The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-06-25
TALK ON SOCIALISM.
Head of Party in New Jersey Spoke
Here Monday Evening.

On Monday evening local citizens wer{
| favored with an openalr meeting at the
corner of Elliot and Main streets, in the
interest of Socialism, The speaker was
w. B. Killingbeck, state secretary of the
Socialist party of New Jersey. The gather
ing numbered several hundred, and was
conspicuous for the earnest attention given
the speaker. Many women fingered on the
outside of the crowd.
Mr. Killingbeck spoke for one hour and
half He said, in part:
"In comparatively few years, a ire
mendous change has taken place IN our
method of supplying our social needs, the
simple, crude tool of our fathers having
given place to the complex modern tool,
in the form of factories, railroads, mines,
and so forth-all social in their nature
but owned by a comparatively few indi-
yiduals. The vast mass of the people, de-
priyed of the means Of life, are compelled
To 90 to the owners OF these social TOOLS
and beg permission to work, at terms die
lated bv the owners, thus making it i'm.
possible for the masses to realize the spirit
of the Declaration OF lndependence-th
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. This has resulted in dividing
the people into contending classes, con-
vulsing society with their contending in
terests, as witness the continuous success
sion of strikes, lockouts, boycotts, injunc-
tions etc.
"T6e present syste of distributing the
wealth produced by the workers has be-
come utterly impractcable giving to the
owners of the natural and social oppor-
tunities all of the benefits derived from
the tremendously increased productive
powers of the workers, and to the pro-
ducers a mere existence.
''Nhile these conditions exist there can
ha nj tal LIST oil
through their economic supremacy, has Sc
cured control of our national and state
executive offices, legislatures and courts,
our press, schools and pulplts.
80 talk about individuality and free
dom under these conditions is a CHASTITY
farce. as it has made it utterly impossible
for the masses of the people to develop
their individuality. such system drives
of men and women to insanity,
suicide, shame and crime, and puts pre-
MUM on graft and corruption. 1t makes
Il an impossibility for the large majority
Of the people to ever own any private
worth mentioning. 1t deprives
The children of an education worthy OF an
American citizen, and converts them into
The modern child slave. 1t places the
child in competition with the mother, the
mother against the father, and the ma
chine against all.
Socialism would organize industry and
society on democratic basis by placing
he social tools of production and distribu-
ion, such as mines, factories, railroads,
md so FORTH in the hands of the people,
20 that each individual would be secure
n the means of life, and thereby abolish
political and economic tyranny, and re-
establish our right to life, liberty, and the !
pursuit of happiness, which we lost when |
he means Of life-the simple hand tools |
# our fathers developed into the modern
ocial tools"
At the close of the meeting ready sale |
vas had for all the literature on hand.
1t is the purpose of the local members
# the party to perfect an organization and
stablish club room where all who may
re interested may keep in touch with the
apidly-growing world movement OF So
ialism.