davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
WORKING MEN ARE NEXT VICTIMS

John d. Rockefeller, the oil king,
says that holders Of stocks have lost
millions this year through a shrinkage
in values. lie attributes The funk
TO the attacks upon corporate interests
in the last two years. He says the
effect was first felt by the capitalists,
then by the debtor classes, and that
the working man with the dinner pail
(the slave, the serf) will be the next.
He also says he has faith in the hon
esty and Judgment Of American bust
ness men. Mr.. Rockefeller does not
understand that Chunks" in business
are caused by furious production Of
goods that the workers do not receive
pay enough TO be able TO consume. The
shaking Is felt first among the useless
idlers that live OF this working class.
They cease TO invest in business so
energetically, workers can not get
work, and pretty soon the whole struc-
ture is tumbling about our heads.
All the wiseacres wonder what the
matter is, but the socialists know that
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
Benevolent Feudal.
ism on R. R.

President Ripley of the Santa Fe
road in telling why his company had
established a pension system affecting
nearly 10000 employees, said the eoun-
try is facing a serious condition be-
cause of the indifference and disregard
which the employee has for his EN-.
ployer. II is expected that a liberal
pension system will establish large
Jumps Of love and loyalty in the affec-
tionate apparatus of the men that do
all the work and get all the killing for
the fellows that draw all the profits
and get all the luxurious living. The
"plush-bound capitalist really whim-
pers because "the employees have as.
sumed scornful independence, and
do not seem to care about the interests
of their employers. So il is proposed
to establish benevolent feudalism in.
stead of justice. Justice would enable
a man to attain by his labor a com
Portable existence and security in old
age, without any benevolent" hocus.
pocus about it. But the employers
won't give that because their enormous
Gus profits would then be gone. The
workers will attain il under militant
socialism-but then the employers
won Z be in it.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
Brutal Militarism
Shocks People

Prominent people of the country
have been shocked by the militarism
that dominates the program of the
Jamestown exposition, and have pro-
tested against the exhibition Of war as
splendor, or as q game, instead Of
horror.
The protest is made by Carroll d.
Wright, president Of Clark College;
Edwin ID. Mead and Rev. Edward
Everett Hale, Of Boston; Cardinal Glib
bons, of Baltimore; John Mitchell, pre-
sident of the United Mine Workers Of
America; Miss Jane Adams, of Chi
cago; Miss M. Carey Thomas, president
Of Bryn Mawr college; William Couper,
the New York sculptor; Prof. J. II.
billiard, of New Orleans; Prof. G. NJ.
Woodward, of st. Louis; Prof. Charles
Zueblin, of the university of Chicago,
and others.
Those Americans that are not COM
pletely intoxicated with the so-called
splendors and successes of commercial
ism are beginning to see whittier the
capitalist necessity is leading; anl
Bloody Roosevelt's preparations for
conquest by spurring forward the i'm
agination of the American people in
every possible way to glorify things
warlike, are getting a dash of cold wa.
ter from sane minds
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

The criminal sacrifice of human life
that the capitalist class are making in
order to enhance their profits calls for
immediate, emphatic and effective pro-
test on the part Of public, government,
and especially the working class, who
are the victims of this diabolieal trade
murder. The indifference Of the pub
lie TO this wholesale slaughter is a
matter for the utmost amazement The
slaughter of human life through the
industries to-day is greater than that
through the wars 90 feudalism, or
from any wars. 650,000 persons are
killed in this country, in the industries,
in single year from preventable
causes. The causes are the operation
on the cheapest possible plan by the
managers. Furnaces burst and con-
sumo the hapless working men, poisons
eat their bodies in the mines, rickety
engines 90 on the road, and old freight
cars pull to pieces. They have had 8
wrecks on the N. p. this side Of st.
Paul within the last few days. None
Of them were caused from any fault
Of the crew but from rickety engines
and cars pulling to pieces from excess
Of tonnage. The Washington and To-
peka distasters thrill the mind with
horror Mt the wanton and horrifying
butchery of human beings Crews are
worked TO the limit Of death-utterly
exhausted from want of sleep and over
exertion, till human nature can stand
no more, and it, either work on, OF
lose your job. The railroads will not
keep a good force, and work them suf-
icient human time, and there is no
power in the country TO make them do
il. They own and run the government
and the stupid working class consent
TO let them do IL.
Now at Livingston comes an addi-
tional horror. Another wreck--engin-
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
MURDER OF THE, WORKING CLASS

