Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-02-26

Ahele mas Deen Dlll introduced in
to Congress to provide loan of ss5oOI
| to each homesteader on the western
praeries. 1t is to he a 3. per cen
loan; Uncle Sam the mortgagee; and the
patent to issue When the mortgage is /
paid.
/ Mr.. Editor.-I noticed in your last
weeks issue, when referring to the re-
cent riot in London, England, some
writer after saying the laboring class
es Who are out-of work are suffering"
stagmatiZe them as .'roughs and slums"
and class them among Socialists"
VIII the writer please tell Us what Il
socialists is? Does he not know that
Thomas Jefferson who ii not the
worlds greatest statesman, ranks sec
Ond to none in the list of fame, was de-
nounced as socialist" a.coMmunist"''
4ssss..l biins, sy. by thar same cass, the
purse proud aristocrats who now de-
nounce the working men, the only
wealth producers in the world. |
would not like to see the Writer OF
that put in the same straits as the Lon
don working men, but, judging from
his shrewdness in putting the thing l
/ think, if he saw his wife and children
suffering for bit to eat, and, those
whom he calls 'law-abiding citiZens"
gorged to corpnlence he would be
among the foremost leaders while the
writer Of this would be following his
| wake as a common SLEM.
Reply-In the first place, "Slum" has
not caught the true meening of the ar
ticle to which he replies. | quote the
closing sentence: "The honest work.
ing men have been charged with the
deprelations OF the socialistic mob
1t was my intention to distinguish
between the working men, asking for
justice,and the roughsand slums tramp
ling under foot the rights OF others.
All working men are not socialists,
: but the indolent, crime committing
population are, almost to a man, social
istic in their habits and tendencies.
"Slum" asks for definition of social
list. 1t is a person who believes in So
. cialism. Socialism and communism are
so nearly the same in the ultimate that
Il definition for one defines the other
Webster SAYS commnnisnfis a reorgan-
ization Of society, regulating property
: industry, source Of income, and family
relations.
The following briee definition may
be sufficient Socialism means the ab-
olition Of inheritance, family, religion
and government. quote few of the
. demands made by the socialistic party
: through their organ the weekly Social
i. ist of Chicago. "We demand that the
: resource of life--the means Of produc
! ton, public transportation and ccm
. munlcation, Qand machinery, railroads
: telegraph lines. canals, etc..l-becomt
!. as fast as practicable the common pro
perty of the whole peaple, through the
J. government, then to abolish the wage:
/. system, and substitute i'll it's stead co
!. operative production with a just dis
tribution OF It's rewards.
i. Flight hours for the present, us tht
!, legal working day.
l. 'Strict Jaws making employers liable
for all accidents resulting, through
: their negligence. to the injury Of thei
employees.
ssAll laws operating against the righ
of workingmen to strike, or to induce
;, others to strike, shall be repealed.
"Cfratuitlous administration of jus
/ tice in all courts Of law.
"AI indirect taxation to be abolish
: ed an | graded income tax to be col
lected in its stead direct popular legls
lation, enabling The people to propos'
and reject any law at their will.
And Every public officer, at all times
!, subject to prompt recall by the elec
rion of a successor"
/ think close studyof the foregoing
}. will prove the correctness OF NY uellili
ton. Abolish or even discourage th'
: rightto accumulate property and SUI
). fering must follow. II you desttro,
homes. religion viii wane and govern
ments become anarchles.
our great men are failing one b,
one, and like the ranks of an army th'
vacant places must be filed from thos
in the rear. Ournoble meu have work
cd faithfully to leave excellent precept
e and chose c0mnling up to take the:
} places should study their conduct, l
y Is a ften remarked: so many great mei
are dropping off that our public affair
will sufTer fortheir generalship. But ]
sho,1ld he remembered that there ar
many capable men, who have been II
,' 4ra;n;no now ready to take Gh