Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-11-05
1T STRUCK HIM.

our samples received, read and passed on
to our neighbors. We are pleased over the
progress OF the Social movement in your state
as noted in your excellent paper Less than
one year ago was loyal, Jealous democrat,
bound down by chains of political ignorance
and religious superstition, believing in the
divine right of the priests and clergy to rule
and the right of commercial bandits and
their chosen captains to ruin and rob.
To-day, 1 am a new man-have been
"borned again.
l know that have ''passed from death unto
life, because love the brethren" feel that
all humanity are my brethren, and that GONE
God is the father of us all" can now, with
glad heart, act the 'Good Samaritan" with
the needy and fallen and point them to the
true cause of their condition, and to an easy
way OF working out their own salvation with
fear and trembling"
When the light of the Social Gospel burst
in upon my soul, was wont, like those of old,
to go tell it to my neighbors. They marveled
at my sudden conversion, and strange
doctrine. They osrtacised me, wrote me up
in the town paper, and attempted to suppress
my writings in the local press. But ''reviled
not again." remembering that Jesus said:
BLESSED are We when men shall revie you,
and prosecute you, and say all manner of evil
against you for righteousness sake, for so they
prosecuted the prophets
Mr.. W. FL. Melton of this town, the first
apostle of this new religion here, and under
whose eloquent preaching and gracious
,i,,iS t,,nt;p I
light is an indomidable and successful
worker for the cause of social reform in this
section, making considerable sacrifices from
his labor savings towards distributing ltera-
ture. Some thirty or forty people in our little
town read socialist books and papers now
that didn't know the meaning of the word d
year ago.
Since my own conversion, / have read
various books-all the leading books and
papers on social reform. and yet, only see
the beginning of wisdom.
When | read of so many cooperative
colonies springing up all over the land.
enraptured, Iexclaim Glory! Cod lives land
truly He moves in mysterious way, His
wonders to perform
Ill lHlS great Suduc JUc SOcldIlSu movement
is growing, and they have recently nominated
candidates for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor. The populists also, have out
candidates. The populists as party, are dying
in this state, but their principles will live ON,
and perhaps by another election, will be
absorbed by, or reincarnated in the body of
socialism. The state organs now quote freely
from socialist papers and authors.
There are several proposed cooperative
colonies talked of in this state. A grand state
this. for such colonies, as there are millions
of acres of fertile lands laing idle here, mostly
owned by foreign land syndicates. Yet there
are thousands of tenants here, in some portions
of the state being about 60 to 20 per cent of
the farming class.
The ''single taxi movement has good hold
in this state Also and they are said to be our
"half brothers in social reform, and will no
doubt aid us in the hour of need. A good
socialist lecturer could work wonders in
this state, for the field here is ripe and white
unto harvest" But to the little band of
comrades here, Tennessee and Washington
promise the earliest ripening into co-ope
rative commonwealth, and so, our hearts
and hands naturally turn to them.
Yes, we will watch, work, and pray on, and
our song shall be:
"Begone! O, hate, and wrong, and war
begone!
Roll on this way! o. Golden Age. Roll on!
When men and angels face to face shall talk;
When earth and heaven arm in arm
shall walk: