Graham guardian., 1907-09-20
GOEBEL TALKS ON SOCIALISM
Preached The Doctrine Of Leveling
Social Standards RefOre Two
Audiences in Stafford

| NSN'S 'SN IL oOSpS', VI
ganizer Of the Socialist party
spoke in Stafford last Friday anc
Saturday nights. The local man
ayers of that party had provided
seats and lights and every mem
ber of the party was present or
both occasions, as well as q fail
sprinkling Of others seeking So,
ciallstic information. The meet
ings were held on the vacant cor
ner east of the Boston store.
Mr.. Groebel is an earnest and
witty speaker and has Il thousand
facts and figures always at hand
His remarks were well received
by both audiences and were good
efforts from a Socialistic stand
point.
IA few years ago." said the
speaker, "even an educated man
could be excused if compelled to
plead ignorance as to what is
m cant by an arc light or the tele
phone pole, but today even a child
is expected to at least understand
what is meant by the term, just so
with socialism, it having reached
that strength and influence that a
man TO be considered intelligent
will seek to at leasi understand its
meaning and purpose.
"In Europe 30,o00,000 people,
including a large proportion Of
the students, thinkers, and histor-
ians, believe in socialism, 10000
of the number being voters. In
this country socialism is, of course,
newer and hence not so far ad-
vanced as in Europe
"In the last five years a wonder.
ful increase in socialist votes and
sentiment has taken place, despite
the lack of daily papers or great
campaign funds by the organiza-
ton. The vote for president has
increased almost half q million.
In Illinois we have three m EN- bers
of the legislature, in Florida one,
in Wisconsin nine and have elected
over 500 officials of one kind or
another in various parts of the
country; while the magazines and
daily press and even the president
are compelled TO admit the tend
cncy IN the socialist direction.
"Formerly we worked with lit.
tie simple hand tools and sma II
capital, which, with a little thrift
and industry, gave any man q
chance if not suited with the terms
given by an employer, to open up
his own shop or business. Or, not
caring to do that, he might settle
on the land that was. then to be.
had practically free. But today
the hand tool has given way to
the factory with its massive ma
chinery, while the small business
with insignificant capital, has Civ
'en way more and moro to the
corporation with capital of tens of
millions and the land has either
been stolen by syndicates or set,
tied upon. Under the old method
men could be Independent because
1T was easy to start for themselves,
but today, whether in town or
country, farm or factory, the aver.
age young man has absolutely no
chance of ever being his own mas.
ter, but must look to another for
employment. In other words. he
must be the slave of some other
man, for the man who could give
or withhold permission to work
could dictate the terms on which
permission was given, the terms 10
the end being such as a horse or
mule got-enough corn or oats to
keep it able to pull the load the
next day. Therefore socialists
emphasized that whoever owned a
mans job owned the man.
"Socialism proposes to have the
people themselves as a natioa own
all the greater industries, anything
that, by It's nature, if owned by u
few, would put the few in position
to rob all. These, socialists say,
as Il matter of safety and commo on
sense, must be owned by ALL"