Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-12-19
From Mr.. HIlburn.

Editor Register-I notice in your
last weeks issue tnat you are op-
posed to the millennium, "Least
wise" you oppose socialism and
you say, in subansta nee, that its
advent will usher in the millennium.
Probaly, though, you are like a
great many people who vote for
what they don't want for fear that
if they vote for what they do
want they won't get it. Now,
don't quite agree with you, either
in your premises, nor yet in your
logic.
Economic development is forc-
ing socialism upon us whether
we will or not. And the CO.
operative commonwealth is as
sure to be born as that men will
do that which self preservation
requires. And while we cannot
prevent its coming, nor unduly
hurry it's advent, we may by the
study of economic problems assist
at it's birth and lessen the pains OF
parturition. Will the people for
ever submit to panics with their
accompanying depression of busi-
ness, shutting down of mills,
strikes, lockouts, famines and
suffering in the midst of plenty,
rather than that the public should
own the banks and thus establish
once, and for all time, universal
confidence?
AT Arcola, Illinois, during
the great coal strike citizens OF
all ranks united and mobbed a
coal train and confscated the coal
to keep from freezing.
Did they show good Judgment?
Or should they have sat still and
calmly frozen to death?
| Might not the railroads and
coal mines at that time have been
called upon, and properly SO, to
either furnish plenty of coal or
show reason why the government
should not do so? If such thing
occurs again, which is not at all
unlikely, may we not have public
ownership as a matter of absolute
necessity? No, socialism will not
necessarily usher in the millennium
but it will mitigate many evils.
For instance, at Clio, mill town
on the Cotton Belt about seven
miles from me and where | lived
three years, there was enacted
one of the most tragic scenes OF
recent years. The cause OF which
may be traced back to a judges
error. For had the Judge appoint
led receiver and cut out entirely
1.-THE warning factions at least two
lives would have been saved. Ol
had this mill been owned anc
Operated by the public there hac
been no warning factions anc
hence no murders. And if tht
general public, through your Uncl'
Samuel, owned the banks ther'
would be no money stringencJ
through lack of confdince. An'
if the public owned the shoe fac
!: tories that old lady would not hav
. contracted pneumonia througl
: wearing shoes with paper soles
: for your Uucle Samuel would nc
put paper onto shoe soles to b
worn by the mem bers of his ow
household. And if she did &c
J sick by eating poisoned canine
\ goods made under capitalisr
and left over because of no dat
> on the label, she wouldn't have t
take adulterated medicine. An
there would be peas in the peppe
4 only in the spelling thereof. An
4 wars would practically be abol
ished, because ninety-nine out G
hundred of them are caused by
y desire to enlarge the foreign mai
ket for our, surplus goods. SUI
plus because of capitalist profits
!, For if labor got all it's product
as could use it all and then ther
e. would be no surplus for which
IL find foreign markets. No, th
millennium won't come because {
socialism, but we won't have an
more panics, no more strike
lock-outs or shut downs, no labt
troubles, nor enforced idlenes
u u For Uncle Sam would furnis
y. work for every body who wante
in it, and give the full social produ
Of their labor in wages. The
he about four hours day would su
nd flee to purchase all the necessarie
re re and many of the luxuries of life.
IS Is, This is sometimes called tt
st ,ss leveling Of society but as Edwal
i. Bellamy has truly said, "It
IRE