Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1907-01-31
THE TRUE MEANING OF SOCIALISM.

Well, Uncle Gid is a phenomenon.
dc some time ago said he was a Dem
ocrat and that party was good enough
for him. In the last issue of the News
he has side-stepped and is standing
squarely on the Socialist platform.
When he said that he believed that the
land should be returned to the people
and stringent laws made to prohi bit
the sale of land he voiced the Social list
movement to a nicely, for that is ex-
actly what the Socialists are striving
for, yet the Socialists go step furth-
er. They demand the tools so that
they may be able to tickle the breast
of mother earth, so that she will be
able to yield food and raiment, for the
Socialist realizes that we should have
the tools to produce food and clothing,
or else we would be forced back to
primitive tools or to mortgage our
crops to the capitalists for tools, and
should we be so unwise as to demand
the land without the tools, the capital
ist, if left with the tools and manu-
factories, would have the same show to
make us become subservient to their
wills, because they would have the
monopoly in their hands Therefore
they would put such a price ON the
tools that the men of the soil would
be slaves as they are today. So we
Socialists want the tools of production
so that we may be able to avoid that
catastrophy, and also the means of dis
tribution. Today the railroads charge
the farmers and small shippers from
five to nine times higher than what
they charge the large grain dealers and
large shippers.
The Socialist claims, and rightly so,
that If these things are returned to the
people, that they can deliver goods al
the cost of carriage and wear and teal
of machinery, repairs, etc. Now, la
DOR produces all wealth and the capi
talist is the owner OF this wealth
through laws which he has bribed con
gressmen and senators to make, which
gave him the legal right to plundel
and rob the producer We Socialists
want to make government of the peo
pie, for the people and by the people
Today we have government g of the
capitalists, for the capitalists and by
the capitalists, and they are the one;
who haye stolen their lands from thu
people. The congresses and senators
have given sections of land by th,
thousands to those greedy corporation
and did so without consulting the peo
pie. Now, we Socialists believe tina
the whole people should constitute ;
government but we have acted lik,
children and allowed a handful of cap
italists and their henchmen in th'
shape of legislative bodies to steal ou
inheritance. Now, this steal and rob
berry has gone ON and on SO long tina
they are thoroughly entrenched in thei
high handed position, leaving but on
. u,
the army and navy, the militia, tn
courts with the injunctions, the polio
and constabulary, with the private de
tectives as a trouble raiser. There
fore, the only way to have this Ian
returned is to teach people the truth
That is that they are two classes-on
who works and one who charges trih
ute and flches from the worker. TIL
greater portion of the wealth whic
the worker produces should be his.
1t is not the individual we are fight
ing. 1t is the rotten system which a
] lows few individuals to fleece an
rob the people. OF course, we have t
noint to such individuals as j. I
Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan, Carnt
gle and others to awake the worke
from his lethargic slumbers and caus
him to think. We do not blame thes
men as individuals, for they are prC
duct of this system. We realize ths
, the most constituencies and unscrupr
lous and most powerful are the ont
! who plumber the people most, but
we remove the system which breed
these leeches, and throw them frol
the backs of the co-workers and ST
them to useful employment, then W
will be free When we are able to s
in the shade of our own vine and f
t tree with no master to dictate and d
rect save the voice of the nation thr
: the referendum of the people, with
thorough knowledge of natures Law
] as our guide, in matters pertaining
s the welfare of the nation, then we wi
be free from the masters tyraniCal o
: der.
Yes, Uncle Gid, our teaching is dal
= gerous, but only dangerous to the cal
: italist, for he will have TO work und,
e Socialism, and he is terribly afraid ,
e work, but for the majority of lnankiI
r our doctrine is a blessing for we a
the only ones who dare tell of the da
k tardly crimes committed by that elias
o and il stands to reason that they don
want their undermined methods e
IS posed, so all the unfair talk comes fro
n the other side. kidicule and sarcas
and quoting Scripture TO suit polit
cal economy will never avail anythin
In fact it is only an advertisement f
!. the movement of Socialism. Now,
It to your charge that we Socialists a