Los Angeles herald., 1890-10-27
A POLITICAL DEBATE.
DR.. JOSEPH KURTz VERSUS H. G,
WILTSHIRE.
The Sturdy Democrat Downs the Deluded
Nationalist-Some Excellent Points
Made-The Features of the Addresses.

A large audience, composed for the
most part of Nationalists, assembled at
Turn Verein hall last night to listen to
debate between DR.. j. Kurtz, the Demo
cratic candidate for county treasurer.
and H. G. Wiltshire, Nationalistic candi-
date for congress, on the merits and de-
merits OF the Nationalistic platform.
DIR. ]. Kurtz opened the debate, as
follows Ladies and Gentlemen-I
am by no means prepared to address SO
large an audience, as | expected simply
to talk upon the merits or dement's OF
your platform to small audience in
the little room up stairs, such as that
of which was member last Sunday.
At the invitation of my friend, Mr.. Neu-
bauer, l attended your last Sunday
meeting, and listened to the speeches
very attentively. While 1 enjoyed the
remarks of your speakers in general
very much, it rather grieved me to hear
the statement that Hon. S. M. White
had been challenged to debate the mer-
its OF your platform and that OF the
Democratic party and would not dare to
accept the challenge. Knowing that
Mr.. White was far away up north, and
consequently unable to accept your
challenge at present, l thought it but
Just to ask the privilege Of addressing
you, in order to place him in his right
position, and possibly also to correct
any erroneous impression which might
exist in your minds with regard to the
platforms, for whatever l heard read
from your platform sounded to me per-
fectly Democratic, and partly appears in
our present and partly in our platforms
OF the past, with but very few excep-
tions.
Before going any further must state
that | am no stranger to your organiZa-
ton. as | have learned that Nationalism
is about equivalent with socialism. AS
early as 1878 took an active part in So
cialistic movements, and | may ask you
where can you find an educated German
of the middle classes who has not inter-
ested himself on this the most vital
question of our age? The names La
sale, Martt and Schultze Delitzsh were
household words with me, and the 'Krit-
isch Geschichte der National ockonomie
und der Socalumus,' was one of
my favorite, studies. However, it
would take good deal more time than
that which is allotted to me if were to
go into the details of mine and our labors
in the cause of socialism, and ! shall
close my preliminary remarks with the
question, What man with feeling for
humanity is not imbued with a desire to
ameliorate the condition of the less
favored classes?'
But have found that Socialism itself
is not now what it was. Dynamite and
shotguns have in many places been sub
stituted for arguments and have es-
tranged many of the best Socialists from
| 10 10 e%
day evening, heard q speaker say that
if such thing was not realized soon,
there were guns and bullets to enforce
the will OF the masses. l must tell you
that such remarks will not tend to
strengthen your organization.
When you really scrutinize your own
sentiments you will find that you are
also Democrats, and may perhaps con-
slider yourself but branch of the Dem
ecratic party, with probably advanced
ideas. For the last ten or fifteen years
1t has been the misfortune of the Dem
ocratic party to be curtailed by the COM
ing in the field of a third party
whose members had been identified as
Democrats, and generally short time
after their appearance in the political
arena, they returned to the party from
which they emanated.
Now. you seem to have a better Or
ganization than any branch OF the Dem
ocratic party l have yet seen; and no
doubt some day you will be power in
this country as well as in Europe. But
seeing that there is such trifing differ
ence between our two platforms, would
it not have been better if you had been
represented in our convention and there
had your claims recognized? This would
| how hn ,Nlp ~, ~, e,
a man like Mr.. Wiltshire.
Now, / am the Democratic candidate
for county treasurer, and hope in MAX
ing these remarks that | may not be
understood as being here to ask you for
your votes. | simply argue in favor of
the party to which l belong, and from
which you emanate. If there is at pres
ent party of the masses. and of the less
favored classes, it is certainly the Demo
cratic party. ] have heard one of your
speakers say last Sunday that both the
Republican and Democratic parties were
rotten to the core. There is no doubt
that the Republican party is corrupt
from head to bottom, and l may admit
that there are some few black
sheep IN our party, but we
are neither rotten nor corrupt. l have
heard those same speakers mention the
names of many well-known corrupt
politicians like Stanford, Ingalls, and
others, but everyone of those were Re-
publicans, not one of them Democrats.
But if we have few black sheep among
us, let me assure you that If ever your
organization counts as many members
as ours does now, black sheep will not
be so very scarce among you either.
The doctor then proceeded to read ex-
tracts from the NationaIistic platform,
upon which he commented, pointing
out that in almost every instance the
planks were almost bodily taken from
that Of the Democratic party.
Mr.. Wiltshire in reply denounced the
Democratic platform as a snare to catch
the people, and challenged the gallant
doctor to show him such plank in it,
as that in the Nationalistic one with ref
erence to the abolishment and not the
amelioration of poverty. He also Of
fered to donate 500 to any charity the
doctor might name, if the latter would
show him a plank in the Democratic
platform with regard to the nationaliza-
tion OF railroads or any industry. He
said that the people were on the verge
Of social change so tremendous that
the whole world was trembling at its ap-
proach. He then took up the platform
and tO the dalioht of h;c o,rditors OF To-