Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-10-15
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
PEOPLES PULPIT.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Socialism, With pefined PIatform.

EultOr courier Having notlCeu SSN- "
eral references to socialists" and so n
cialism" in your columns recently, a
either directly or indirectly attempt .
ing to connect socialists and socialism
with anarchists and anarchy, and hav- q
ing been urged to reply to those at :
tempts at such connection, l ask G
your Indulgence of space for few OBJ z
servations thereon, and, first, allow c
me to say that am neither counting i
controversy nor yet seeking notoriety s
as a controversalist, but being in /
charge of the socialist movement in Ii
Wapello county and member of the
state central committee of Iowa for
the state organization, it will be seen
that 1t at once becomes my duty as
well as proper privilege to speak for
my party, especially in our county, and
that | may properly and justly do SO
without presumptiousness or ostenta-
ton. I also fully realize that certain
social, economic and industrial ques-
lions and issues are now prominently
before the American people for con-
sideration and action and that a grave
duty therefore rests upon every citi-
zen to become well informed on such
matters as a patriotic duty precedent
aware that our socialistic authors and
for the general confused idea of what |
socialism really teaches and logically
involves; that there is as yet lack
of perfect concord between certain
socialist writers and speakers on GER
tain points as to methods and means
of securing relief for our present in
dustrial and social wrongs, and while
would not be willing to commit my
self to all that is being uttered by So
called socialist writer's and speakers,
l am quite willing to defend socialism
as set forth in the Wapello county
platform, and as this platform is the
declaration of the first socialist par
ty" having legal existence as such
in the United States as far as know
hold it to be the first proper declara-
ton of such party and hence to have
precedence in any controversy as to
what the socialist party teaches.
democratic and republican platforms
have changed from time to time.
Church creeds have often been rew.e-
ed, and parties and churches have
been split up and not only divided
but subdivided until we have demo-
Gratis and neutrality-suspicious. and
: republican-Me thodists and Methodist
Presbyterians and Presbyterian-etc.,
etc. And so in the case of socialism
and socialists we have even now So
cialists and socialistic socialism
and socialism, methods and methods,
differing chiefly in modes of applying
principles, perhaps in certain cases
differing in principles also. Yet I
feel that as the democratic platform
or the republican platform last set
l forth by those two great parties is
: recognized as authoritative as to what
democratism or republicanism is at
!, any given time. So l claim that in all
? fairness the last previous platform of
! the socialist party, or any other po-
i litical party, should be equally author
= itative as to what true representative
socialism is in any given country and
: with. this view and subject to such law
: of Interpretation, I sm, here to defend
8 socialism as hereunto appended in said
a platform. at the same time realize
: that neither myself nor any other con
troversalist has any right to expect
J. the use of any newspaper for partisan
s controversy! of an extended character
, and, hence, in order to avoid in this
brief statement any appearance O
. ",
ence general, my motive being prophy
!. Tactic, viz, to set our real views clear
ly and to thereby proven
being misunderstood and thereb.
misrepresented. Should any com
petent person after reading
our platform feel disposed to show III
it's weakness or challenge it's princt
pies our hall is open free to them t
do so, either in lecture or debat
9 with us, the latter a "joint debate,
3 being preferred.
8 Here is our platform:
q j. We declare that sovereign
~ vests in the people only, that it is IL
- alienable in character and nature, an
~ therefore no legislative enactmer
~ can divest the people Cor the state) {
- it's sovereignty or any part of it. W
AZ AZ therefore, declare for the initiativ
10 by the people in originating the law
~ and the referendum in their ratific
- ton by the people after being pr
i, pared and passed by their represent
20 tives
as A Representative Position.
~ 2. We believe that as a represent
,m tive is but a servant of the people
:" do their will for them and in the
behalf, that when he refuses or fails
- do so under the initiative rule,
~ should at once be- recalled and di
- missed from public service under tt
~ imperative mandate of his constit
in ents.
IL ~ Public Ownership.
M 8. We affirm the doctrine of publ
to ownership of public utilities as fun
.rsl =