut remember it has only been
► through the Increasing power of the So
; ciallst party In that locality that h»n
I forced them to do this.
i] Under the mask of the reform ticket
i the upper class and the lower class
join hands to defeat the w,orkers in
. every election.
,1 Those old party politicians offer all
i sorts of reforms to catch the votes of
. the working class, they promise every
. thing, but they will not get off the
; backs of the workers, the Socialist
. 'party cares more for the abolishment
■of the wage system than for any
i amount of reform. In municipal part
ies there are many falllcies but the
. following two are most noticeable:
First, reform parties usually Include
, the same gang of ringßturs and politic
ians who boss the city or town elec
tions In which the reform ticket is
i placed, for years thus Instead of elect
ing one gang of politicians to manage
offices you elect a mixture of both
gangs and the result is that more jobs
i are created, salaries are increased, and
taxes raised materially.
Second, reform parties have been an
absolute failure in municipal govern
ments. New elections and recalls
usually follow a "reform administra
tion."
Frances Willard, a great temperance
\ worker and reformer, declared on her
deathbed that had she her life to live
over again she would devote it to So
' cialism.
The Dutehess of Southerland, of Eng
j land, was recently converted to So
, cialism while engaged in reform work
. among the pottery workers of South
ern England.
Some one has very aptly said that
. "every reform they give you is a bone
thrown you to keep ye i from taking
back all that belongs to you."
Municipal reform parties do not and
cannot solve the great economic in
justice of today. The old party poli
ticians are beginning to realize that
the workers are waking up and are
hence using the reform ticket as a
' last effort to shiled themselves. The
[ reform ticket is merely the same re
actionary Democratic or Republican
' ticket saturated with a reform cologne
to once more fool the workers. The
I reform ticket— goodly apple rotten
, at the heart." For as long as one class
is forced to exist on dry bread while
another class surfeit on porterhouse
| steaks, as long as the children of one
class are forced to wear shoddy cloth
' ing, denied an education, and forced to
' slave in the mills and factories while
the children of another class revel in
, all the luxuries riches can procure, just
so long will the Socialist party con
tinue to stand as the only remedy for
this economic injustice.
Socialism Is industrial democracy.
It would put an end to the irrespons
, ible control of economic Interests, and
, substitute popular self-government in
the industrial, as well as in the politi
cal world.—Charles H. Vail.
EVERETT COMRADES TAKE
NOTICE.
Another Big Entertainment Coming.
There will be an International Labor
Day entertainment at party headquar
ters, 1612 California, on Sunday even
ing, May 3. Our newly organized or
chestra will furnish the music. The
program being arranged is by far the
most interesting ever attempted by the
woman's committee and will be printed
in full in next week's issue. Sugges
tions and contributions for the pro
gram are in order. Supper will follow
this part of the entertainment. Come
and bring your friends. These affairs
in the past have been so popular and
helpful that we are wisely making
preparations for the largest crowd
since our new headquarters have been
opened. For information regarding re
freshments call up 253Z, or 478 Z.
Formerly The Commonwealth
IVWITT, WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 1914.
Number of Dues-Paying Members in the International Socialist
Movement, 1904-1914
(COMPILED BY MORRIS ORANS.)
r r f Year
Country, Name of Party. Formed. mil 1010. 1907, 1904.
Argentina <?) Socialist party 1896 5,000 3,600 2,400 1,786
Australia Socialist pally 1,011(1 1,000
Australia (?) Labor parly 1901 200,000 150,000 130,000 80,000
Austria I < i.Miiian ). .Socialist party •- IHHH 142,027 I14,:t1(i 90,000 60,000
Hei-umi Labor party 1886 258,912 194,782 174,11 m m.Mfi
Bohemia Socialist party IK7, U 169,279 125,000 99,098 49,117
Bohemia (German). Socialial party Ihkh 34,122 29,195 22,152 16,000
Btosnia-Herregovina.Socialiii party 1909 2,445 1,704 .... ....
