The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-10-18
BY n. p. Andersen.
sec'y Treas. of the Spokane Ca. Social

Eec'y Treas. of the Spokane CO. Social
list Central Committee.
There is, and always will be, plen-
ty of room for improvement. To be
able to find fault, implies the ability
on the part of the fault-finder to
make right what is wrong.
Even though our national govern
ment without doubt is the best on
earth, yet I think. very few people
will dispute the fact that many, many
things within our borders are far
from being conducted as they should
be.
The function of a government is to
govern. \ good government, in my
estimation, cannot govern too much;
while on the other hand. a bad gov
eminent serves the purpose for which
it was instituted best by not govern
ing at all. or in other words by going
out of business.
Socialists do not believe in the let
alone" doctrine; but they do believe
that eternal vigilance is the only
price for which liberty, real liberty,
can be bought.
General Washington and his worthy
lish liberty in fact in the country
which their descendants We're TO in
herit, deserve indeed the well merited
esteem and praise which we bestow
upon them. They did well. They &C
complished their purpose.
They re-established the republican
form of government, M what is
more important, they laid the very
foundation upon which was to be
reared, upon which is yet to be reared,
the structure of a real regal republic,
the like of which this earth as yet
has never known.
Liberty! While the subjects of for
eign Kings and Potentates claim lib
erty as their own with equal sincerity
as do the people of these United
States, yet liberty alone can become
h proud possession only of a people
who are in every sense of the word
a sovereign power, the ruling power of
the country which they inhabit.
OF what does liberty consist?
NIdl ii - LUIS II btdI dIN ICld-
ton to justice? / mean impartial
Justice in its broadcast scope. Can
there be complete liberty in a country
unless h a country has just laws,
and unless these laws are operating
impartially? I think not. If / am
right in this, then we have freedom in
exact proportion as we have pustice
incorporated into our national govern
ment. But what is justice? a Christ
ian would 40 doubt say that it is the
will of God. because God is just. But
how are we to know what the will of
God really is? Your conscience is the
voice of God within you. When you
express your opinion through the bal
lot, consult that voice, and vote as ii
tells you. If you do that, and all
other voters do the same, then at a
national election you get a national
concensus of opinion, that, for the
time being, represents justice, not ex
aetly perhaps, but as near as it is
possible TO come to ii at present.
In order TO have justice manifested,
the will of the majority must become
law. But ours is a representative
government just now.
The voters do not vote for meas
ures, they vote for men. After these
men are installed in office, they are
not even responsible to their constit-
uents.
Their constituents belong nearly al
together to the working class. Now
If these representatives of the voters
formulate a law which is calculated
to benefit the wealthy class, Their the
working class have no way in which
they can possibly repeal that law.
And, furthermore, in proportion as
h law serves to benefit the rich does
1t work injury to the poor.
Men prefer to do right instead OF
wrong, that is, If they have nothing
to gain by doing wrong.
These representatives may be very
honorable men comparatively speak
ing, but taking into consideration the
enormous pressure which the capital
list class can bring to bear on them in
the shape of brides. is ii any wonder
that the majority of them serve pri-
vate interests and sacrifice duey?
The political organization of which
I'M a member proposes to check the
power of the law-making body
through the referendum. In that way
the voters, instead of the supreme
court, really becomes the supreme
power. When they will exercise that
right, / think, that they will make
laws to benefit the working class, tc
which they belong.
The profit system, or the capitals,
system, had to come as a matter OF
evolution. Labor saving machiner,
and the concentration of capital made
the trust an absolute necessity. Blu,
a trust or corporation ought not to
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