The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-07-30
Ben Hanford Who is Up
For Vice-P President
SPOKE HERE LAST NIGHT
Gave an Address On Socialism at the
City Park Listened TO BY
100 People.

Hon. Benjamin Hanford Of New York,
Socialist candidate for ylee-president,
spoke from the band stand on the City
Park last evening for about an hour and
half, to a crowd Of about hundred inter
ested people The speaker was introduced
by Alex Robertson who spoke briefly
on the origin Of the socialist party which
has decided, he said, that there can be
no more justice and equity under the ex-
listing government management until the
working man can get the full value for his
labor performed
Mr.. Hanfords speech explained Ia q
clear manner what socialism Ii, what 1t
stands for, and what 1t Is striving to do
He said Id part, Socialism Il government
ownership as a means to produce wealth,
and II every working man clearly under
stood what socialism means be would be
socialist and vote for the socialist party
Il does not mean government by lawyers,
bankers and millionaires, bnt govern
ment By aud for the working man. A
great many people think that government
cannot be run by the common people.
What Is q government but great mass
OF human laws. The common people can
not get out Of the reach 0f the jurisdiction
Of the law, You may 20 into other coun-
tries but you are still under the ban of the
government You may not vote bat other
people viii vote TO make laws which you
are bound to obey. | want To say 10 you
trade uni0nists that you may think TO keep
politics ont of your unions but you cannot
do ii. You must bring politics into your
union Or sooner OF later that union Ii
doomed
The politician will tell you, lie said,
that 1t Ii All awful thing for you To have
government iOb ana receive pay from the
government, bot these same politicians
are very willing that you shonld vote them
into a good government position And,
gentlemen, let me ask you who 1t Ii that is
corrupt In our government. who 1t Is that
has defrauded cur government post Office.
1t is not the mall carrier or the clerk IL
Is the big bugs at the top. You never
heard Of an engineer going to Washington
and bribing the senator's
1t Is not the engineer that charges ex
orbitant prices for carrying the mails over
the railways but it Is the owners of the
railways that are corrupt, and this cor
ruption can only be stopped when the
government owns these railroads that ear
n the malls for the government post
Offices.
Suppose that | were millionaire and
owned the water works Of your city aud
every river and spring in the community.
III | did | would not be making speeches
every week In the year I would hire
some cheap lawyer to do that for me.
would make speech probably once year
and that on the night before election.
Then would extoll you working men Id
the highest terms. would do everything
for you. saying, You are the people, you
are the government; GO to the polls and
vote for me and every time you take
drink Of cold water You pay me for it,
You will find that the old chattel SLAYER all
ways had master and q Job but the wage
slaves today must find q Job, and God pity
them IL they can't find one.
The way to own millions OF dollars is to
own the means that produce wealth Men
work for the millionares and the million
aires own them shoe factory never
made shoe itself The labor Of the
working man has to be had before any
shoes are turned out and ask you gem
tlemen to show me In all equity and jus,
tioe why that shoe which the laboring man
has produced should not belong to him
that made IT,
That Ii the secret Of socialism, that In
what socialism means 10 the working man
and Dis government.
At the close of bis address an informal
reception was held tn the engineers room
ID the Wheelock building and many Of the
socialists of the city met Mr.. Hanf0rd
there.