The Imperial press., 1905-09-30
The Colorado River

Ana the case or the UnlCeQ SCatee Re clamation Service and the Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Ky. Co., ought to show to any one the futility of at- tempting to get any benefit for the toil- CTS as long as the government has not been reclaimed to the people. There are those who denounce the Socialists as Idealists, because they tell that any seeming concession that can be wrested from the capitalist class so long as the government is controlled by the ca pital- ists will prove of no avail They tell us that we cannot expect to get the whole thing at once; that we must get it piece at time, to which we heartily assent. Our only point of disagreement is in the piece we should get first.
 The Socialist everywhere and all the time says it will be useless to get the public ownerships of utilities of any character so far as being real benefit to the propertyless worker is concerned until first the workers shall be aroused to the necessity and the only sure sign that they are aroused to such necessity is in their having captured to themselves the power that goes with holding the political offices.
 When the working men of this coun- try tand the chances are, dear readers, that you are one of them) have been robbed and betrayed often enough by the politicians they will then elect men of their own class to office who under stand economics and whose ambition is not to rise on the backs of their fellows but to abolish the system of exploita- tiOn whereby any one may possess him. self of the fruits of another's toll.
 When that time comes you may be sure that the public ownership of utility will be operated for the public good not as now to make someone's graft easier.
 The people of the lower Colorado may hope to gain something while the pres ent order lasts and they will vote for it to continue vet awhile, but they will make no headway toward better cOndi- tions until they have stirred their brains enough to find out what the cause of their trouble is. Think of the absurdity of your position. You elect some cor poration lawyer to office and then expect nim to enact laws in your interest and detrimental to the interest of the corp Orations which employ him, or if judge, you expect him to interpret the law in your interest, or an executive off, fcer, to enforce the law so you will get justice. While all the tune this lawyer knows that when his term of office ex- pires if he has served the corporations well he will be taken care of. You ex- pect the officers you elect, who are eith- CT capitalists or their lackeys, to make and enforce laws in your interest and against their own.
 Don't you think that people who ex- pect thing like that ought to be robbed? The Reclamation work on the Colorado has been hindered by private greed; is now being hindered by private greed and will continue to be hindered by the same cause until the workers, under standing the requirements, will elect members of their own class to office and back them up with an organization that can, if necessary, give them constant in- structions and hold them responsible for the obeyment of the same.
 Then the Reclamation can go on and will go on in manner never yetdreamed of. But when that time comes there will be in the hands of the workers something to abolish graft and do yOn suppose that they will not use it for that purposeP
 The Co-Operative Commonwealth will then be established, and that time is not far distant or there is a lapse into feudalism or worse. The future depends on you; the question is, "Willyou act?" FRANK A. MAREK.