davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
Great Enthusiasm
For Socialists

In the municipal elections at Born
helm, near Frankfort on Main, our COM
rades recently doubled the number of
their representatives in the council
winning three seats-despite a prop
erty qualification Of $500. In the prov
incse of Brandenburg, at Zehdsnich,
two comrades were elected, with a ma
jority of so, into the communal coun-
ell. In Altlussheim, in Baden, the So
cial democratic list won with ia to
ll5 votes, the bourgeois opponents get
ting 90 to 10. In Essen our vote at
the municipal elections rose from 1,492
in 1904, to 2,23s in 1906; in a suburb
of Essen, from so in 1908 to 299 in
1906. The other parties, including the
Catholics, have all lost votes.
In Strassburg it has been resolved to
publish our party organ, the Freie
Presse, in a French ns well as a Ger
man edition.
To give an idea Of what a power
our party has become in Berlin: On
the day of the dissolution Of the
reiehstag, when our party organ had
no more news than any other, all cop
les were sold out Of the Vorwaerts. All
people in the trains instinctively called
for the vorwaerts, copies were sold at
l mark (ls.), instead of ) pf. Q-2d.), |,
and at the cafes special tips were paid
to the walters to secure copy (and
that in cafes where the Vorwaerts is
taken in several copies). The workers
we're not those who made the demand
they had their copies in their pock-
ets-but the bourgeoisie had only one
instinct, viz, to know what the most
powerful party in Germany had to
say on the question.
Never has there been an election,
perhaps, in which the social democracy
has been completely left to itself as
this one. More and more clear every
day is the bond which unites all bour-
geois parties of all colors in common
hostility to us. We see the radicals
and ultra-eonservatives forming ALI
ances for common caudidatures at the
first ballot. That may even lose us
certain seats. but il lays the founda-
tion of n future victory so much the
more certainly as it implies the actual
bankruptcy of the bourgeois liberal
=. They declare their own i'm.
potence and throw their principles
Observation-Disclosures.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
Bern Elections

At the city election in Bern, Switzer-
land, the socialists polled As per cent
Of the total vote and elected repre-
sentatives Que Of 20. the liberals 7
and the conservatives 4. So the so.
cialists are the strongest party in the
capital city of Switzerland and soon
they will have the majority.
In Bern, as in many other cities Of
Switzerland, exists the proportional
election system. For those who are
not versed in IL there follows n short
explanation. For instance: There are
20 members to be elected and the re-
publicans, democrats and socialists are
in the field. Each party puts 20 names
on its ticket. The total vote is 10000,
or 500 for each candidate. The aver
age vote on the socialist ticket is
4,500, this being times 500 means
that the candidate with the highest
vote on. the socialist ticket win be
eected. The republican poll an aver
age vote Of $500; this is times 500
and the 7 republicans with the highest
vote are elected. The democratic can
didates get 1000 votes on the average
and consequently they elect 4 mem.
bers. There have to be large election
districts TO make the proportional sys.
tenn work satisfactorily.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
Gambling Law Dis.
turbS SOlOnS

