The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-11-05
The Growth of Socialism.

The Growth of Socialism.
The New York Herald has recently
made poll of forty-fve States, which
will elect 3S6 members to the House
of Representatives of the Forty-eighth
Congress, indicating that the Repub-
licans will have a small majority. In
order to control, the Republicans
must elect 1874 members, and the Her
AIDS return gives them 200.
In commenting on political condi-
tions as indicated by this poll, the
Herald says that perhaps the most
significant sign of the times is the
growth Of Socialistic sentiment in this
country which is appearing very much
as the Populistic sentiment appeared
just prior to 1892, only this time the
sentiment is in the Eastern States and
the Middle West, whereas the Popu-
listic sentiment referred to was largely
in the South and the far West. This
Socialistic sentiment, according to the
Herald, made its appearance a year or
two ago and grew to such strength in
New England that the workingmen's
candidates were taken up by the Demo-
catic party and labor Mayors were
elected in chain of Connecticut cities.
The sentiment has now spread all
through New England. New York and
New Jersey, is rampant in Penn
sylvania and Ohio, and exists farther
West in Indiana and Illinois. In con-
clusion the Herald says:
"All over the East combinations have
been made between the Democrats and
labor unions. In New York State, in
the counties of Schenectady, Saratoga,
Washington and Warren, where street
car strike had lasted for several months,
the workingmen have been arrayed
against the Republican party, and the
Democrats have eagerly nominated
active labor agitators for the Senate,
for the Assembly, for Congress and
for various local Offices. It was in Or
der to take advantage of this growing
sentiment of unrest among the labor
ing, classes that Senator Hill at
the Democratic State Convention in
Saratoga, inserted in the platform his
gsotesque plank for the government
ownership of the anthracite coal
fields. For the same reason Demo
cratic orators on Wednesday night en-
deayored to make John Mitchell the
great popular hero of the age, and put
all the blame for the coal srike and
for everything else the public com
plains of on j. Pierpont Morgan. Once
more the masses are being arrayed
against the classes.
This is enc of the pregnant signs
of the times. It would seem to fore
shadow a great coalition in 1904 be-
tween the Democratic party and the
Socialistic and labor element. It
would be coalition in some respects
similar to that in which the Demo
cratic National Committee entered in
1892, when the Populistic and Demo
,erats combined in half dozen States
in fusion on presidential electors, the
result being that the Populists element
of the party ran away with the organ
| ization four years later at Chicago
and nominated William j. Bryan on a
platform more Populistic than Demo-
cratic"
This is enough to give every Demo
crat in the land genuine fit of the
blues. The situation may not be as
bad as the Herald has pictured it,
! but it is bad enough, as we have time
and again pointed out in these columns.
Socialistic sentiment is indeed grow
ing and growing rapidly, and the
worst part of it is that some men who
have been prominent in the Demo
cratic party are catering to it. This is
one of the saddest facts i'll the history
of the Democratic party and in the
history OF the country. There has
always been part representing the
Hamiltonian view of government, and
there has always been q Sociallstlc
element in OFF population. The Demo
cratic party has stood between the two
and has stood alone for those pure
and true principles of Democracy upon
which our government was founded.
There never was a time in our history
when there was so great a need for
true Democracy and for strong and
virile and courageous Democratic party
as exists today. The very hope of
the republic depends upon the exist
ence of such a party, for it would be a
disaster for the government to run in
to extreme Repuhlicanism or into ex-
treme Socialism. Either would mean
destruction of the republic. But if the
Democratic leaders are now going to
rally the Socialisic element and join
hands with them, if they are going to
forsake their principles and turn to
Socialism, heaven save the party and
the republic Richmond Times.
! Smart Set at q, G. Osteen & Co. "a