Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-06-13
Letter from Geo. W. Downing.

| Letter from Geo. W. Downing.
FERGUS FALLS, Minn., June 10, '03.
EDITOR WLLMAR TRIBUNE:
! have read the letter from that pa
triot, Thos. j. Meighen, and would
like to say a few words in comment
upon it. First let me say that I was
in the convention that nominated Mr..
Meighen for governor a year ago, and
that returned home and did every.
thing that could to elect him. With
out question Mr.. Meighen is one It
the nohlest men in our state today
intensely patriotic and alarmed at the
portentious clouds hanging upon the
horizon of our country's future. But
I wish to say respectfully that do
not believe he understands the philos-
ophy Of socialism.
Until recently had no patience with
the socialists and could not understand
how thinking men could occupy their
| position. During the last six months,
however, have delved deeper into
economic questions, and now clearly
understand what was before mystery
to me. Socialists understand political
economy better than populists-th is
all. The great fundamental difference
between socialism and populism is
their different conceptions of political
economy. The populists build upon
the ideas of the old school, and these
ideas are the basis of all exploitation
in the civilized world today. Social
lists, on the other hand, reject the ideas
Of the so-called classical economists,
and affirm that if (as all the economists
admit) labor creates all wealth, they
This would put an end forever to all
exploitation and would mean exact
justice to every human being.
The fact that over thirty millions of
people throughout the world accept
our principles and stand on our plat
form ought to be sufficient to insure a
careful study of socialism by all pa
triots who are earnestly striving for
the betterment of humanity. Populists
have always been earnestly seeking a
way to avert the perils that confront
our common country. Now all that
the socialists ask of you is q fair ex-
animation of their position and the
principles underlying it. I will say
that if Mr.. Meighen will read "Prin-
ciples of Scientific Socialism" by Rev.
Chas. II. Vail, and ''Collectivism" by
Emile evanderve1de, both of which books
may be had of Chas. 81. Kerr Il Co.,
Chicago, he will materially change his
views of socialism.
Mr.. Meighen seems to think that it
will be impossible to get socialism,
and he says the plutocratic papers are
booming it to kill populism. I have
never seen any booms for socialism in
the plute papers myself, but it may be
that there are capitalists shorts GIFTED
enough to take this view. II so. it
will not be long until there will be q
rude awakening for these capitalists.
Mr.. Meighen, in thinking socialism
impossible, has in mind utopian social.
ism, and not the scientific socialism
we stand for. What will Mr.. Meighen
say of Germany where the socialist
party is the strongest in the field? If
he will read the books I have named
above he will learn that we do not ex-
pect to wave a magic wand and estab
lish "a celestial condition" forthwith,
but we do expect to establish equal
opportunities for all; take the children
out of the factories and put them in
the schools; give labor the full pro-
duct of its toll; stop every kind of ex-
ploitation; put premium on honesty
and virtue instead of on dishonesty
and vice as it is today; in short we
will establish conditions much nearer
the "celestial'' than. they are now.
The populist sy ystem of taxation would
leave premium on perjury as it is
now; you would leave the wastetulness
and sinfulness of our system of pro-
duction and distribution very nearly
as it is now; you would stop the big
exploitation, but not the little ex-
ploitation.
Let me say in conclusion that the
Tribune in opening its columns to the
discussion of these vital questions is
displaying honesty, fairness, patriot
ism, and evincing desire to get at
the truth. However we may otherwise
differ, think most of US will agree
that out of this honest strife will arise
grander and more magnificent civili-
zatiou. Yours ETC.,
GEO. W. DOWNING.
Brother Bill was a feller 30 skeered Of
mistakes
That he didn't do nothin' at all.
He criticised others fur maxim small
breaks,
But he didn't do notllin' at all.