The gambling law of Montana is
proving a source of interesting byplay
in the legislature. The republicans
are making a scape goat of the DEM
oerat Governor Toole and laying the
shameless farce of the violation Of the
gambling law throughout the state,
and especially in Helena, upon the gov
ernor's executive shoulders. They i'm
trodueed a measure making him re-
sponsible for the enforcement of the
law. Whiteside, of Flathead, a dem
ocrat, moved to amend by inserting
Galen s (republican) name for Toole's p
The republican amalgamated solid sat
down on that promptly. They n blame
ToOle, their political opponent, but the
white dove republican must be left un-
tainted by the same offense.
This legislative business is one of
the most brazen imposition upon the
working class of all the infamies Of
the rule over them by the exploitera
The legislatures are simply to eleneh
the exploitation by the rulers, with the
show of a machine. They do nothing
of any social value. They put up men
of straw and knock them down again.
They amend and resolute, and talk
foolishly, and turn down what they
talk about, and adjourn, and put in
time; and everything they do common
sense would settle in few moments
time. The state would be in infinitely
better shape if they never met at all
if there was no Legislature whatever,
say for ten years. All they do is to
waste lot of money to give a lot Of
grafters a job, and the state interests
are no whit further advanced. The
meet give a show of popular acquies-
eence to the deeds that the capitalists
wish TO do for their own profit. And
then it is another way to waste the
surplus that the workers create. It
really is not much matter TO the work
ers to what length they 60. The more
old, wasteful and unrighteous are their
methods the sooner will the workers
see how helpless is their state until
they themselves take hand in mould
ing their affairs. Two or three social
lists in each Legislature mark the en-
trance Of the vedg- which win reud
| the ratk of exnIoitatiop
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Berlin. Jan. 1.-THE seventh con
gres of the Silesian social demo-
Gratis was held at Prague during Christ
mas week. The official report of the
party shows that the party now has
l,5l7 organizations, while in 1904 it
had only 1,O75. The total number of
members in these l.517 organizations is
90, ,O9s.
The report also shows that the party
has sixteen political papers, three of
which are dailies, and one a monthly
review, Academy which is publish
ed in Wien.
The party publishing house is re-
ported as publishing large numbers of
books and pamphlets on scientific sub
juices, some of which are original
works while others are reprints and
translations from foreign languages.
The agitation committee reported
that during the year 10000 meetings
for agitation purposes were held Dur
ing the year $3.50 people came in con-
flict with the police. OF these 2,74s
were sentenced to short terms of inn
rrisonment The papers of the party
were eonfscated by the government
2l2 times in that period, and the edi-
tors were in 80 eases imprisoned for
periods ranging to from 81 days to six
months Cbieago Socialist
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
Child Labor Bill

During the legislative assembly OF
1905 an effort was made to sneak
through bill that would legalize child
labor, but the union men Of Helena
got word of same and fought the meas
ure so hard that the bill was killed
This year an effort is being made To
sneak through a measure that will help
create child labor in Montana.
The measure in particular has been
introduced by Miller Of Lewis q Clark
which seeks to repeal the act Great
ing the bureau Of .hiid and animal pro
lection. This bufeau is the most ef'
fective ,ffice ir preventing child labor
The president tas more than once
taken children of thi.;nn years old "'t
Of the mines of Cascade county and
recently prosec isri saloon keeper in
Butte for cmp.oy'ns boy un'lcr six
teen as bartender. Mt being abi1 "a
corrupt the president Of the bureau Of
child and animal protection, the cor
porations seek TO abolish tho Office.
Watch the outcome on this measure
and how your representatives vote.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
WYOMING EIGHT HOUR LAW

Three months ago the supreme court
Of Wyoming declared the eight-hour
law Of that state unconstitutional, al
though the law had been on the sta
tutes fifteen years ago. The law was
being violated and no effort to enforce
same was being made by the officers
of the law and IL was a hard matter
to get a case against any mine owner
or corporation for trial.
In order to make test case, a
union miner agreed to have the union
bring suit against him, which resulted
in the case being decided against the
union and the eight-hour law declared
unconstitutional.
The coal miners Of Wyoming have
had an eight-hour law for miners draft
ed and sent a strong lobby to Chey-
enne TO work for the enactment Of the
same by the present legislative as.
sembly.
The legislative committee on capital
and labor have passed the bill up to
the attorney general of Wyoming for
an opinion before taking action on
same.
There are no socialists in the Wyo-
ming Legislature; had the workers Of
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
COUNTRY DIVIDED INTO DISTRICTS

