Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-07-20

What

mus OF the Socialist movement
they must have a more or less
comprehensive knowledge Of what
constitutes class lines, what So
cialists are aiming to destroy anil
what they are attempting to cs-
tablish.
Indeed consciousness means
knowledge in its last analysis.
We are proud OF the progress
the American movement has
made, delighted and encouraged
that so many thousands have def
initely arrayed themselves with
the industrial revolutionary
forces OF society. And vet no one
knows better than the Socialists
themselves that a bare half million
votes are but a handful compared
with the majority that it will re-
quire to establish the co-operd-
tive commonwealth. And all So
cialiSts realize that they are COM
parativcly lonely voice in a vast
wilderness of dcsolate stupidity.
How to arouse these dense toll
ing masses to a realization. n
consciousness of how unneccs s>arv
their worry. and anxiety. and bru-
talizing toll are. a knowledge THAI
, they are crushed and opprcSs ad
that Others may enjoy the d.
| lights ui the world, and q clear.
rational conception oi how this
barbarpus and >eu,clc>~ upprcs-
sion may bc ended. these are the
pressing questions of the hour
that pcrplex the mind Of every So
cialist. who knows that we might
build a better world ii we only
knew how
The degrading influence Of a
system of slavery upon the mind
is shown in the well-nigh uni
versal opinion among the unfor-
tunatc classes that their miSfor-
tunes are OF their own making.
and that the successful class have
earned and deserve their success.
Class consciousness must be
based ON a knowledge OF their
own exploitation. That is why
the economic facts OF our indus
trial system must be reiterated
over and over again. Class con-
sciousness cannot exist without a
knowledge of what economic
classes consist, knowledge OF the
class nature of government. and
the true causes of aggregated
wealth.
To instill this resisting con-
sciousness into the minds of the
wealth producers. who continually
face poverty and despair, is the
gigantic task OF the Socialist edu-
Gators, speakers, writers, editors,
private takers. Sometimes. even
to the most ardent Socialist. the
task seems Stupendous and impos-
sible. The farmer class is almost
a solid mass of ignorance on the
subject. The reasons for this are
that the farmers have enough to
eat and a place to die. They never
live. My experience is that men
tally they are the most degraded
class of workers that we have.
Collective workers. no matter how
miserable their condition, learn
something by association. This
the farmers never do. and their
ideas are of the primitive sort of
thousands OF years ago. And even
though they own their farm and
have all the material comforts.
their stingincss is monumental.
proycrbial and amazing. 1t is the
one great virtue on which they
pride themselves. Consequently
il is almost impossible To main
tain propaganda among the farm
crs without a special fund behind
the work. For this reason the
farmer districts oi America are
still comparatively untouched.
The farmers know nothing of
what the Socialist movement is,
il they are we'll to do they are sat
isfed il they lose everything they
are unfortunate. They constitute
forty per cent of the voting popu-
lation. They must be instructed
through continuous and patient