The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-04
ADVOCATES OF SOCIALISM
TALK WITH SECRETARY OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS ORGANIZATION.
Conditions in that State and What the
Party Proposes to Do When Ii
Shall he i'm the Majority.
Brooklyn Eagle.

terS on the top moor OF a business DOCK OH
Washington street, Boston. For the Eagle
l went there to see them in their lair, and
found them by means formidable COM
pany. William Mailly, the State secretary,
was willing to answer all questions.
1--WE look on this increase" he said. ''as
result of years of agitation. The Social
lists have worked for twenty years to spread
their doctrines. Conditions in MasSachu-
sets are more favorable for our propa-
ganda than they are in any other State. for
labor unions are older here, and it's the
oldest industrial State in the Union. In
dustries, you see, have settled. and not
in disturbed or inchoate condition. Mas
sachuetts people are more conscious OF
their class condition and interests than they
are in some other States; hence, unification
at the polls election day is more possible
than 1t Is In places where the old parties
are not outgrown. We have had four rep
resentatives in the State Legislature, and
have three at the present time. James f.
Carey is about entering on his fifth term,
and Mr.. Mccartney on his fourth. Their
work in the Legislature has reused great
interest and sympathy among trade unions
of the state, and the coal strike and the
agitation about the trusts enables us to
reach people who never listened to us be-
fore. The strike itself came as a substan-
tiation of everything we had set forth The
main thing to be taken into account In
considering the Socialist gain is the agita-
ton among workingmen.
I'm Haverhiil and Brockton, where we
have elected mayors we have not done
much, because we have worked under Sc
we're charter limitations. These must be
abol1shed before those citizens can enter
on any radical enterprises. In Brockton,
Mayor Coulter was defeated last year, after
one term. but has just been reelected. to-
gether with three out of seven aldermen
and eight in twenty-One cOuncilmen. Two
members of the school committee, one a
woman, represent us in the educational in
terestS. Ii has been claimed that the So
| cialists are drawing their strength from
/ the Democratic party. chiefly. but it doesn't
look like it, for Haverhill and Brockton are
/ Republican towns"
Lynn is a shoe town, too" said. "You
haven't got that"
That's true. But the Socialists are get
| ting in. We are better organized than we
| ever were before, but have neglected Lynn
| little. However, that is to be arranged.
We nave good organization here now, and
we shall elect a mayor in that city, next
year. We have made friends everywhere.
Why not? Chase and Coulter made good
mayors. There was no criticism of them,
to speak of. They. were elected in the in
\ tereSts OF labor-the working class inter-
| ests. Coulter was plumber Chase was
shoemaker, but he spends some of his time
1
last mayoralty candidate in Haverhil, got
out shoe Innings; Carey was at a bench in
the shops-he is figure here; the embodi-
Frederick o. Mccartney was a Unitarian
minister, who gave up his charge to serve
In the Legislature: he was elected at Rock
Socialist n eandSate Vo1e ever th pSiled by any
| speakers could not begin to fill the dates
| at places where trades unions wanted
them. I've known some of them to address
| different is
not up to Mr. Roosevelt's record, and the
! Socialists did not have frozen beef and
other proJectiles delivered at them, either.
CLAIMS AS TO WORKINGMEN.
Intelligent workmen." continued Mr.
Mailiy. realize that ours is the party of
their class. The growth of the Socialist
party Is coincident with the development of
industry and its classification. Trade union
men have several times been put up for
election on the strength of their union con-
nections, but nothing came of it. They
tried to represent the interests of both
capital and labor; they were for COM
promise, and compromise falls down In an
issue such as that before the people. We
serve the interests of the working people
| alone. We demand the reversion of all
sources OF supply to the people them
ut seems to me-" observed. "that there
Is no substantial difference between the So
cialists and the communists. Your plat
1orm Is pretty !arge-in fact, sweeping"
mo. We differ from the Communists,
because communists propose that there
snail be 10 government. They want to or
ganize no separate communes. We. on the
contrary, believe in the Capitalization of
industry. And it will come. History shows
that all political change has been pre-
ism is not the complete evolution of our in
dustrial and political existence. and If Com
munism is to succeed 1T. why. it can't be
avoided. We believe in bringing about
or these changes through the machinery of
government-the control of the means of
production. The people themselves are able
to determine under what forms the indus
tries Will be~carried on. The fathers of
the country wanted liberty first; after they
had earned 1t they found 1t easy 10 adapt
themselves to it,
"Trustificat.on is leading us TO ask wheth-
er we shall own the trusts or submit TO in
custrial despotism. Self-preservation de-
mands that there shall be a labor trust.
Trades unions are changing; they are bein;
federated. We say that all men in a great
industry should stand together. In the coal
strike, firemen should be miners. We are a
national party, with headquarters at St
Louis, and our voting strength has grown
in two years from $1,000 to 400, 900 and pos
sibly half a million In this State we cast
8 per cent. of the vote last year and Ia PEI
cent. of Ii this year. We have secretaries
in forty-two of the States. In organiza-
ton everybody, pays dues In the old par
clubs, and each club pays dues to the stat,
organization. Thus we have a constant
and reliable source of revenue"
wv. at will you do when you are in con-
troll of the StateY'
I'VE shall first put certain good laws into
effect, particularly a bill for initiative and
referendum, giving people the right to orig
mate and affirm laws. Then we shall as
sumo control of the public utilities like
street cars, electric lights and water works
| We could not at once take over the big
railroad lines, for they are national in
their scope and their control would rest
with several of the States rather than with
ours. In fact, they are readable at pres
| ent only by interstate arrangement"
| But where will you draw the line? III
you cen take possession of a railroad or
a water supply why not of a shoe fac
tory?
THE shoe industry is not peculiar TO a
state. We would leave the regulation tC
Congress. We can count on the sense OF
the people For years they have been elect
ing their enemies the capitalists, TO power
| Now we propose to elect the people The
basis OF society is economic and So presen,
economic conditions are represented i'm the
educative forces of the press and the pulpit
They favor capitalistic enterprise we
would iEaugurate a government that re-
fected the needs and desires of our class
The battle or the classes is on
CONFISCATION
But, suppose you seize gas plant You
convert it into public utility There are
a thousand stockholders in that gas com.
pany, many OF them people of moderate
means. even poor people. who have invested
their little earnings in stock. as they would