The National Executive Committee
has made arrangements to concentrate
its resources upon organization instead
of upon mere lectures, as in the past
For this purpose the country has been
subdivided into nineteen districts, as
follows:
Firs t. Connecticut, Massachusetts,,
Vermont, Miaue, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island Estate elections 1907 in
Massachusetts, and Rhode Islard).
second-New York, New Jersey and
Delaware state elections in New
Jersey.
Neutrality-suspicious., Maryland ana
West Virginia Estate elections 1907 in
Pennsylvania and MarylanJ.
Fourth-ohio and Kentucky Estate
elections 1907 both states).
Fifth-Michigan and Indiana.
sixth-wisconsin and Minnes IA.
Seventh-Ilinois and Iowa.
Eighth-Missouri and Arkansas.
Ninth-Nebraska and Kansas.
Tenth-Oklahoma and Texas.
Observation-Disclosures and Idaho.
Twelfth-Arizona and New Mexico.
Thirteenth-Colorado and Wyom-
ing.
Fourteenth-North Dakota aul
South Dakota.
Washington and Oregon
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
German Elections
Misrepresented

The associated press reports of the
German elections are to the effect that
the socialists have been defeated and
the Kaiser victorious. The reports as
published in the capitalist papers are
misleading and show anything but a
socialist defeat. The socialists lost
10 seats and gained one. This would
mean that they have elected sixty.
three members and will contest seven
ty-6ve seats in the second ballot, Of
which the opposition comedies that
they will win nineteen. Which IL they
do will give them eighty-two members
in the Reichstag or one more than he
fore. The socialists have elected more
on the first ballot than they did at the
election and they also 60 into the sec
eond ballot in more districts than be-
fore, besides increasing their vote
from ten to fifteen per cent.
However, the reports that are at
hand, are unreliable and we will have
TO wait for more definite information,
which we believe will show more fav-
orable returns for our German CON-
rades
The Kaiser was badly scared as TO
the outcome of the election and if the
socialists did not poll as large vote
as the Kaiser expected they would, he
would naturally consider the socialists
defeated. However, if it should hap.
pen that the Kaiser has checkmated
the socialists, we can rely on it that
onr comrades were repulsed not routel
1t is amusing to read the capitalist
papers of this country, how gleefully
they gloat over the supposed defeat
and how they show their sympathies t.
be with the royal snob of Europe, a
man despised by all Europe. The Brit
ish navy has been looked on for years
as the policeman of Europe, but this
distinction must be shared by the so
cialists of Germany, as they more thar
any one else, have restrained the iror
hand of Emperor William.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Comrades-We believe that the ex
pulsion question of the japanese Ia
borers in California is much due to
racial prejudice. The japanese so
cialist party, therefore, hopes that tho
American socialist party will endeavor
to bring the question to a satisfactory
issue in accordance with the spirit Of
international unity among working.
men. We also ask the American social.
ist party 10 acquaint us with its opin.
ion as 10 this question.
(signcd) ID. KotolSu, T. Sakni, X.
Nishikawa, Care Of Heiminsha. No. 7,
Rokuchomo, Shintomicbo, Kiboashi
Toxic, Japan.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
Franchise Grab
Big Corporations Seeking to Deliver
Montana Into Hands of Octopus
Through Sneak