eer and conductor dead-two good men
lost to their comrades, their friends,
and their homes. Whyi Because the
operator is dead on is feet; never has
a night IS sleep, or more than two hours.
Is compelled to try and hold the job
because of the whip of hunger and ne
cessity. And then with the refinement
of brutalized cruelty the blame is laid
on this poor worker already standing
more than nature can endure. Every
one of the directors of the road should
be imprisoned for the crime, for they
and they alone are responsible. How
long will the working class stand to
be butchered' How long will they let
these criminal industries do them to
their deathf II is the more shame TO
them because they have the creating
power of government in their hands.
The obtuseness of the general public
to the location of the responsibility
is something marvellous. The other
evening the writer was listening TO a
humane professional man, of scientific
mind and liberal attitude and action,
discussing the evolution of the race.
He spoke of the growth of altruistic
feeling as evidenced in the tenderness
and care for life. The writer ventured
to suggest that the murder of working
men in the industries from prevent
able causes for profit seemed to show
that the form of murder Of the masses
by the rulers had simply changed from
the time which feudal lords cut down,
tortured and slaughtered their serfs at
will. But the good man was Mortified.
He thought an accident was an acci
dent IL IL was called an accident, and
that he had any social responsibility
in the matter never dawned upon him.
The social conscience and intelligence
are brutalized and hypnotized by the
modern Moloch Of "business success. {"
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
Asking Questions
About Coal

Any fool can ask questions. We
have a coal famine. Our local light
system is crippled by lack of coal for
the making of gas. Who graobei the
coal landsi The rail-oa is. Who stole
the visible supply and told the public
to go to helli The railroads. Who
charged rates so exhorbItant that no
dealer in the state could affor.l to lay
in summer supplyS Tae railroads.
Who robs us on fuel ratesl TIE rail-
roads. Who eautures coai lands snd
hogs tho product The railroads.
Why do We love Ro2s4vc.t9
Because Roosevelt, ut ths eleventh
hour, has declared that coal - he
property Of the people; necossit- e
life, just as water. air AID f'pi are
necessities If life.
Who is eornering tb, necessities Of
,ife in the form of flu L
James J. Hill, an empire builder, the
biggest fake that ever curs,l the
American people, jams r. Hill is re-
sponsible for the coal famine. James
J. Hill, who distritut a lid Angus
bulls among the fairness { the rcrih-
west and who robs al the northwest
so that his railroad nav l. l. between
tidewater and the big river.
We love James J. Hill because no
and be alono can tell why nur roor are
cold, why our factories are stilled, why
there is no more coal than hn ran rsteal
to run his trains fror Minneapolis to
the sound.
Mr.. James j. Hill, Tn, morstrous
fake of industrial fiction, LGoUs and
laughs as be knows mat you can't get
p ton of coal so long as h. wants two
thousand pounds of fuel for an engine
that is hauling freignt 20 Seattle
cheaper than you can haul l. to Hell
ena.
Why is it that W, can't cook with
gas! II Is because the railroads, be-
cause Mr.. James J. Hill has "swipcd"
all the available coal, ne 'd'sn the com
mon carriers that graft orr tate have
no regard for cur nee Is aud 40 ,lc,enry
in their dealings with us.
Not from a socialist paper-.iust
from the Helena IndepeEjant.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
An Early RevOlter
in England