Bulgaria United Socialist party 1894 3,323 2,426 l,r>!>r> 1,106
Bulgaria Social Democratic party 1892 2,293 2,286 1,870
Canada Socialist party ' 1904 2,500 2,000 1,000
Canada Social Democratic party 1910 3,600 2,289 ....
Chile Socialist party ' 1!I12 2,000
Cuba Socialist parly 1907 2,000 1,500 1,000
Denmark Social Democratic party IM7K 18,344 47,000 40,000 30,000
England ... . .British Socialist party 1884 17,000 17,000 14,500 7,000
England Independent Labor party 1893 80,000 60,000 35,000 20,000
England Fabian Soeialial party 188.1 3,200 2,462 1.207 1,000
Finland Social Democratic party L 899 51,798 4h,4()H 80,328 17,000
France United Socialisi party 1904 71,661 53,928 18,237 :i4,fißß
Germany Social Democratic party 1869 982,839 720,038 530,466 384,437
Greece Socialist parly 1912 1,000 .... .... ....
Greece (?) Social Democratic-Labor party.. 19&9 8,000 6,000
Holland Social Democratic-Labor party.. 1894 20,623 11,238 7,471 0,100
Holland Social Democratic party 1909 600 511 ....
Hungary Socialist parts 1880 59,623 45,266 30,000 20,000
1.-itly .'. Socialist party 1892 29,721 32,108 43,781 42,451
Luxemburg (t) ....Socialist parly 1896 2.000 1,500 1,200 800
New Zealand (f)... .Socialisi party 12,000 9,000 8,000
New Zealand (t)... .United Labor party 191] 10,000 ....
Norway Labor party LBB7 50,000 32,000 27,000 19,800
Poland (Austrian) . .Socialisi parly L9Ol 23,000 .... .... ....
Poland (Prussian). .Socialisi party 1 *!••". 1,237 1,500 400
Poland < li'nssiaii>. . .Socialist party 1893 6,000 3,500 22,700
Portugal (?) Socialist party L 907 4,000 1.000 500 1 I
Roumania (?) Socialist party 1892 7,000 6,000 6,000 i
Russia (!) Social Democratic-Labor party.. 1898 168,000 150,000 200.000
Russia (Letonia) ... .Social Democratic party "'.OOO 3,000 16,000 ....I
Servia Socialisi party ' 1903 2. 100 1,960 615 1,400}
Spain Socialist party 1^ 10,000 20.000 9,000 8,000;
Sweden (?) Social I(etimci'alic party LBB9 62,898 55,248 101,929 54.552
Swatzeralnd Social Democratic party 1888 32,894 21,132 20,337 18,000
United States (T).. .Socialisi Labor party 1^77 10,000 8,000 8,000 8,000
United States Socialist party ... .' 1!)00 118,045 58,011 20.270 20,763
Uruguay Socialist party 1.000 .... .... ...I
I
Totals 2,787.084 2,045,797 1.805,174 1,018,422
Where there is a question mark after any country it indicates that the figures arc "approximate "
Prom The (\. V.) Call.
I — ,
MACHINE GUNS SPIT DEATH1
IN LABOR BATTLE.
DB3NVBR, April at.—Advices re
celved here shortly before noon from
John McLennan, district president of
the United Mine Workers, stated that
nine persons were known to have met
death in the clash between strikers1
and militiamen yesterday in the Lud
low district.
McLennan's message was sent from
Trinidad.
Four strikers, four children and one
woman were killed at Ludlow, the
message said, but the names of all
were not available.
Eight Soldiers Short.
McLennan also said the strikers
claimed eight militiamen also were
slain, but. that, the military authori
ties denied the report.
With Trinidad practically isolated,
it was still Impossible today to get ac
curate information conserning the fa
talities in the 14-bour battle.
Maj. ilamroek, commanding the mi
litia, reported to Gen. Chase last night
that I'rivate A. Martin, a militiaman,
had been killed and three others
wounded.
Another report said that Louis Ti
kas, leader of the (ireek strikers, had
been shot to death.
McLennan reported nine dead, in
cluding Tikas, Jas. Fyler, president
of thi! Ludlow union. ('has. Costa, a
miner, William Hnyder, aged 6, and
an. unidentified girl.
