The independent., 1903-12-17

says:
Il have been reading some of
the socialist writings and have
been favorably impressed with the
teachings therein. Their position
on the question of government
ownership of all public utilities,
such as railroads, telegraph and
telephone facilities, nationalizing
the whole system of communica-
tion, owning and operating the
coal fields and oil wells and all
similar monopolies that are now
owned and controlled by private
corporations, seems to me to be
the same contention that the pop
uists have been making for the
last fifteen years"
The editor can answer that by re-
1ating a little occurrence which hap
pened in Lincoln the other day.
There was a meeting of club where
socialism was being attacked and de-
Tended. The charge was made against
the socialists that they had nothing
to propose, no program to follow, in
fact, their whole propaganda consist
ed in attacks upon present evils and
not one of them would indicate what
line of laws they proposed to pass In
the event that they should capture
the government. They would tell us
what happy conditions would exist
"under socialism," but about how to
get under socialism," they were 81
lent. The statement was made that
popuists had a practical program.
They would have all money issued by
the government and a full legal ten
der. they would have-and here fol-
lowed statement almost in the ex-
act words of Judge Lee.
There was a well posted young So
cialist present of high standing In
that cult and he grew SO earnest that
he could hardly wait for the speaker
to conclude. He jumped on that pro-
position with both feet and said all
that populists proposed would not
change conditions at all. What they
advocated was state capitalism, and
wage slavery would exist in just as
oppressive and perhaps more oppres-
sive form than now. The further
the populist system extended, the
greater would be the number of the
propertyless class. The remainder OF
the argument, which was delivered in
such an excited manner that 1T was
hard to keep up with the speaker, was
exactly the same that republicans
make use of, namely, that big Of
flceholding class would be created and
the men employed by the government
to run the railroads would seize all
power, etc. There would, he added,
no benefit come to the people at all,
at least not to those who labored with
their hands and the result would be
that this would be a land of office
holders and wage slaves, with the
wage slave in worse condition than
at present. He looked upon populism
as the very worst enemy that wage
workers had to fight
When this young man was asked II
the government ownership OF railroads
and the carrying of goods at cost
would not result in better prices for
farmers and cheaper goods for wage
workers, he was too disgusted to make
anv reply.
The position taken by that young
man was indorsed by every socialist
present. as II Is by every MARKHAM So
cialst in the land Judge Lee will
see that socialists are not making
the same contention as populists"
For years The Independent has been
saving that the postofilce system. the
government ownership Of railroads,
teleeraphs and telephones was not So
ciallsm. Notwithstanding that,
great many populists have been claim
ing that they were socialists. while