Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1905-01-18
Letters
Ar,


we are now passing in an awful storm
and thousands of us mean we'll and
toward the one great end-the CO.
operative commonwealth.
While | am a member of the So
cialist party, l do not hate those of
the Socialist labor party and there
are bad men in the Socialist party,
who are not Socialists and bad men
in the S. l.. p, who are not Social
lists. Socialism is the name no mat
ter where we find it.
1t seems to me it would be better
to expose the bad men in both the
S. p, and S. l.. p, with their capi-
talist tactics, and relegate them to
the rear, rather than for our party to
abuse your party, and for your party
to abuse our party.
Let's have clear cut, revolution
airy Socialism, based on the class
struggle, and a workingman's move
ment, with labor as the whole" for
our end.
Please send me several copies of
your national platform, and Core
gan's vote.
This letter is not private if you
see fit to publish it.
Yours for Revolutionary Socialism,
+. B. FORD.
Editor Referendum.
New York, Dec. ~, 'o4.
+. b. Ford, Editor Referendum.
Dear Mr.. Ford: No slight is
meant if do not reciprocate with
the title of "Comrade. In your
party the title is applied as a term
of friendship. 1t is not so in the S.
l.. p. With us the title is more
technical. We apply it only to
members of the party.
1t is refreshing to me to see the
stand your paper takes in the matter
of the importance of the personal
agency. In my many years of ex-
perience in the movement, one of the
most frequent charges have heard
against myself is my personal
abuse" | have ever looked upon
the charge as an echo by fools of
words that knaves invent. No prin-
ciple, however good or bad, can be
more than a dead letter unless up
held by man. The mailed glove is
innocent until the human hand ami
mates it. He who attacks a wrong
must perforce attack the wrongdoer.
ANY other course is to trihe with
right. ! congratulate you on your
being Unaffected by the counter
charge of personal abuse, on your
being determined to pursue the line
of policy that you have entered upon
in the matter, and upon the decency
you have shown in ever substantial
ing your personal charges against the
freaks and knaves with veri6able al
legations of fact. Your exposures of
your own party men are admirable.
But much as ! admire your clear
ness of sight in the matter of expos
ing individual wrongdoers, detect a
glaring contradiction, indeed, ser
ious error, in the posture implied by
your words that for the S. l.. p, to
attack your party is to abuse" it.
Is not that holding toward the S. l..
p, the same unwarrantable language
that is held towards you by the ele-
ments in your party whom you so
Justly castigate2 Your posture in
this matter leads, however, to some
thing graver than mere contradic-
ton. 1t leads to error fraught with
evil results. We laugh at the capi-
talsts with their philanthropic
schemes. Why is the ridicule justi-
philanthropy is engaged at the NAL
aprobian fool work of mopping back
the ocean. For every waif whom
philanthropy relieves, two are bread
by capitalism. Capitalist pbilan-
thropy's work is loves labor lost.
To uphold the institution of capital