Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-10-25
Middle Class
In Small Cities
BY JOSEPH wANHopE IN NEW YORK WORKER.

almost hazy manner accepts Social
lists views, becomes discouraged or
perhaps disgusted with the apparent
apathy of the working class to take
an active part in the general emanci
patton from capitalism, and begins
to trumpet forth the praises of the
middle class as fighters and parade
them as the real champions of what
he considers Socialism.
A relatively small Socialist vote
in city where vigorous agitation
has been carried on during the
campaign usually gives the indivi-
dual an opportunity to expatiate
on the prowess of the middle class
wnen they wake to the danger that
threatens. The apathy, which it
cannot be denied. characterizes
many outdoor and business meet
ings of Socialists, and the apparent
dumbness of organized labor. its
seeming inability to grasp the cause
of a long series of defeats, afford
him also additional material for the
same purpose.
This awakening of the middle class
is already here. So far as that
helpless aggregation of would-be ex-
ploiters can be aroused, they may
be said to be awake. For the past
year the most internal racket has
beeu sounding in their sleepy ears
from the popular magazines that
form the cheap literature of the av-
erage bourgeois home. 1t has
awakened them, sure enough, but
what has been the result2 In the
words of William Morris, What is
the foeman, but the dream-strong
wakened and weak"
Tom Lawson has been emitting
his blood curdling war whoops for
10, these many months in the col
umns of "Everybody's Magazine. !"
The destruction of the system"
was foregone conclusion in his
mind when the people" we're made
acquainted with the crime of Anal
gamated." And il must be admitted
that Lawson has told enough to
awaken class that was presumably
asleep. The Tarbells, Steffens, Rus
sells, and the lesser magazine ex-
posers" have all been adding their
quota to the clamor and the result
has been that the sleeper has been
awakened only to demonstrate that
he is paralyzed also.
1t is perhaps in the smaller cities
where this can be best observed.
The middle class business men and
storekeepers fear and hate the trust
knowing that sooner or later, their
business will 90 down before it, but
this knowledge in nowise stimulates
them to concerted action of any
kind against it, nor even to propose
or discuss such action. In the COM
petitive fight with each other, and
their struggles with the local unions
they find the immediate and only
outlet for their fighting energies.
They are inveterate foes of trade
unionism and supporters of the
blacklist. Socialists and the mill
tant trade unionists they consider
undesirable and conspire in their
business mems exchanges and citi-
zen's alliances to boycott these un-
desirables to the point of forcing
them to get out of town. Their
feeble bourgeois intellects never
seemingly rise to the point of com
pretending that this procedure
merely shifts the agitators from
place to place, and gives them new
fields in which propagate their ideas.
The small business man is hopeless
individualist. He draws mental
ring fence around the little burg in
which his property interests are sit
uated and wakes intensely patriotic
about the locality. His civic de-
votion apparently knows no bounds.
His political candidates for city of