The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-28
N MELLOW STAGE
Oklahoma Socialists Call
Every Man Their Brother.
TEACHERS IN The PARTY
Lawyers Are Scarce So + ar
But Are Awakening.

Guthrie. 0. T., Dec. 27.-Foilowing the
convention yesterday Of the Socialists Of
Oklahoma, the delegates last night held
an informal council. or experience meet
Ing. rather, at the rooms Of the Guthrie
club, about sixty delegates being pres
ent Walter ODDS Of Chandler, the new
elected territorial secretary OF the party,
when encountered today, was exuberant
Of hope and confidence for the party's
future in Oklahoma, and the rest Of the
world, too, for that matter. He claims
that in the next campaign in this terri
tory the Socialists viii be numerically
the second party, instead OF the Popu-
psts.
The Socialists in Oklahoma have now
reached just that hau-fellow stage OF
mellow mutually when men call one an
other brother" or "comrade,' or some
such endearing term Mr.. Olds was sure
there was the serenest confidence and
harmony; so much confidence, in fact,
that ex-Candidate Tucker arose at one
stage and called the brethren down and
told them to quit swelling up over what
great things they had done and go home
and go to work doing some more great
things
Mr.. Odds was exulting over the number
Of teachers VINO were delegates in yester-
days convention These had held ere
denuals as delegates to the Socialist con-
yention and were attending the territor-
ial teachers association on the same trip.
This suggested some inquiry as to the
extent to winch lawyers were a comoon-
net part of the Socialist party-whether
political has-beens were undertaking to
ride Socialism as they had Populism. Mr.
Olds said few lawyers who didn't I'M
derstand Socialism very we'll were turn
ing to IT, but they were few, and that
the "buchng'' potentalities Of Socialism.
in the case of would-be riders, were
something terrific.
Mr.. ODDS then went on to elucidate some
OF the fundamentals Of his partys pur-
pose and tactics. As to the former. it
was not, and no one with half an idea
any longer feared that it was, proposes
to throw all property into hotchpot and
proceed to a divy, bur every proposition
had q modern workaday business end to
It, and it was proposed to make a tet-
ter business proposition always han the
other feHow-the private promoter-couId
Offer Tt was all business-no working
away at the impossible ideal Of gradually
gaining such power as to elect PRESIDENT
and congress and reconstruct the general
government on lines Of socialism. The
lesser points-the state, the territory. or
the municipaHty-whe there was leg
station in short were good enough for
Socialists. 1t was not proposed 30 lana
given men or sets of men in office. tut to
do things. AS TO tactics, it was gathe-eI
from Mr.. Oid's remarks that the party
organization was to be most directly ef-
fective for local purposes-that a muni9i-
pality should help itself instead Of look
ing to the state legislation or 20 some
general federal aid, relief or reform The
local units OF the municipal structure,
using the term municipal in its broad
legal sense, would cooperate in aIegis-
latl1re for the. common good. Comparing
with church organization, the existing
system was like the Catholic or the
Methodist Episcopal; the Socialist sys-
tenn, at work, could be compared with
the Congrega tonaL To be sure. The Ill
innate was the initiative and referendum.
local or general, but meanwhile. pending
the party's growth to the point where
It should prevail unquestioned. existing
machinery must be used until displaced
by what, in the Socialists view, was bet
ter