The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-11-02
ADDRESSED VOTERS FROM
S0ClALlSTIC STANDPOINT
Ben landlord, Candidate for Vice Pres.
idency, Spoke in North Yakima Last
Wednesday on National Issues.

National issues in the present cam
paign were discussed from the social
istic standpoint at the opera house last
Wednesday evening by Ben landlord,
nominee for vice president on the Sc
cialistic ticket Mr. Hanford is print
er, being a linotype operator in New
York city. He is an earnest, forcible
speaker, and his remarks were listened
to attentively by fair sized crowd.
George +. Boomer, editor of the Prosscr
Record, the only socialist paper in cen
trail Washington, was present and de-
livered short address along the lines
of socialism II. d. Jory presided over
the meeting.
Mr.. landlord began his speech with
Il definition of the word Socialism,
which he gave as in accordance with
the dictionary, "a theory or system
of social reform which contemplates a
complete reconstruction of society, with
Il more Just and equitable distribution
of property and labor" The demands
of the socialists, he said, contemplated
only a right to the possession and en-
joyment of what they produced; for il
lustration, the socialist did not admit
the justice or right in producing So
100000 of wealth and being compelled
to accept $2,OOO,OOO therefor, while the
remaining $3,0OO,000 went to the idle
or non-producing class. The principles
embodied in the definition given above,
and these only, he said, the socialists
wanted and were determined to obtain.
He arraigned both the old parties for
their inconsistency and insincerity and
criticized the letters of acceptance of
both Mr. Roosevelt and Mr.. Parker,
and denied the assertion that the coun-
try has been prosperous under a repub-
lican administration. We were not liv-
ing under prosperous conditions, he in
sisted, when 100000 women and L.
$4,000 children were forced to 90 to
work every morning at the blowing of
the whistle in order to earn living.
Speaking of the railroads ne said that
the total earnings of the roads of the
United States for 1908 amounted to
$G32 100000, of which $G2l 100000 went
to the 10000 men employed upon the
roads, while the remaining ST 100000
went to the non-producing class. The
socialistic theory, he stated, was to de
crease the hours of labor of the railroad
employees one third, thereby giving en-
ployment to one third more men and at
the same time increasing wages one
third. In this connection he took up
the postoffice scandal, asserting that the
wrongs it revealed were not traceable
to the department officials, but that
they were traceable to the railroads and
otner corporations who held control
over the departments even of our gov
eminent
Referring to the head of the socialist
ticket the speaker said that Eugene V.
Debs and the socialist party stood for
the emancipation and freedom of the
American people. He denounced the in
generation of Mr.. Debs in Chicago for
contempt of court as contemplate, and
said that long after the name of the
judge who passed the sentence mad been
forgotten the name of Eugene Debs
would be familiar word on the tongue
of every child in America.