Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1904-12-17
Leaders Do Not Clearly Know
Themselves What They
Are After.
They Have Started q school in
New York to Enlighten
the People.
REJECTED BY AMERICAN FEDERATION

Inspired by the fact that Eugene Debs
received 900, 900 votes at the last Presi-
dental election, the Socialist. Democratic
party has issued a statement that 1t has
laid plans for establishing a school of
socialism. A Board of Instructors has
been appointed and the school term is to
continue from the first week in January
to the last week in May. There will be
one lesson each week, or twenty-one
lessons in all. The lessons are to be
given by Eastern Socialists in New York
City, where the school is to be opened.
1t is probably we'll that the Socialists are
to open school, for nobody quite under
stands what they want. If they can
enlighten the people through night
schools 1t is probable that this dangerous
fad will soon die out.
Although the Socialists were strong in
California at this years session of the
American Federation of Labor held in
San Francisco, their attempt in that body
to turn down Samuel Gompers and John
Mitchell proved futile. This was repeti-
ton of the rebuke received by the Social
list wing in the Federation meeting held
in Boston last year. 1t is plain that the
American workiugman wants nothing to
do with Socialism, if the action of the
two last conventions of the Federation
can be taken as an evidence of the senti-
ment of organized labor. Many Socialist
addresses have been delivered in Louis
vile during the past few years, but no
one can clearly understand what the
leaders want. Now that they are to
start night schools it is to be hoped the
instructors will make II clear what these
visionary men are ciamoring for, but Il Is
doubtful If they will be able to do so.
In an article on Socialism in the West
ern Waterman there is the following
paragraphs:
1--WE have asked again and again what
these Socialists want, and have never
been able to elicit an answer. So we are
forced to answer the question ourselves.
They want two things. but only one at a
time, and one after the other and as a
elimination Of the other. First, they
want control of labor, so that they can
fix the supply and the price. They would
have all the labor for themselves and
none for others, thus discounting the
Standard Oil and all other monopolies
ever attempted by capital. Having
gained control of the labor of the country
they would FIX its price at ten or twenty
times its valuation as compared with the
reward of intellectual industries. The
man of Drawn would leave the man of
brain only pittance.
"But they do not desire the monopoly
of labor loug-only long enough to carry
the elections, when they will cast aside
the pick and shovel and abjure any
physical exertion beyond clipping cou-
pons and turning the crank of an auto
mobile. The ultimate aim of the Socialist
is to be the pensioner of the State, with
State bank to draw on which will
honor all his checks. III the United
States were to compromise with those
100000 Socialists who voted at the last
election by giving them each a private
car on all railroads, a residence in the
North for the summer, another In the
South for winter and two others, one in
the East and another in the West, for the
gay seasons, and would further settle Cd
them in perpetuity an annuity Of $780,
900, they might be satisfied with this
arrangement, but only for a time. In a
few years they would want residences 10
Europe and another 500, 900 for the in
creased cost of living. They want good
time all the time. They want money as
conditis sine qua non, but work they do
not want at all, at ALL"
This writer has the Socialists sized up
properly. What they want is a division
Of property and when they have spent
their portion they would ask for another
division and still another.
The Kentucky Irish American, how
ever, can not quite agree with the
Western Waterman when 1t says in
another paragraph that the Democratic
party is being gradually swallowed up
by the Socialists. The Democratic
party was badly defeated at the last
election, but it was not due to the fact
that Democrats joined the Socialist party.
The big vote cast for Eugene Debs came
from Republicans as we'll as Democrats,
and will hardly cut much Of a figure in
the next Presidential election. But we
do sgree with the Waterman that the
Socialist party Is no place for Catholics.
Socialism is but q mild form of Atheism