Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-08-10

Last night a good sized audience as
sembled in the Bimetallic Hall, corner
Market and Fourteenth streets, and
listened to a free lecture by H. D.
Carless. a Socialist leader and speaker
of New York. The address was in no
wise under the auspices Of the BIZ
metallic organization, but he was
given the privilege of speaking in the
hall without charge as matter OF
courtesy, for no other place for hold
ing the meeting was available. The
speaker. in commencing his address,
cordially thanked the club for their
kindness. He proved to be a man OF
more than ordinary intelligence and
considerable force.
His address was well received and
frequently aroused applause. He
spoke in the dark, as the light was shut
off in the room in order to display the
stereopticon views on the canvas.
These Illustrations were varied and
interesting and helped to impress the
sneakers points more forcibly on the
minds of his hearers. The subject
dealt with was the reason why the
working class is at present unempioy-
ed. He handled the matter purely
from a social standpoint and although
he spoke in favor Of the Socialist par
". he did not preach politics to any
extent. He mildly referred to Mchin-
ley's promises glibly made from his
porch at Canton that Immediately
after election the mills would open,
wheels Of industry reyolve, etc, ana
yet on the ID of March, just as he was
bidding his fellow citizens goodbye,
he made the ominous remark that the
future was a sealed book. 1t was the
speakers opinion that if the future was
a sealed book on the ID of March that
it was before the previous November.
He stated that the trouble with the
country was that both the Republican
and the Democratic parties were con-
trolled by the capitalistic class, which
he termed as the parasite Of society.
In 1884 the voters Of the country had
put in the Democratic party as
change. In 1888 Ben Harrison was
elected and times grew worse. Then
they put in Grover again, and things
kept on the downward grade.
Now Mckinley had been put in, and
it was the speakers opinion that at
the end of the four years Of McKinley's
term that the times would be even
much worse than they are now. Then
another party, presumably the Demo-
cratic party, would be put into power.
There would be no change until So
ciety was differently organized, until
the producers of wealth became the
owners or that which they produced.
He cited several reasons why the peo-
pie of the country were not employed.
Among some of the reasons mentioned
was the concentration Of wealth in
the hands of a few and the introduction
of modern machinery. In all branches
of industry machines were taking the
places Of men, thus throwing thous-
ands upon thousands out of employ
ment and enormously increasing the
capitalists profits by decreasing i'm
mensely the cost of production and
increasing greatly the capacity for pro-
duction. The argument that the men
were thrown out of employment by
the use of new machinery could find
employment in making, the machines,
was denied by the statement that ma
chimes, instead of being made by men,
were made by other machines. While
invention and improved machinery I'M
der the present social system was
curse, yet they would be a blessing if
the working class received their pro-
portion of the benefits they bring.
He said the Socialists, while they
advocated common ownership. did
not ask for any division of wealth, but
that the instruments by which wealth
was produced should be in the hands
of those who produced it. The Social
list idea was that instead Of few men
owning and controlling the production
Of wealth that the workingmen should
possess this power themselves, elect
their own foTemen and superintend-
ents and regulate their hours Of en-
ployment, so that production should
correspond with consumption thus fur
nishing steady employment to labor
and preventing the producers of wealth
from starving in the midst of plenty,
owing to the fact that it was owned by
a few While the facts brought out
by the. speaker could not be disputed,
yet, the remedies offered were of the
visionary order