The Labor Leader has an interesting
account of Gerard Winstanley, q con-
temporary Of Oliver Cromwell who was
much exercised at that early day about
the social condition Of the masses OF
the people. 1t is said that Cromwell
established a Commonwealth for the
gentry of England, but Winstanley's g
ideal was a commonwealth for the
whole people. winstanley preached
communism two centuries and a half
before Robert Owen; he preached the
evils of land monopoly three centuries
before Henry George, and he urged the
people to go back to the land three
centuries before Tolstoi. He was born
1909, in Lancashire. He produced many
pamphlets on the social problem, and
proclaimed that private monopoly in
land is the primary cause of social
evils, and that while it exists true lib
erty is impossible. He undertook
practical solution of the problem, and
inaugurated what is known as the
Digger movement in history.
Over a third part of England was
still common land. In April 1649 Win
stanley and his disciples marched to
the commons in Surrey, and there be-
gan to dig and settle. The event
caused great exitement. The grandees
of London, at the head of troops, paid
a visit to the camp, made speech
to the diggers, and admonished them.
The diggers replied that these lands
belonged to the common people Of
England, who might improve them.
The result was that Winstanley and
Others were arrested for trespass, fined,
and subjected to violent persecution.
The lord of the manor and the priests
instigated the people to boycott them,
the local freeholders assaulted them,
and the soldiers pulled down the houses
and evicted the occupants. Their cows
were driven away, their carts were
smashed, their crops were spoiled, and
the settlement at last broken up. Win
stanley appealed TO the people, issued
vindications and declarations, tried a
similar experiment at Northampton
shire, equally unsuccessful, and the
Digger movement came to a sorrowful
end. He then wrote a Utopia embod-
wing his conception of free common
wealth, a eommunistic state where all
labored and each received the fruits
Of his labor, from the common stock.
Cromwell succeeded in establishing
his commonwealth for the few while
winstanley failed in preaching his for
the many. lie was centuries ahead OF
his time, but had n lofty soul that fore
shadowed the greater things to come.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
OSTRICH OPTIMISM PROTECTION

ton and God looks after fools and the
United States. All things that you
call evils are part Of the diyinely or
dained plan and will work out alright
in time But let them work out them
selves-don Z you help, because if you
get busy here you are likely to discov-
er a cloud or two in the azure and
few spots ON the sun that will disturb
your equanimity of mind. In the mean
time keep your eve on the feed trough
and crowd along. BY so doing you will
KEEP your belly full while you live-and
when you die-you will sink in the
sea Of oblivion-and never cause a
ripple,
J. L. MABIE.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10
Primary
Law Scored
And Direct Legislation Law Declared
Useless Committees of Ruling
Class at Work

executive that no party ever receives
any fmoluments of Office, "Emolu-
ments" are always received and en-
joyed by individuals. The governor IS
Recommendation has an nndemocatic
flavor of making it difficult for the
people to vote for whom they please.
The falling off in the total vote in
the state was attributed to the diff
fieulties and expense of the registra-
tion law. The law was estimated to
cost ten cents vote. The suits
brought by the attorney general against
the present treasurer and the two pre-
ceding ones for interest on public mon
les that they put in their pockets came
up for their share of attention. A
railroad commission regulating rates
in the state was recommended as
blandly as though the government real
ly ran the railroads instead Of the
railroads running the government. The
work of the boiler inspector was com
mended as there being no explosion
of boilers under the jurisdiction of
the office-rattle-trap engines of course
being excepted. But the state balks
at the railroads. The prosperity"
of the state was lauded with an echo
that sounded familiar like a Roose-
Welt chime. Montana workers dug out
40 per cent of all the copper in the
country. An interesting bit of in
formation came to the surface in the
fact that the state is leasing out two
coal tracts, one in Choteau and one in
Carbon county for witch it receives
over $4,000 revenue. There was a re-
commendation for an enacting clause
of the direct legislation bill which the
dear people so enthusiastically and
b!ndly voted for last fall. As the So
cialsts warned them, the law is of
absolutely no use as it stands and
should have ben voted down as mere
trash. 1t merely delays proper action.
A child labor law was broached as the
cry of the children against the inter
csts of enterprise. True TO the reac-
tionary, unintcligent, trust.busting at
titudc of the antediluvian democrats
a recommendation was made for as
sistanee to wool.growers combina-
tion that would stop the trust from set
ting the price on their product. The
evolutionary force Of combined action
sees this in operation now.
Not word said of the dignity,
power and deserts of labor. If the
man that shapes the material products
To make this sort of civilized exist
ence possible is spoken of at all it
as "the humble laborer," and the
sphere Of the grafters that ride on his
back. as "the more exalted walks of
life Not word was said of the
frightful murder of these workers on
the railroads or in the mines. The
whole system is taken as inevitable
the many miserable, the few success
full.
One is impressed with the vastness
Of the machinery whose only purpose
is to keep the producing slaves keep
ing the few in comfort and luxury.
The entire Legislation is that only of
n dominant class In society of
economic equals it would all be ire
levant. Where each could have his
product. and none could have anything
without producing IL. these porposed
laws would be silly and superAuous.
Grind the mills slowly, We gods, and
see how long the wretches viii stand IT,.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

