Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-08-23
A Few Points
OF Importance

people who think they are Socialists
and are able to help the Socialist
canse and do not do it.
Jimmie Graham, the Montana
state secretary, is putting up one of
the hardest fights a man ever made
to get Socialism taught in every nook
and corner of the state. The work
can't be done without money. A
speaker can do star route stunt
and make money for the state organ
ization, but the real work that goes
into unorganized places, and unex-
plored hooks where the workers are
trailing under the curse of capitalism
into the difficult places where the
company is watching every move of
the speakers, and the men are afraid
to be seen talking to them or to give
any money, expenses high and re-
ceipts low, cannot be done without
funds.
have nothing to say about those
who so love the revolution that they
are giving up their means and more
all the time. There are many of
these in Montana. know one man
who raises vegetables for the market
who is not even able to buy himself
a garden plow, because of the
money he gives to Socialism. |
know a couple living on a slender
salary of sos a month, who have
given SIS this last year. | know a
dentist, styled parasite by the su-
perfine class conscious" who the
other day sent S. to the state secre-
tary; and these instances might be
multiplied. also know dozens of
men who are making over a hundred
dollars a month, and spending all
kinds of money on themselves who
think it hard matter to pay IS cents
a month dues. | know one man
with a farm of over a thousand
acres, one of the best in the state,
who never thinks of sending S. into
the state fund. | know another who
boasts of being the largest contrac-
tor in one of the best towns in the
state, who spends lot of money
continually on small personal pleas
ures, and yet it never dawns over
him that he has any responsibility
towards helping on the movement
with which he claims to be allied.
One man who was a candidate for
sheriff in the state last year spent
ST., 500 in his campaign in ways that
were utterly proftless. Think of
the showing the state could have
made with such a fund, or even a
tenth of it. One woman told me
last fall that if would stop a week
in her part of the country she would
give me $50 for the state work. l
stayed considerably longer this year
but she didn't think she had the
money then although she was in a
business deal involving thousands
of dollars, all of which goes to show
that it is the poorest who are max
ing the greatest sacrifices for Social
ism, and that those who can, simply
will not sacrifice. l sometimes
think that some of them are simply
in the party to get out of paying the
$50 OF SIoo a year the political
bosses would tax them otherwise.
If the people in the Socialist party
who are well to do, would each con-
tribute $40 to state fund the troubles
of the state secretary would be over
for this year. The most effective
Socialist work is being done through
the state organizations-better than
the national, better than individual
work.
There is another matter along this
line that also deserves consideration
in Montana.
The secretary is trying to do his
work on a salary of sa5 a month.
The work takes all of one mans
time and more. He furnishes Office
room also. Moreover he attends
30 the cnrraepnoJan,a uhi,b ha