Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-05-25
PEACEFUL REVOLUTION.

1
Mrs. E. H. Thomas, state secretary
of the social democratic party, ad-
dressed an audience in Elks' hall
Wednesday evening on When WIN
the Revolution Gomez a topic deal
ing with socialism. The revolution
has begun, she said, and right here in
Wisconsin we have baby revolution
OF our own. People are accustomed
to think of revolution as something
violent and bloody which costs many
human lives, but they are blind to a
quiet, peaceful revolution which is
going on all over the world.
Many lessons have been learned
from England, but there is one our
llaboring people and middle class have
yet to learn from the people across
the sea.
A few years ago the British labor
ing class was ''pure and simple in
the strictest and narrowest sense of
the word, but the Taft Vale decision
woke them up. They realized that
they must be crushed or go into
politics, just as many of our people
are beginning to realize the same
thing. The "Laborites" now have
| tifty-fiye members in parliament,
thirty-one of them socialists. Though
they are still in the minority, yet the
result of their activity is remarkable.
Not only has the Taft Vale decision
been reversed, but many socialist
measures have been passed. An old
age pension law went into effect the
| first of the year. A measure to pro-
vide meals for needy school children
has been passed. "Would that we
had enough social democrats in con-
gress or legislature to give some re-
lief to the starving school children in
New York, Chicago or even Milwau-
| kee."
The Employers Liability Act was
another measure forced through
parliament by the socialists. This
act provides that every enlploye in
jured in the service of his employer
shall receive compensation, and if the
injury be permanent he shall receive
a pension for life. She contrasted
this act With recent decision of a
Milwaukee judge who took case out
OF the hands OF a jury and decided it
himself, adversely to man who had
sued to recover damages for injuries
received in falling from scaffolding
improperly erected by his foreman.
The people of Wisconsin are begin
ming to elect social democrats to the
legislature. Most of their measures
are turned down, but bob up at the
next session and will be introduced at
each session until the socialists have
increased in number sufficient to
force them through.
The socialist revolution will bring
with it moral revolution. The old
parties admit that the clean CAM
paigns conducted by the socialists in
Milwaukee have given to other
parties model worthy of imitation.
The former chairman of the republi-
can county committee testified be-
fore the senatorial investigating COM
mittee that money was of no use in
elections in social democratic wards
money had no influence on social
democrats.
The social democrats of Germany
number 3,250,O00 votes enough to
have elected any of our presidents
down to Grants. second term. In
Austria every third voter is a social
democrat. In all the various national
bodies of the world there are 500 social
democratic members.
The social democrats the world over
number 1O, 900, 600 voters. Should they
pass you at the rate of one a minute
in single file, never stopping to sleep
or eat, it would take nearly two years
for all to pass.
This political organization Of work
ers of the world workers with hand
and brain-is the greatest political
movement of this or any other age.
1t has the vastest and grandest pro-
gram of any political organization. 1t
is the first to claim for any man and
woman the full product of their labor.
1t aims at economic equality and the
abolition of class rule. 1t is charged
with stirring up class strife, but it
would in truth put an end to class
strife, the strife between the owning
class and the working class, by placing
all men in one class, which would be
at the same time the class of workers
and of the collective owners of the
world. Thus it would be all equals
and all brothers. Therefore it is des-
tined to become the worlds greatest
peacemaker.
Miss Thomas has the distinction of
being the first woman who ever ap-
peared in Wausau to speak for polit
ical party. She has travelled extensive
ly in foreign countries principally for
the object of studying conditions of
the working class and of the work Of
her own party where its influence has
been potent. She is careful student
of social problems and is therefore in
position to speak for her party in q
forceful way.