The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-08-19
THE SOCIAL PARADOX
Freeman Knowles Discusses Social
istic Problems to Large Crowd
SATURDAY. NIGHT.


a large crowd OF people gathere
at the corner of Main and Seconc
Avenue Saturday evening 10 hear th
discussion of socialistic problems b.
FREEMAN Knowles, the candidate 70
governor on the socialist ticket
The speaker was introduced to the
audience by Dr.. r. f. Dundass, wht
paid a high tribute 60 Mr.. Knowles's
distinguished services in congress
and to his ability as a public speaker
and educator.
The speaker began by saying that
It seemed natural for mankind to
believe whatever is is right. He cited
abe infamies of chattel slavery in
the country. and said that IL vast
majority of the people believed those
things to be perfectly right, natural
and according to the laws OF God.
So now, he said, a vast majority of
our people believe u present social
and industrial system to be all right,
although a mere glancs will show
that it is all wong. Labor produces
nil wealth, said MI. Knowles, but
the. labo1ing classes are everywhere
in poverty, while wealth which they
produce is found in the possessions
o. alle men whose hands we're never
ailed by toll. The speaker cited the
conditions Of the various classes Of
WORKERS and showed them all to be
I'm poverty while drones and parasites
fatten upon their labor. He spoke
ut some length upon the Colorado
situation, showing the conditions
under which the men have been com
PEELED to work for IL hours per day
I'M the smeiters and mines of that
state; how the legislature of that
state enacted an eight hour law
which was declared unconstitutional
by the supreme court /; how the peo-
pie then passed a constitutional
amendment making eight hours a
day in the mines and mills; how the
mine owners then went after the
legislature and succeeded In prevent
ing the passage of a law conforming
to the constitution and the result
ing strike, followed by awful outrag-
es OF the militia, deporting from the
state 400 men for the alleged crime
Of belonging to the union. The
speaker quoted from the Denver Post
an apology for the o%utrages by saying
that Gov. Peabody was only doing
what every state in the union would
be doing in five years.
The speaker then declared that the
entire structure Of our social system
is wrong, being basel upon the idea
that the earth and all means of pro-
duction and distribution may become
the private property of whoever is
strong enough or cunning enough to
sIeze control Of the same. This. be
said, makes labor dependant upon the
Owners for the opportunity to labor
and ccmpels the workers to give up
TO idlers the greater share of his
product.
Socialism, Mr.. Knowles said, is
the public ownership, by all the
people, of all ean of production
and distribution that industry may
be carried on for the use OF all the
people instead of the enrichment of
ahe few. He said that neither of
the old parties offered any remedy
for present conditions, or even rec
ognized their existence. He urged
the producing classes to get together
in a party representing their own
interests, and not keep divided be-
tween the two parties which are alb
Dlutely controlled by what he
termed the roober classes. He said
that Parker was the more plant
tool Of the exploiting classes than
Roosevelt, but that which ever wins
will be the servant of special inter-
ests.
The speaker said he did not know !
he@ socialism would be inaugurated,
but trusted the people to solve the
problem~as they had every preced-
eng one
MI Knowles went to Aberdeen
Monday afternoon and will deliver a
number of speeches in the state be-
Soress election day He is a gentle
m%anawho is sincere in his efforts to
better the laboring classes as he be-
aeyes they a only be helped through
che socialtis party.