majority of a city council when they
cannot control the majority of the
voters
City councils have sold franchises,
but the majority of the people, while
they can be fooled occasionally, can
never be bought.
Other interests that are behind this
measure, are the large electric power
companies of the state. The Standard
Oil interests are damming up the rivers
OF the state, and building immense
power plants and distributing the cleo
trie power in a radius of over one hun
dred miles from the central station,
and are endeavoring to secure a mon
opoly Of the electric light and power
by getting franchises in the various
cities of the state.
| Where they cannot get franchise
they buy up the existing franchise
If there is one. They are erecting
their poles and stringing their wires
all over the state. They are lighting
up at night the mountain passes and
the prairies (miles from any town. to
allow night crews to work on the rail
road construction tnat is now going
on in this state.
4 The Electric Power company is plan.
ming to secure franchises, and raids are
to be made on various cities Of the
state, and the passage of this amend
ment will make the work easier for
tlem. Then all they will have to say
is, "We just want a permit to erect
our row of poles and string wires Sc
we can pass through your city" II
the people vote to give them that
then they can proceed to buy up the
city council and get n permit to erect
poles aud string wires all over the city
without the same being submitted tC
vote of the people. This amendment
is like the old fable OF the camel. He
begged his master - let him put his
nose into the tent because it was 81
cold outside. This permission being
kindly granted. he then begged to put
his head in. The master protested OF
account of the smallness Of the tent
but finally yielded to persuasion
Whereupon the camel said the warmth
was so agreeable that he pushed his
whole body in, and since there wa.
not room for two pushed the master
OUT.
1t is inspiring and prophetic tC
hear the discussions among the peopl,
of any city when a question has beer
submitted to grant a corporation q
franchise. Everywhere one hears th'
remarks, "Vote against the franchise
we will run that business ourselves
some day."
This is the sentiment that is among
the masses. This is the sentiment thai
the capitalist fears. This is the sen
timent they would crush out by passing
this amendment.
'We will run that business ourselves
some day, how hopeful in this waste
of commercialism are these words.
Yesl but il will never be as long al
the workers elect to office the hunkeyi
and hirelings of the franchise grab
bing parasites.
'We will run that business ourselves
some day" Yes, when and only wher
you elect a majority of socialists t.
govern the state.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Sixteenth-California, Nevada, and
Utah.
Seventeenth-VirginIa, North Caro-
lima and South Carolina.
Eighteenth-Tennessee Mississippi,
and Louisiana.
Nineteenth-Georgia, Alabama, and
Florida.
NJ W. Williams has been assigned
to the first district, Isaac Cowan 10
the third, and John Collins to tho
fourth. Effort has been made 10 con
centrate the work in states holding
elections in 1907.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Local Tacoma sends out couvet
ent little card folder advertising a
series Of five socialist meetings by
Vincent Harper. beginning on Jan. 15
and closing Feb. 10. The lectures arc
given at Germania hall and IL cents
admission is charged. Music will be
given at the lectures. The subjects are:
Man or Machine, Woman or Washtub.
Child or Chattel. Revolution or Evo.
luton. The Dawn.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Ihere Is an innocent little Dill De-
fore the legislature at present, IL is
House Bill No. "a, and introduced by
Manchester (rep.) Of Butte.
The bill is for the benefit of fran
chise grabbing corporations and seeks
to amend law passed in 1908. The
legislature of that year passed one of
the best laws on the Montana statutes.
The law in question prevents any city
council from giving away a franchise.
And no corporation can get franchise
unless the people by referendum vote
decide in their favor.
Before the passage of this law cor
porations could get a franchise for a
song, and there existed a continual
war between the people and the city
councils on the question Of giving away
franchises
Since the law went into effect very
few franchises have been granted cor
porations. In nearly every instance
the voters have voted against giving
away a franchise regardless Of the in
ducements the corporations might offer.
In fact the giving away of franchises
has become lost art in Montana.
Moreover city councils will not sub
init to the voters a question Of giving
away a franchise, unless the corpora
tion desiring same, puts up enough
money to pay the cost of the election.
This coupled with the fact that the
people won't give away franchises,
has dampened the craving oh sub
mitting the question to a vote of the
people.
The capitalists are now squealing
and squirming against such law and
they dare not openly appeal it, but
they have their henchmen at work try
ing to attach an innocent little rider
TO the law.
The rider or the Manchester amend
ment is to the effect that after a cor.
poration has secured a franchise or
any existing franchise, the same can
he extended by the city council with
out submitting the question TO the
voters for their approval or rejection.
If it is a good thing for the people
to vote on all franchise gifts, then it
is equally as good thing for them
to vote on extending the franchise.
The Butte Street Car company which
is owned by Senator Clark, the copper
king, is working hard for its passage
and they have a powerful lobby at
work in Helena.
Manager Wharton, of the Butte
street cars, appeared before the com
mittee and said that if they wanted
to extend their lines two blocks, the
question had to be submitted to the
people and it would cost $4,000 to pay
the election expenses. All they wanted
was to extend their lines quarter Of
mile and If the law as changed. the
city council Of Butte would grant them
the permit to extend their lines with
out referring IL to the voters of Butte
and the Street Car company would not
be out the $4,000 election expenses.
OF course, Mr.. Wharton did not state
how much it would .ost to treat the
old party members of the council after
they gave the Street Car company the
permit. Senator Clark and other capi-
4
lists know that they can control the
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31
That New Railroad
Slave Bill

