Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-07

them tower up above the rest through In
tellectual. oratoric or executive ability. VI
this limited aristocracy there is not one but
could be made the subject OF an In
teresting study Not alone the foreigners,
but also the native born, are the heroes OF
actual dramas, which, though seldom OF
ever published, WELD a tremendous lnfu-
ence for good or evil upon modern society,
OF the great Socialists of New York, prob
ably the most brilliant is j. r. Buchanan,
the writer and orator. He is a tall, slender,
but well-built man Of about 40, with clear
cut, pallid face, which in the time OF the
Reformation would have been mistaken for
that of Calvin. He is an admirable writer,
and earns a handsome livelihood with his
pen. He is a still better speaker, and has
the rare knack or genius of being able to
please an audience of day laborers as well
as one of scholars.
A MAN WITH A HISTORY.
In Denver, years ago, he stopped the An
archists who proposed to remove Dy dyna-
mite the millionaires of that famous silver
capital, and afterward in Chicago he was
the only Socialist leader who was not sus-
pected by the police or the authorities. His
last great public work was the closing of the
Southwest strike, in which he succeeded in
placating both the corporations and the
strikers. Next to Buchanan, the most in
tellectual of the Socialist leaders is Charles
Sotheran, the distinguished book expert
He is one of the best known men in New
York, having an acquaiptanceship remark
able for its variety. He came into prom
inence as an author in 1873, and late in
1876, when he, with Madame Blavatsky,
started the Theosophic Society. In 1877 he
was the first to expose that lady's jugglery.
From that time on he has kept himself be-
fore the public as a cataloguist of vast abil-
ity. He is an Englishman by birth and
shows his origin in herculean frame,
blonde complexion and easy-golng but
British manners.
Another curious character is Sergius She
witch. Imagine a typical Presbyterian
theological student, smiling, cynical, cul-
tured and we'll bred, a fne-looking but care
worn face, a long, wlry frame and melodi-
GUS voice, and the man Is before you.
Though brilliant, he is unpopular to high
degree. The people who are similar to him
in tastes and tendencies reject him because
of his doctrines and beliefs. The people
whom he leads reject him because he is
an aristocrat No man has done more for
socialism in the United States than he,
and no one has received less gratitude In re-
turn.
REMARKABLE LEADER.
Most remarkable of all in this drama of
daily life is DR.. Gertrude Kelly, who has
q large and lucrative practice as a physician
in Seventh street. near the Bowery. She is
not over %, is ideally beautiful, and is
probably the best read person of her age in
the metropolis. She never speaks in public
and seldom writes upon socialistic doctrines,
but devotes all her leisure time to reading,
work and study. She has hundred fol-
lowers, who always reverence her. She is
an extremist in her opinions, believing in
passive anarchism rather than socialism or
State socialism.
Mrs Cynthia Leonard deserves mention
at this point She is best known to the
public as the mother of that charming opera
star, Lillian Russell, but. possesses an indi-
viduality which will be remembered when
the stage favorite is forgotten. Her entire
existence is given up to social reforms, in
the pursuit of which she does more work per
diem than the poorest paid car conductor.
She belongs to dozen societies, including
socIalistic section, and never tires of writing
and speaking in support of her hobby.
Old friends and foes of Mrs. Leonard are
Mr.. and Mrs. Richard j. Hinton. Colonel
Hinton is an.iconoclast from the beginning.
He was a John Brown man before and a
fierce Unionist during the Rebellion. He
organized the first regiment of negro troops,
and led them to the seat of war. Since then
he has been identified with every radical
movement During the Harrison Cleveland
campaign there was a split in the Socialist
ranks, and Hinton led very large number
into the Republican fold. 1t may have
been a reward or not, but the new admins
tration expressed its appreciation of his
worth by giving him snug Office in Wash
lngton, which he still holds. He is short,
stocky, long-haired and long-bearded,
finished writer, good speaker and very
man.
NEW FACE IN THE RANKS.
A new face in the ranks is Moses Oppen-
heimer, the editor of a small local paper. He
is short, thick-set, gray-haired man, who
may be anywhere from 40 to 60 wears of age.
He has been here since 1884, when it is said
the choice was offered him of emigrating or
going to q political prison. He thanked the
police and took the former. Then there is
Christian Growland, the author who is tall,
black-eyed and mournful looking, and looks
partly like poet and partly like dyspep-
tic. He is very gentle and very popular
BY attacking Growland some years ago and
calling him "spy," renegade" SNEAK
and other happy Anarchist titles, Johann
Most first aroused the great enmity to him.
self which has since stripped him of nearly
all his influence.
There is an army more-Ernest Boehme. |
Otto Boehme, Joseph Holler, Jacob Brain. |
tree, the 80 chief delegates of the Central |
Labor Federations and the founders and |
officers of the Brooklyn Labor Lyceum.
There are few points worthy of being re- |
in regard to the Socialists. Sup |
preston doesn't suppress, but strengthens |
them. They are growing rapidly in New |
York and every other large city.
Where they used to be exclusively for |
eigners, the Socialists now include a great |
many native Americans. Against every
odds, and without wealth, patronage and |
influence, they have built up an organiza-
ton of AZ, 600 hard-working men and women
who earnestly believe in the ''New Civiliza-
ton" and the Impending Revolution"