The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-10-08
DEBS IS MEETING WITH
MUCH SUCCESS IN WEST
Opens Socialist Campaign In
Tacoma With Large and
Enthusiastic Audience.
Dwells On Purpose Of Socialist
Party and Severely Ar
raigns Old Parties.

Tacoma. WASH, Oct. 6-Eugene V.
Debs opened the Socialist campaign
In this city last night by strongly ar
raging both Of the old parties. His
audience was composed largely Of
wage earners. The address fairly
teerned with brilliant epigrams. In his
treatment Of the great political parties
of the day Mr.. Debs spared the feel
ings Of neither. He severely arraigned
both as the servile tools Of capital,
having nothing in common with the
working class. Mr.. Debs said In part:
We are entering upon a n1omentous
campaign. The struggle for political
supremacy is not between political
parties merely, as appears upon the
surface, but at the bottom it Is a life
and death struggle between two eco
non1ic classes, the one the capitalist
and the other the working class. The
capitalist class Is represented by the
republican, denoeratic, populist and
prohi bition parties. all Of which stand
for the private ownership of the means
Of production and the triumph Of any
one OF which will mean continued
wage slavery to the working class.
AS the populist and prohibition sec
tions Of the capitalist party represent
minority elements which propose to
reform the capitalist system without
disturbing wage slavery. vain and
impossible task, they will be omitted
from this discussion with all the credit
due the rank and file for their good
intentions.
The Republican and Democratic par
ties, or. to be more exact, the Repub-
lican- Democratic party, represents the
capitalist system, and such differences
as arise between them relate to spoils
and not to principals. With either Of
these parties in power one thing is al
ways certain, and that is that the
capitalist class are in the saddle and
the working class under the saddle.
Under the administration Of both
these parties the means OF production
are private property, production Is car
ried forward for capitalist profit pure
ly. markets are glutted and industry
paralyzed, workingmen become tramps
and criminals, while injunctions, SOL
diers and riot guns are brought into
action to preserve. law and: order" in
the chaotic carnival of capttahsttc an
archy. Deny 1t as they may, the Gull
ming capitalists who are clear-sighted
enough to perceive 1t, or ignore it as
they may. the torpid workers who are
TOO blind and unthinking to see it, the
struggle in which we are engaged to-
day is class struggle. and as the
%0i 1itor
stand it and rally to the political
standard Of their class, they will drive
all capitalist parties of whatever name
=nt' e" same party. and the class
struggle will then be so clearly reveal
ed that the hosts Of labor will find
their true place in the conflict and
strike the united and decisive blow that
will destroy slavery and achieve their
full and final emancipation.
In this struggle the workingman and
women and children are represented
by the socialist party, and it is my
privilege to address you in the name
Of that revolutionary and uncompro-
missing party of the working class
What shall be the attitude of the
Workers Of the United States in the
present campaign? What part shall
they take III it? What party and what
principle shall they support by thei,
ballots? And why?
Questions Of Importance.
These are questions the Importance
of which are not sufficiently recognized
Why workingmen or they would not b,
the prey Of parasites and the servil,
tools Of scheming politicians who us,
Nn11 of inn f0 at
masters lease of power and perpetu
ate their own ignorance, poverty ant
shame. In answering these question:
l propose to be as frank and candle
as plain-meaning words will allow, TO
I have but one object in this discus
sion, and I shall state it as see it i
l have to stand alone.
The Socialist party stand squarel
upon its proletarian principles and re
lies wholly upon the forces of indus
trial progress and the education Of tn
working class. The Socialist part
buys no votes and promises no offices
Not farthing is spent for whisky o
cigars. Every penny in the carnpaig
fund Is the voluntary offering of work
ers and their sympathizers, and ever
penny Is used for education. Wha
other parties can say the same
Ignorance alone stands in the wa
of Socialist success. The capitalist par
ties understand this and use their re
sources to prevent the workers fror
seeing the light. When industrial slav
cry Is as dead as the issues of tn
Siamese capitalist parties, the Social
ist party will have fulfilled its mtssio
and enriched history. And now to ou
questions:
Every workingman and woman ow
1t to themselves, their class and thei
country to take an active and intell
gent interest in political affairs. Th
ballot of united labor expresses tn
peoples will and the peoples will
the supreme law of a free nation. Th
ballot means that labor is no longe
dumb, that at last it has voice, the
1t may be heard and if united mu:
be needed.
Campaigns Paramount Issue.
There has never been a free peopl
civilized nation, a real republic Q