The tenth legislature convened at
noon Monday Jan. 6. The republican
majority is overwhelming in both
houses so that party legislation viii
cut no figure. The measures that the
capitalist interests of Montana want
will be passed by the republican party.
The democratic party was the former
custodian of these sacred rights of
porperty and profit. Now in Montana
none is so poor as to do il honor.
Parties may change but the Amalga-
mated company runs Montana just the
same. 1t looks as though the workers
would see thorugh the scheme of ca
pitalist government after awhile. 1t
is not parties that govern, but inter
ests. The democrats were given to un-
derstand from the first that they
wer'n' in it, and would simply be
tolerated If they would be good. This
will probably result in the democrats
putting forward some good measures
as the only way to distinguish them-
selves AS the republicans will prompt
ly turn them down, the democrats can
take a little glory in the fact that
they forced the bosses to turn down
good thing. The democrats seem jn-
clined to put up good opposition.
Swinldlehurst of Livingston is their
leader on the floor of the house. He
appears to have considerabl force IF
character and looks as though if he got
raps enough from capitalism he might
perhaps have intelligence enough TO
make good socialist. King of Boze-
man, the speaker Of the house. has a
por voice but was the unanimous choice
of the "interests. - The hook nose
and the grasping claw are much in
evidence as one wends his way amo7g
the personel that frames these "com-
mittees of the ruling class" as Marx
says. One would say on seeing these
representatives of the popular vote sit
in assembly, "Well, at any rate this
is further along than in Russia" II
ought 10 he. But in Russia the work
ers are awake; here they are not. Here
they are lulled to sleep by the hypno-
tic suggestion that they rule, in spite
of the fact that the whole system of
laws is dead against their interests
In Russia they know they do not.
Tuesday afternoon the governor read
his message. Governor Toole, a dem
ocrat, instructing a solid conquest of
his political enemies looks lonesome.
But governor can always take
satisfaction in recommending good
measures and if the law makers won 7
pass them why certainly he can't e
blamed. 1t is really amusing to hear
the governor recounting the failures
Of the primary law, when il is remem-
bered that the socialist paper was the
first to point out these defects, that il
has operated exactly as the Montana
News said IL would, and that in the
seven counties where IL was passed il
has proved an absolute failure, and
even the old parties are sick of it.
The governor recommends alterations.
The message dwelt at considerable
length on direct election Of u. s. SEN
ators, and special emphasis was laid
on no party being recognized on the
ballot unless it had acquired a sufieiI
ent per cent at preceding elections.
The object was said TO be "to discour
age small parties whose only excuse
for existence was the emoluments of
Office. II might be well to remind the
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

