The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1900-02-03
DEBS zkczURE.

Falk's ,pera h. use ON last Friday
night, proved q rare treat to those
who we're fortunate enough to hear
il. Mr.. Debs is undoubtedly a
Rseat orator. His lecture showed
q profound knowledge Of his sub
iect and his interesting and graceful
delivery held his audience in rap'
attention for two hours He elo
quen,lv portrayed the condition OF
labor and also told of the condition
Of the multi mill ionaire. Mr.. Debs
did not outline ATTY remedy for ex's-
ting evils, but contented himself
with prophesying that CO operation
would be the form in which rsliet
would finally come.
The Cause of the present unfor-
tuna:e state Of sociel, he ascriLes
to competition aud incidentally to
MAJ hincry. He does not defend
the trusts, but declares they are
natural result OF conditions.
First. says he, ''co,nes tue midi
vi,iual, then The partnership, the'.
the COIpOIANsOuS SuSo"AuS P~OH'S
He went on to show very ar,fu,ly
| now the cooperative idea cutters
into our whole social structure. as
sorting that the trus, vas the grea'
of the cn-ope'at,ve
| idea " hicn fol adows Il e greatest
trusr-that of the people, when
t.ey would form trust to control
the railroad, telsgraphs, telephone.
and all industrial pursuits, when
ali world be worked for tie com-
mon good aud the idea of profit oS
eliminated. In other words, the
present tendency was to socialism
and Communism.
Mr.. Debs did not explain how
this wonderful evolution was to TAX
place, how the lambs were 10 lie
, down with the wolves, how greco
, was to give way to benevolence
: He merely sad tnat the trusts Cou I
! not be controlled, that they mus
q work out their own destiny, att
| that eventually the people wour'
work out t"elrs, THROUGH tue ~ d.
! lev of Tears" and reach a stat
wherein poverty is unknown, "ner
$ t. e rich would be no mole an, u.
= poor an in possibility.
r Mr. Dds lecture was trea to
{ il il s,ldnln We have the opportu".t
OF hearing such gifted aud slo
fun-nt man. HIS language ami dis
, .r.u,.ns were beautiful; but hi
lecture is nothing helpful, Father
leaves US without hope of Oetter'n
ourselves. He simply tells US /
wait, endure and be patient, bu
II h nix all We can, aud some dav
= ..r distant future We shall pernap
e ,ee the millennium
q those VINO want to lie III PIril
H., y, III We. give so MI. DE
re the credit Of being sincere, thu
= their v ews be totally at var'ans
>,r, his. W. think Il safe TO Sd
that he has Impressed those VII
heard i'm last Fri.ia, with the *
uat he is frie.d Of the IL:
favored classes aud that hnwevs
inpracticable his plan may appea
ne Is honest in its advocacy Mar
who differ fr. m him as to II
rem-oy agree with i'm that there
much in tie present SYST m that
N cruel and oppressive to a large pc
ton Of the toilers Of the land. II
81 description. of the iniqnities whi'
Mt are born of the inSatiate greed
centralized wealth and viii, h a
permitted in these days OF boast
ne civilization and under gov-r
OF ment which guarantees to the cit'z
I'm the inalienab le rights of man is c
be- cula,ed to touch the s>mPathe
chords of the most callous natu
Those who have plenty Of 4
nc worlds go, DIS and who live in co
nc fort if not in afflnence, are apt
~ TO know very little Of the real $
"e tering of millions OF their teil0
"' who toll necessarily without gle
'"@ of hope for the future. For I
NC great army Mr.. Debs pleads e
:" quentiy and whether you agree W
'"' him or not as to the solution )
icy must concede that in him