The San Francisco call., 1898-02-19
'SP AIDING NOW
 4 SOCIALIST Los Angeles Editors Pe- culiar Change of
 Front.
Advocates Government Control of All Public Utili-
 ties.
However, He Still Opposes the Ac- quisition by the City of It's
 Water Plant
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1S.-W. A. Spalding, the editor and manager of the Herald, one of the three daily jour nals in the newspaper syndicate in this city that has done so much in its endeavors to delay and retard munich pal control and operation of the citys water distributing plant, took a stand this evening which will create more or less of a sensation. He declared him. self an advanced socialist, and, mak- ing the declaration, he took a posi- tion which caused his remarks to be vigorously applauded by the most ad- vanced believers in the theory of uni versal cooperation.
 MT. Spalding, despite the fact that he has, through the Herald, opposed and antagoniZed all movements and ef- forts looking to the public control of the city's water plant, now held by the Los Angeles Water Company, on a req sonable and just basis, tonight told the members of the Reform League that the social conditions existing in this country to-day called for a radical change, or there would be a repetition of the French revolution on American soil
 Considering the fact that through the Herald MT. Spalding has not only thrown every obstacle possible into the way of municipal control of the water plant, but has vilified and defamed every individual in public and private life and every newspaper that took a Dold and courageous stand for the peo- pie III that important struggle, his open aoVocacy tonight of public control of the railroads, telegraph and other pub lc utilities comes not only as a sur prise, but with belief on the part of many who heard his address that he does not mean what he says.
 Edltor Spalding talked to the Reform League tonight Tor over an hour. He LOOK occasion during the course of his remarks to lambaste both of the old political parties, which he accused of deceivlng the people for years on the tariff question by dividing that issue When, as matter of fact the differ ences between the two parties on that question were trivial, amounting he said, to only about per cent increase or decrease in the duties on imports.
 In the last national campaign. he sald, the old parties divided the people on the silver coinage issue. the settle ment of which, one way or tha other was no cure for the existing conditions which he thought to be dangerous to the perpetuity of the republic
 lis advice was that a change should be effected in the social system. but just how this could be brought about he did not pretend to say. The settle ment of the tariff or the silver nues- tion would not improve conditions ac- cordlng to his reasoning. He made a -fr Infa nf ternalism by the Government. wherehv the unemployed could be given an on. portunity by the Government to labor If this was not done, he feared thara would be another Coxey army move ment in the country, only much strong CT and greater in numbers than the one of a few years ago.
 In fact, Spalding took the most radi- cal ground in favor of socialism of any speaker that has been heard in this community in long time, The sur prise of the Los Angeles public at this departure of the editor of the Herald will be great.
 When Mayor Snyder advocated in his message a proposition for the city to take possession of it's water plant at the expiration of the present lease with the water company, the value of the company's improvements to be judi cially determined. MT. Spalding, in the Herald, denounced the policy as pirati- cal. Every time the Mayor and Coun- cilmen Grider and Hutehison took a position to force the water company to come to terms, Spalding and the Herald have denounced these faithful public servants as advocates of conf1scation. and has in every way belittled their eff forts and endeavored to place them in a false light before the people. In the newspaper syndicate controlled by the water company the Herald has been the strongest defender of the water company's scheme to mulct the people of $2, 2,000,000
 And now it's editor becomes an ad- vanced socialist
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