At the recent general election for the
landtag (legislature) of the Kingdom
of Wurttemberg Germany the social
lists made great gains, capturing many
new seats and increasing their vote
from 10000 to 10000. At Stuttgart,
where the socialists had one representa-
tive before, they elected three this
time out of six. This can be regarded
as good omen for the reichstag cleo
tion in January.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

Jan. 4th the county central com
mittee Of Chicago held three meetings
for the purpose Of protesting against
the treatment of the Western Fedora.
tion officials. One meeting was held
in each division Of the city.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

The last resort of the defenders Of
capitalism is to yell pessimist at any
one who dares to point ont any defects
in our present social organization.
They say we socialists are an awful lot
of pessimists-always looking on the
dark side of things. We should not
pay so much attention to the evils of
society they tell us. If they force
themselves upon your attention, turn
Jour back on them. Prophesy fair
weather, and not storms. Trim your
sails for every favorable wind that
blows, pay no attention TO the barome-
ter but go ahead The ostrich sees no
danger-why should you' Hide your
head in the sands of political faith
or ecclesiastical dogma and hold your
nose against the stencil of this social
suppuration that is rising all around
you. Look out for yourself and you
won't have so much time to worry
about others. You are not your bro
thcr's keeper anyway. If you see a
brother sinking in the social quagmire,
that is simply a warning for you to
keep on the high ground. Never mind
the poverty on every hand but turn
your eyes on the dazzling wealth that
has been created by the workers Of
the nation and let your breast swell
with patriotic pride. If any one calls
your attention to child slavery tell
thcm that every individual is master
Of his own fate and that the children
simply made n mistake in the choice
Of their parents. Look at Marshall
Fields two grand-children-see how
wisely they choose. IL any one men
tions prostitution remind them of how
much virtue there is in the world, and
IL any one dares TO hint that our coun.
try is in danger tell him that Old Glory
still floats over the capital at Washing,
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

The Belgian socialist daily press con.
sists of four papers and has a daily
sale Of about 100000. Vanderyeldc
points out that this is not so bad for
a land of 100000 inhabitants where
90 per cent of the people can neither
read nor write.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

With English and Bohemian social
list dailies already in the field and with
German, Polish and Yiddish dailies
soon to appear, Chicago will in the near
future will be the leading socialist
center in the United states.-Chicago
Socialist.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

Chicago socialists at their caucus
last Sunday selected George Koop, the
veteran propagandist and prominent
member Of the Typographical union,
as the socialist candidate for mayor
next spring.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

Toxic, Jan. i.-The official Gazette
today announces that the Japanese
socialist jounal, "Kakume," printed
in Berkely, Cal, has been seized and
its circulation prohibited because IL
advocated the assassination Of Roose.
welt.
This certainly is an inspiring ad.
vcrtisement for the United States as
a land Of free speech and free press
especially since the charge is malic-
ious lie calculated TO suppress paper
teaching the socialist doctrine.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

il is because the wage system gives
the worker only a part Of his product
instead Of the total value Even the
comparatively few non-producers can
not consume, invest, or waste the
enormous surplus. The only remedy is
to let the producer consume his pro.
duct. This will let the horde of har
pies out who do nothing useful. Il
has got to come to this to solve the
problem. This is socialism.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-10

The Pope Is now, on the authority
of the late Imperial Chancellor, re.
ported TO have asked the German gov.
ernment for 100000 marks (25,OOO pds)
IL the Catholic party voted for the
military proposals. That is the party
The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-02-22


This week Marion man way
arrested and fined for appropriat-
ing basket of coal from ono Of
the local railroad yards. Tlys
man related the advcrsittes which
have ovcrtaken him and depleted
his exchequcr until te was compell-
cd to take the coal to keep his
family from freezing. This same
railroad which prosecuted this
man dor stealing coal may be one
CT those which is responsible for
the fuel fanrne in the Northwest.
Stealing coal Is wrong and SO
Us the act OF the railroad company
in discriminating against the ship
1rent of coal to the Northwest. If
one should be punished, so ought
the other.