, 1902-02-05

DISCUSSED At THE MANAGER
OPERA HOUSE LAST
NIGHT.
Walter Thomas Mills Of Kansas Talks
EntertainingIy for Three Hours
But Leaves His Hearers In the
Dark on Many Vital Questions
Defends Organizers Of Trusts.

Manager opera house was last night
filled by an intelligent and Interested
audience which had come out to hear
a discussion of the question of social,
ism by Walter Thomas Mills of Girard
Kansas. who Is on a lecturiIg tour eX.
pounding the doctrines of the socialist
party.
Mr.. Mills Is an able and forciblc
speaker and held the closest attention
of his audience for over three hours.
While but a very small percentage of
the audience were socialists. many of
the illustrations and statements were
received with appreciation by his hear.
ers. while others were taken with a
grain, or rather several grains. of al.
lowance.
The greater portion OF the speech
was devoted to the trust question and
in dealing with this problem the speak.
er made many apt though slightly over
drawn comparisons. At the outset Mr..
Mills declared himself a believer in the
theory Of evolution and as the trust was
but the child of evolution. socialism
would be the ~ripening Of the fruit. The
partnership was the outgrowth of in.
d~ividualism, the corporation the out.
growth of the partnership. the syndi.
cate the outgrowth of the corporation,
the trust the outgrowth Of the syndi.
cate. the international trust the out
growth Of the national trust, and all
we're but the children of cut-throat
competition. The trusts were not a
question OF good men and bad men. but
both were equally responsible for its
it was a question Of combine or fight
to the determination of one or both of
them. The trust was the result and
while it is yet in its infancy it was
growing with such rapidity as to soon
embrace all lines. The socialist would
not kill the trust. but enlarge it to take
in the whole people instead Of the lew.
it belongs to all the people: the same
was true Of machinery and all other
means of production. After the in
ventor or maker had derived his bene,
| fits from his device it could belong to
no other person. 1t belonged to the
whole people. A mar should have what
he himself produced and no more. No
man should profit by the labor Of an
other. In short the social doctrine was
summed up in three classes: The
collective ownership of all means OF
production; the democratic manage
ment Of all means Of production. and
the equal use and opportunity by all in
the means of production and the things
produced.
During his lecture Mr.. Mills pointed
out the things the socialists were striv
ing for but failed to explain in any
way how they would be accomplished
or carried out and a gentleman in the
audience, on invitation from the SPEAK
Ell that questions be p~ropounded, asked
by what mean this was all to be
brought about. Mr.. Mills replied that
ii would come when the socialist gain
ed powder-the law making power. He
cared not how they secured possession
Of the property and would pay any
price for it, paying property holders for
their title in government bonds. He
would then levy tax to pay the INFER
est and principal, and as all lands AMI
all producing devices would be free
from taxation the bonds would be the
only things left to be taxed. The trust
would gobble up the small merchants
and property and land owners and then
socialism would gobble up the trust.
Whether the property wner would
peaceably submit to the taking Of their
holdings or not Ne could not say and
likened H. to = sheriff going after 4
thief. II they fought the socialists
would be in the majority and 1t the
butt end of the sattling guns ~ well.
Other questions were asked and an
swered IN the same manner All peo-