The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-07
YOUNG STUDENT SPOKE
SOUGHT VOTES FOR SOCIALISM ON
DOWN TOWN CORNER.
Argument of william nj
Wisconsin University, Against
Present system.

At s O'Clock last evening a small party of
men gathered at the northeast corner of
Meridian and Washington streets to hold
a meeting in the interest of the Socialist
Labor party. which has . ticket in the field
for the municipal election. The city COM
mittee of the party had failed to provide a
platform. but one of the workers spied an
empty packing-case, with a ''for sale sign
on il. The box was moved into the gutter
and turned UP SO that it would give the
speaker an eminence of three feet above
the pavement. though his footfeld was
rather narrow.
The activity about the packing-case was
not sufficient to attract the attention of
passers-by. because there were too many
people on the streets. and there was some
discussion as to whether or not it was adj
visable 10 nave some strong-voiced worker
mount the box and introduce the speaker
assigned. No one volunteered to make the
introduction. so the speaker. with the help
ing hands of his companions. mounted the
box and began with a shout. "Fellow-citi-
zens and workers.
The speaker was a young man named
William Castenholz. who has recently re-
turned from studying at the University Of
Wisconsin and has entered the political
fight on the side of Socialism. After his
first exclamation he plunged Immediately
into his argument. The municipal organ
ization, he declared. is the central fact.
1t is in the city that the struggle for re-
form must be made. He went on to assert
that under the present caDitalistic system
goods and receives but % cents for his
work. The three-quarters balance goes to
the capitalist as recompense for his pro-
viding the machinery with which the la
borer works The result. Castenholz said.
is that the laborer has but % cents with
which TO purchase a dollars worth of
goods, and thus the market is glutted TO
the end that a commercial crisis must
come and the laborers will be thrown out
of employment until the surplus on the
market is consumed.
NOT AGAINST CAPITAL.
A considerable crowd had gathered
around the packing-case, and it was evil
dent that the workingmen that composed
the crowd were interested in the speakers
theories. Some of the audience listened
stolidly and others smiled and nodded their
heads in approval.
We are against the capitalist the
speaker said, but We are not against cap
itaI. There cannot be too much capital.
but it ought to be used for the purpose Of
consuming the commodities produced and
not for the purpose of profit"
Castenholz did not let his audience be
under the false impression that the Social
ist-Labor party and the Socialist-Demo-
crat party are brothers. 1.-THE Socialist
Democrat party is a party of compromise"
he said. 1T will take UP any sort of a
man that Temporarily and for his own
profit expresses sympathy with Socialism.
/ know of a man in Sh~eboygan. Wis, that
was turned down by the Republican con-
vention and then went 10 the Socialist
Democrats and became their candidate
for mayor"
AS the young man went on he grew more
and more in earnest. and his voice showed
the effect of it. He had to compete with a
band of preachers just across the street.
who were singing at the tops of their
charged certain labor leaders with having
deceived the coal miners in the recent
strike. THE strike was called in this coun-
try and in Europe at the same time" he
said. The labor leaders here led the
strikers around by the nose and sent them
back TO work. In the meantime coal had
been shipped 10 Europe, and when the
strikers there tried to find work they found
instead that the market was satisfied with
American coal. and they were left to
of the capitalistic. system was shown in
that when the miners struck there was a
host of other unemployed men that rushed
in after the strikers jobs. These men, he
said, had been thrown out of employment
by the substitution of machinery for indi-
vidual work and the lack of substitution
of other employment when the machines
were introduced.
As he stood on the box. C~astenholz.
young and well-dressed, looked the student
seem to hurt him In the estimation of his
audience. His evident sincerity and en-
! thusiasm held the crowd together. but
there was no sign from IL whether or not
the students argument was having the
desired effect Of winning votes for the
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