Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1908-04-23

Ladies and Gentlemen
i am giving this talk tonight in re-
pudiation of the false statements, the
slurs and calumny that have been
heaped upon the socialists and the
socialist philosophy by Bishop Carroll,
the representative of the catholics in
this district.
It 10 not, and never has been the
policy Of the Socialist party to attack
the religions Of people unless some
church made q deliberate attack upon
the socialists.
Bishop Carroll has attacked US pre-
meditatedly and maliciously, and the
socialist movement must defend itself.
We, who make such universal claims
for our position, our philosophy and our
program must substantiate our asser-
tions before the eyes of the thinking
and inquiring world. Socialism as a
solution for injustice, poverty and ig.
norance can only prevail in human 30
ciety as the race becomes intelligent
enough to substitute order and science
in its material problems in place Of
chaos and ignorance. This is the
claim that the socialist movement of
the world makes, and it is supported by
the scientific thought Of the age.
The greatest names of the scientific
world for the last fifty years, the
economists, presidents of universities,
the artists and the literary men and
women whose names give glory to their
nation on each side of the water, great
reformers like Robert Owen, Jane
Adams, j. Phelps Stokes and his wife,
Rose Pastor, and his brother-in-law,
Robert Hunter, of the university settle
ment workers, popular play-writers like
Bernard Shaw and Ibsen, great teacn-
ers and professors, the gigantic intel
lects of the race, like Victor Hugo,
Eugene Sue, William Morris, profess
sional religious advocates, both Catho-
lie and Protestant-all of this magnifi-
cent galaxy of genius and power we
find arrayed on the side Of the social
ist movement Of the world.
Not Endorsed by Catholics.
Catholics, both of the priesthood and
the laity, are rapidly espousing the
cause of socialism, and when Bishop
Carroll makes his attacks upon social
ism in the name of the Catholic church
he is making an attack that the most
intelligent Cntholics in the world do
not endorse.
The bishops vicious onslaughts in
Montana upon the socialists are of this
nature:
Before a body of workers here in
this room few weeks ago he had the
audacity TO call socialism nefarious
doctrine.o He said, "There have
of late come among us a number of
teachers of a new doctrine, and the
chief aim of these teachers is to abolish
private property-take from the indus
trious and thrifty and give to the lazy
and shiftless. According to the utter
ance of these teachers the working
people are to be deprived of the fruits
of their toll. This is a nefarious doc
trine. 1t is called socialism. / will
say to the credit Of the people of this
mountain land that the erratic teach
ing sof these leaders have influenced
but a few in this state. The men and
women here are too sensible and en-
Iightened to be trapped by the glaring
exhortations Of these apostles Of error.
This nefarious doctrine has found en-
trance in the minds of a great many
people in different countries and is
threatening our glorious American in
stitutions of freedom and opportunity.
Beware, my friends
Great Praise to the Montanans.
1t affords me great pleasure to state
here that, as yet, so few men ana
women in Montana have been affected
by the false teachings or allured by the
hollow promises Of this vicious theory,
that gladly record the prediction;
Socialism and Anarchism will never
prevail amongst US in Montana, and as
the sun shines, first on the mountains,
90 the light Of truth shines brightest
in the men and women here. Out
down from the mountains you will have
TO 60 to the valleys east and west, to
spread the true light among the people
in the lower lands, less favored than
you are.
No, my friends, you will not allow
yourselves 10 be enticed by such mis-
leading promises as these false apostles
hold forth. I have read all Of thei,
books (assertion repeatedly and have
found besides some right statements, a
heap OF falsehoods. Claims and asser
tions without foundation, in fact, rea
son. How would you like to share youl