The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-24

ism, assisted by his travelling companion,
Frank Smith, ex-secretary of the Inter
national Labor party, entertained we'll
filled auditorium and gallery at Metropoli-
tan Hall last evening with lectures on the
problem of poverty and socialism, in the
course of which the latter was put forth as
panacea for all the ills tina. the body
polite and social economy is heir to. The
meeting was under the auspices of the San
Francisco section of the Socialist Labor
party.
The reception committee comprised the
following named gentlemen: j. G. Gar
rett, Messrs. Beresford, Settler, Warnecke
Jr., Lewis, Stubenrauch, Laccuse and
Copeland.
Chairman J. G. Garrett, in calling tn e
meeting to order, said that Mr.. Hardie
was lecturer of international reputation,
but, he continued, his lectures have been
unfairly reported by the press OF this coun-
try wherever he has spoken. He added that
his pleasure was heightened by noticing
in the audience so many who are not usu-
ally seen at socialist meetings. The en-
trance of the noted socialists upon the
stage occasioned an outburst of applause.
The first address Of the evening was de-
livered by Frank Smith, ex- secretary of
the international Labor party of London.
In speaking of the social problem he said
that the existence of one howell, in his
opinion, took away the grandeur and glory
of hundred palaces.
He referred to the House of Commons as
vocal windmill, and said that the men,
bers chartered there like lot of parrots,
and that the entrance of Keir Hardie into
the Railways of Parliament was like the
introduction of strange variety of bird
into a cage of the feathered tribe. The
members looked askance at his cap, and
then when he wore Knickerbockers that
also failed to please. "But it was not the
CAP they really objected to- he said; ut
was the head under it. The ideas that
came from it did not accord with theirs or
with tradition" Continuing he said:
Why don't we deal with sick nations as we
do with sick people? When you visit doctor
he goes down to the cause first and then ap-
plies the remedy. So it should be with nations.
Their troubles have some fundamental reason.
1t is this we must discover before we can effect
q cure.
the body polite of John Bull is the landlord.
And he is probably also affecting Uncle Sans
health But you know this best. The greatest
evil in Great Britain is the private ownership
of land. Some of our subjects, these microbes,
own 80, 600 900 acres OF your land, taking it
from the use of your farmers for their own
ACKNOWLEDGMENT and your injury.
You have got to suppress the microbes. You
have got to make it impossible for these para
sites to feed on your v1tals.
He ridiculed the idea of relief to the
working classes coming from any of the
political parties, and remarked that an old
country politicians conscience could give
points to the hide of a rhinoceros for i'm
penetrability, and said his audience could
best Judge of the politicians of this coun-
try. He went on:
We want to get rid of these men who get rich
at the expense OF the ! la b re We must de-
of the world that rule, not the heads of nations.
How are we to get rid of them? There is only
one way-now don't get alermed--and that is
I am glad TO see you are not afraid of this
boyle. 1t simply means that the weakest shall
have a chance, and that the strongest shall not
crowd him to the wall. 1t means that the pres
ent idle landlord shall be made to earn his own
living Socialism can't come in piecemeal; it
must come as a whole, and it depends on you
for its arrival.
He referred to the report that 1872 rail-
roads of the United States were in the
hands of receivers, and attributed their
bankrupt condition to the watering of
their stock. He added that after the Gov
ernment's representatives had restored
turned to the capitalist manipulators to
be again dosed with a hydropathic treat
ment. He suggested that the proper
course would be for the Government to re-
tain control of them and thus inaugurate
a state of socialism. A similar course, he
concluded. should be followed with regard
to other affairs.
Mr.. hardie was then introduced amid
applause. He spoke In slowly flowing