McLennan also declared two women
were missing.
The Ludlow tent colony was burned
during the battle.
It. was reported that 1,500 strikers
had started from various points to re
inforce the Ludlow miners.
Several companies of militia also
were ordered '" the scene from near
by towns.
A renewal of the battle is expected.
L'arly today the miners were re
ported entrenched in the hills back of,
Ludlow waiting for the soldiers tol
renew the attack.
Use Machine Guns.
At '.'• o'clock this morning, accord
ing to unconfirmed reports, the mi
litia swept the miner*' position with
machine guns.
Throughout yesterday Ludlow wasj
swept by a blasting fire. Bullets
rained on the railrcuti station, where
women and children had sought saf
ety, am! crouched in terror on thu
floor.
LABOR BOARD OPPOSED TO
WAR.
PASADENA, CaL, April 21. —De-
nouncing as puerile the propoaal to
wage war on Mexico, the I'asadena
board of labor is on record today as
urging working men to have no part
in such a war. The board is made up
of 15 local unions and three, federa
tions. The resolution recites alleged
wrongs of the miners in Michigan
ami Colorado, and asserts that, the ad
ministration baa taken no notice of
these violations of rights of working
men, but now would precipitate war
with Mexico because the property
rights of Rockefeller are involved.
The resolution concludes:
"The Pasadena board of labor calls
upon the workers in Pasadena and
elsewhere to refuse to become a party
to the murder of the Mexicans for the
dollars that. Standard Oil and others
hope to make from the Mexicans in
their helplessness."
SPEAKING OF FIRING TWEN
TV-ONE GUNS.
If the president of these! United
States feels that Huerta ought to firei
twenty-one guns in apology for Impris
oning an American in Mexico, howl
many nuns should he cause to be'
fired in salute to the American work
ing class in apology for the Illegal
persecution and repeated imprison
ments of an American citizen in Amer
loaT And how many guns should be
tired for the "murders, iiimilts and in
dignities" heaped upon members of
the working class in Colorado, Michi
gan and West Virginia?
FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT.
Comrades not receiving tha paper
regularly can do us no greater lervloe
I than to report the matter to us. We
trace up these cases until the diffi
culty in located. Remember, that aj
mailing list cannot bo perfectly re
adjusted in a day, and not at all with
out the co-operation of our readers.
"House passed Literacy Test". It
lis not bo difficult, then, as has been
Imagined. —New York Evening Post.
Denver union officials say two
children were ktlled.
Maj. Harnrock wired Gen. Chase
today that he had driven the strikers
to a point three miles east of Ludlow,
' where they were being reinforced. '
THE SOAP-BOXERS IN SNO
HOMISH.
Comrades Ulonska and Crosby made
their promised trip to Snohomish last
Saturday night and had the experi-1
ence that goes with soap-boxing the
world over. On account of a landslide'
on the N. P. K. R. that company was!
sending its trains down over the Inter- 1
urban and from Everett to Seattle over
the G. N. As a result the car waited
at Lowell for an N. P. passenger and
was half an hour late reaching Sno-j
homish. Of course, the Snohomish!
comrades were not wise to the state of'
affairs and thinking the speakers were
not coining they wended their weary
way homeward. When the travel
weary speakers arrived on the scene
of action not a Ked was to be found!
on the streets, the promised soap bo.Xj
was not on hand, and taken all around
the prospect was anything but encour-j
aging. After vainly searching for a
red button a box was bummed off an
accommodating grocer and the speil
! began. A crowd soon gathered of
about fifty people and listened while
Comrade Ulonska handed them out
| bunches of Socialist dope, and Comrade
j Crosby handed out sample copies of
I "The Washington Socialist." At thel
1 conclusion of the meeting quite a num
ber of pamphlets were sold, and tak
ing it all in all the comrades feel in
nowise discouraged.
Katonville, Wash., April 11, 1914.
10d it or Commonwealth, Everett, Wash.
