Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-05-09
to International socialism. the brother

10 international socialism. the brother
hood of man.
AS steps in that direction, we make
the following demand:
First-Revfsion OF our federal constitu-
ton. in order to remove the obstacles to
complete control of government by the
people irrespective OF sex.
Second-The public ownership OF all
| industries controlled BY monopolies
trusts and combines.
Third-The public ownership of all rail.
| roads. Telegraphs and telephones: all
| means of transportation and commune
plants and other public utilities
cation; all waterworks, gas and electric
| Fourth-The public ownership of all
| gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, coal and
| other mines. and all oil and gas wells.
Fifth-The reduction of the hours OF
| labor in proportion to the increasing
| facilities of production.
Sixth-The inauguration of a system of
public works and improvements for the
employment of the unemployed, the pub
| lie credit to be utilized for that purpose.
Seventh-Useful inventions to be free
| the inventor to be remunerated by the
public.
Eight-Labor legislation to be national.
instead of local, and international when
possible.
Ninth-National insurance of working
people against accidents, lack of employ
| ment and want in old age.
Tenth-Equal civil and political rights
| for men and women, and the abolition
of all laws discriminating against
women.
Eleventh-The adoption of the initiative
| and referendum, proportional represen-
| tatiOn. and the right OF recall of repre-
sentatives by the voters.
Twelfth-Abolition of war and the in
| PRODUCTION of international arbitration.
1t will be noticed that there is very
little in the foregoing platform that
has not been. in the past, good,
sound populist doctrine. There is no
mention of land naturalization ex-
cept in the case of mines, oil fields,
etc, etc, whereas the populist plat
form of 1896 declared against the pri-
vate ownership of land for speculative
purposes.
OF the social democracy's platform.
the third and eleventh plan&s are car
dinal points in the populist faith,
and the Kansas populist state con-
vention, which recently met at Clay
Center, adopted a plank which is to
be pressed upon the notice of the ma
tional convention for adoption, and is
the equivalent of the second plank in
the socialist platform. 1t is as fol-
| lows:
! The enormous growth of the combi-
nation of capital known as trusts where
| by the control of the means of produc-
| ton and distribution are centered in the
hands of a few favorite individuals pre-
sents a condition which is a menace to
free government. The republican party
has had absolute control of the govern
ment for the past four years. but has
| utterly failed to present remedy fol-
| these evils, and we charge that the lead
| of the ted nd
trolled by the trust interests of the coun.
try. We believe that the practical So
luton Of the trust problem lies in the
direction of more extensive application
of the principle of government owner
ship.
We therefore demand the government
ownership of all public utilities in oui
cities, the state and the nation. We fur.
ther demand the abolition of all specia
privileges given to capital, including pro-
tective duties on articles manufactured
and used by trusts or combinations ir
| restraint of trade and declare that wher
any business becomes a monopoly Il
should be taken out of the control of pri.
vate individuals and be owned and oper.
ated by the government, and we favor
| such amendments to the state and ma.
tional constitutions as will place the com.
plete control of all such combinations OF
capital in restraint Of trade in the hands
| of congress and the legislatures of the
| several states.
Thus it is that the steady trend OF
politics is i'm the direction of socialism
And how is it with the masses of or
ganized labor? The best answer that
can be given to that query is the
quotation of the platform of the
American Federation of Labor. which
is as follows:
l. Compulsory education.
2. Direct legislation through the initia-
| tive and referendum.
8. legal workday of not more than
| eight hours.
4. Sanitary inspection of workhop, mine
/ and home.
5. Liability of employer for injury to
health, body and life.
6. The abolition of the contract system
in all public work.
| T. The abolition of the sweating eys.
| tenn.
| s. The municipal ownership of street
cars. waterworks. gas and electric plants
| for the distribution of heat, light and
| power.
9. The naturalization of telegraphs
| telephones. railways and mines.
TO- The abolition of the monopoly sys.
tenn of landholding and the substitution
therefor of a title occupancy Only.
II. The repeal of all conspiracy and
penal laws affecting seamen and other
workmen incorporated in the federal and
state laws of the United States.
Il. The abolition of the monopoly priv.
ilege of issuing money and substituting
therefor a system of direct issuance to
and by the people.
1t is my guess that, if the demo
cratic party fails to avail itself of the
full measure of its opportunity and
adopt platform containing large
adopt platform containing a large
gene W Debs receives will astonisb
the politicians.
GEORGE c. WARD.