Some Of the representatives that
voted in favor of the sixteen-hour day
for railroad men imagine that they
have done something great and are
claiming that the law is a good thing,
because il prevents the railroads from
working their employees ffty-six hours
which has been done in many cases.
Such statement is entirely ronious.
The bill is full of exception clauses,
which practically annuls the sixteen
hour clause except in case of the tele-
graph operator.
The annulling clause reads as fol-
lows, "provided, however, that nothing
In this section shall be construed to
allow any engineer, fireman, conductor
or trainman to desert his locomotive
or train in case OF accident, storms,
wrecks, washouts, snow blockade OF
any unavoidable delay arising from
like causes
Any railroad man knows that ninety
per cent of delays, long hours are
caused by what is embraced in the
exception clause.
Moreover, owing to the gigantic
problem lof transportation, with the
single lines, lack of side tracks, it is
impracticable at present to fix num-
Der of hours per day that trainmen
should work, except that it be twenty
four hours and such a law as that
would be hailed with glee by the en-
ploying class.
The only way to regulate the hours
of trainmen is to limit the number of
hours per week, when a man has
worked the limited number Of hours
per week then he does not go out until
the beginning of the next week. In
this way the trainman is allowed time
to reeuperate, provided, however, that
the limit of hours worked per week
do not reach one hundred and twelve
like the bill now before the legislature
provided
The hours of traimcn in Britain are
limited to ffty-four hours per week
and since this law went into effect tho
number of accidents on the railways
in that country have decreased to m
exceedingly large degree.
In the case of the telegraph opera
tors, twelve hours n day, not TO con
slider sixteen hours, is too long for any
man to transmit orders TO train crews
II is the long hours of the operator
that makes n wreck Of him and give
wrong orders that results in railroad
wrecks. Eight hours per day is long
for any telegraph operator and when
when the work day Of the operators is
reduced to eight hours, then there will
be a corresponding decrease in wrecks
caused by operators blunders.
We have failed to see anything in
the demo-repubo papers claiming any
good features Of the sixteen-hour law
In fact they are unable to print any
thing about the bill except the text
of the measure.
The News has interviewed railway
men and they all condemn the measure
It is safe to say that IL the bill passes
the senate and receives the governors
signature, that IL will be one Of the
first bills that the workers of the state
will demand a referendum on under the
Direct Legislative law when that law
becomes operative.
Next week the News will deal with
the work of the telegraph operator
the conditions he works under as well
as throwing some side lights on the
life of the trainmen in the west.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

The socialist party at Cincinnati, at
its recent convention elected a new
city central committee, with Daisy
Conklin as secretary and Nicholas
Klein as chairman. w. J. Millard IL
tho city organizer. An active lecture
campaign Is being outlined,
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Toronto, town or 100000, pnllrd
5000 for the socialist canlidate for
mayor.
Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1907-01-31

Local Los Angeles has declared for
n general strike as n protest against
the Meyer Haywood odPettibone outrage.
The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-07-18
THURSDAY, JULY Is, 1907.

The Hague peace conference,
having decided that a declaration of
war must precede hostilities, is now
endeavoring to answer the question.
what constitutes war? propounded by
Colonel Ting of China. The colonel,s
reason for putting this question is
that once upon time several coun-
tries invaded and fought China with
out admitting that they were engaged
in war: Before adjournment it is ex-
pected that the Hague tribunal will
find time between the consideration Of
its many war propositions to wrestle
with the peace problem for ten or
fifteen minutes.
The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-07-18

Twenty-three wealthy business men
of Toledo, Ohio, were last week SEN
fenced to nine months each imprison-
ment for violating the Valentine anti
trust law and nine others we're fined
one thousand dollars apiece for a like
reason. Sentence on the twenty-three
prisoners was suspended for ten days
because the workhouse was at the time
quarantined for smallpox. It looks
as If the judge suspended sentence in
order to give the culprits chance to
get away. Under the circumstances
why didn't he incarcerate them in
some other prison? Rich rascals are
invariably afforded an opportunity of
evading punishment.