Dear Comrade —Mrs. Flora I. Fore
man, the persecuted teacher of Quincy,
Ore., wute me a lengthy letter two
days ago explaining her troubles. She
iisked me to give publicity to the con
tents of her letter. 1 turn to you to
help me. Please print the enclosed
write-up in next week's Common
wealth. It is not too long, I hope. The
subject surely demands an airing. Do
not print my name; am a wage-slave.
Yours for Socialism,
SUBSCRIBER.
We Socialists are willing to give the
capitalist all he produces; we will be
satisfied with what is left. —Fred D.
Warren.
You think it the chief good to live
lon another's crumbs. —Juvenal.
Be i' true or false, what is said
about men often has as much influ
ence upon their lives, and especially
upon their destinies, as what they do.
1 —Victor Hugo, "Fantine," Book 1.
COMRADE BOSTROM WRITES
INFORMING ANSWERS TO
SOME PERTINENT QUES
TIONS OF A HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHER.
Everett, Wash., April 10, 1914.
OtOTge Karnopp, Two Harbors, Minn.
Dear Sir —Replying to your letter of
the 13th inst., in which you request
my opinion on certain questions, I
wish first to call your attention to the
fact that I am a Socialist. As such
I base, all opinions in conformity with
the fundamental principles upon which
thf) philosophy of Socialism is built,
namely, what we call economic deter
minism and the existence of a class
struggle.
1. Would the recall be abused?
Cases if possible.
Answer: Where judges are elected
as candidates of parties, i.e., where
they are, not elected as non-partisan,
it often happens that they are elected
by a plurality and not majority vote.
It therefore follows that the majority
could at once recall them before they
had been guilty of any act whatsoever.
I know of no such case, and common
sense and common fairness will prob
ably prevent it from happening.
2. Would the recall prevent a good
man from accepting office?
Answer: There is no such thine; as
a good man. Whether a person is
"good" or not depends upon the point
of view. He may be good to you and
bad to me. He most likely is good to
I one class and bad to another. He may
be more or less able. Able lawyers
are mostly employed by the corpora
tions and after years of such service
;have become used to look at things
from the point of view of the good of
corporations. Few men can tear them
selves away from habitual ways of
thinking. In fact, like the gold nugget
found on the bedrock of a creek,
j which is fashioned by and carries on
jits surface the imprint of the sur
j rounding gavel, so every human being
|is formed by its environment. The
[will of man ii but the desire created
by outside pressure. The all pervading
ire of this age is to make money,
person who cannot be bought with
;s is for sale for a crust of bread,
ict, we are all potential cannibals,
icient pressure will bring us to any
1. In non-partisan elections the
>rity would elect and it would be
for the judge to satisfy that ma
y. He has no business to thwart
majority, of which he is after all
a representative.
3. What, in your opinion, might be
done to make the present system bet
ter?
Answer: The introduction, of the co
operative commonwealth. However, I
suppose you mean the judicial system?
Nothing can improve it appreciably; it
is part of the capitalist system and as
good as any other part of that system.
4. Cases of courts usurping legisla
tive powers?
Answer: Too numerous to mention.
Instance, the veto power of the su
preme court of the U. S. in congres
sional decisions. The veto of state
courts by declaring law unconstitu
tional. However, I know of a specific
case in this city, where the courts is
sued a mandamus commanding the
city council to take a certain action.
5. Would the fear of recall prevent
an honest man from making an impar
tial decision?
Answer: The question is paradoxi
cal. If fear of recall prevented him
from making an impartial decision he
could not be honest. However, do not
deceive yourself. All men are honest
or all men are dishonest. You may
consider it either way you like. Men
adjust their ideas of morality to their
own position in the. world. The thief
has no trouble in finding justification
for his acts nor any other ill-doer. We
are all drawing a line very close, be
hind our hind-foot and those who are
not abreast of us are bail and dishon
est. Strictly speaking, if there is such
a thing as honesty, every man is hon
est who satisfies his own (shall we
call it?) conscience. Only a stupid
weakling could be scared into deciding
against his better understanding.
6. Would the recall of decisions of
fer a better solution for the evils of
the present?
Answer: As stated above their is
only one solution —Socialism. Patch
ing up the system ia poor business.
The daily press rules the public opin
ion. The dally press is a common
prostitute for sale at all times and for
all kinds of prices. No one could there
fore be recalled unless the corporations
were in favor of such a move. No
scoundrel could be recalled unless the
corporations decided that he had gone
so far that it would be dangerous to
sustain him. No decisions could be
No. 172.
THE SPIRIT THAT MAKES
CAPITALISTS TREMBLE.
Gold Bar, Wash., 4-19-14.
Washington Socialist:
Dear Comrades —I make my firs
bow to the new born babe, The Wash
ington Socialist. Please find inclosei
P. O. money order to pay for the in
closed subscription cards. These ar>
a part of the five dollars worth o
cards you sent me. As my own privati
fortune today amounts to sevent;
cents, I can only pay for six monthr
at present, but I think we can do bet
ter by the first of the month.
The slaves here have been out 0'
work several months, but the mill it
running now, and we will have a pay
day the first of the month.
Say, Comrade Shipley, that "Call o
Conscience" must have been real RED
Just write another one when you gei
time, for we can start a new papei
every month if necessary. Here is m>
heart, han# and last half dollar. But
go to it. The new paper is a dandy!
Yours for success,
RUPUS WREN,
Congress talks of adjourning by
July 1. Part of the movement for a
safe and sane Fourth.
upset without the consent of the money
power.
7. Would the recall overthrow the
main purpose of the constitution?
Answer: There is quite divergence
of opinion as to the main purpose of
the constitution. However, we Social
ists hold that purpose to be "protec
tion of property!" As long as the daily
press is at the command of the highest
bidder there is no danger to property
from below. But from above there is.
The tendency is consolidation. The
smaller property holder is disappear
ing. The constitution does not and
cannot protect the middle class. It is
doomed to furnish the workers of the
next generation since the workers of
this generation are not sufficiently
paid to reproduce itself.
8. Is the majority able to decide
wisely and justly whether a judge is
doing his duty honestly and intelli
gently?
Answer: You are doubting the effi
ciency of democracy. Of course you
are right in so doing. We all think we
are wiser than the mob. And we are.
But not to a very great extent. Thou
sands of years of experimenting on
the part of intelligent minorities have
only demonstrated their inefficiency
as rulers. The mob pays the price.
The majority may be wrong; we will
admit that it always is wrong, but it
alone has a right to be. wrong. An in
telligent minority after having con
vinced the majority of the good sense
in permitting the minority to rule,
must make good. It has always failed
in it. Why? Because it can never
represent the interest of the mob. The
judge that does not act so as to satisfy
the majority should be recalled, dis
cussing the question theoretically.
But only theoretically, because the
daily press is there and no unham
pered public opinion can exist until
the influence of the capitalist press
is annihilated.
9. What is your opinion of the argu
ment that courts are the bulwark of
special privilege?
Answer: The courts are the instru
ments of the money interests as a
matter of course. We all are. The
money power rules the press, the
church, the school and through these
agencies the public opinion. The So
cialist press lives a hand to mouth ex
istence. Thousands of preachers are
churchless because they spoke the
truth. The teacher who dares to let
his pupils know that John Hancock
was a sumggler who needed separa
tion from England to save him from
the penitentiary, and that George
Washington stole thirty thousand acres
of land, will teach no more unless a
Socialist school board should be elect
ed somewhere. To teach that the in
vention of machinery or in fact any
change in the mode of production ne
cessitates economic changes, which
again force political changes, is treas
son to capitalism. To teach that re
ligion and morality change as we
change our mode of making a living is
a fearful offense. The fact that can
nibalism was moral when cannibalism
was necessary to prevent starvation is
heresy. The courts must be the most
conservative force in society or their
occupation is gone. 1 could instance
the Humphries incidents in Seattle
but they are exceptional rfiuce that
judge went so far that it became nee
essary for capitalism itself to repudi
ate him.
With best wishes, yours for a united
working class in a speedy revolution,