Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-11-12
Waldo. Ore. Nov. Z, 1909.

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Editor Courier.
Dear Sir: We say to the Oregon
Observer II socialism deserves call
down go ahead and strike II with
all his might but don't misrepresent
It. and don't pretend to explain So
cialism to the people by quoting
some ignorant, fanatical speaker
that does not know what he is talk
ing about. Socialism does not mean
the taking away Of homes, nor the
confiscation of lands; neither does
II mean that workman shall divide
his last fifty cents with a hummer"
True socialism means to give man
what his labor produces. Under the
present system in the United States
the masses of the people are becom-
ing more and more separated from
the products of their labor and from
their lands. One instance for ex-
ample In many: Forty-two British
dukes own 21,500,000 acres OF land
in the United States, or as much
land as there Is In five average
states. And these dukes live abroad.
William Jennings Bryan said in his
Seattle speech that the present
monopoly of the natural resources
of the country was question of
burning Importance to the people, "
II seems that the laws are in favor
of the rich. President Taft said In
his recent Chicago speech "That he
was sorry to say that there was no
country in the world where a poor
man had less show than in the courts
of the United States. That the law
was a multiplication of techncalities
to delay justice and that delay was In
favor OF the man with the longest
purse" Daniel Webster said 75|
years ago: THAT nothing was more
dangerous to liberal form of
government that the accumulation
of great wealth In the hands of
few, thereby rendering the masses
of the people poor and dependent.
This which Webster says Is precisely
the state of affairs In the United
States at the present time. We fur
thermore say to the Oregon Observer
that socialism does not mean an
archy. There is n wide gulf between
the two. Anarchy means no govern
ment. All would be chaos and con-
fusion. Socialism means the oppo-
Site 1t means to have the govern
ment run things as the agent OF the
people. We can take the Bible as
our ground and defend true social
ism Christ forbids the extremes OF
poverty or riches. The Bible says
that a man shall make his living
from the earth. Which means that
he shall have what his labor pro-
duces from the earth. AT the pres
ent rate that things are going, the
masses OF the American people will
have none of the earth to make a
living from. We do not agree with
the Observer when he says that
none but the scum OF society are So
cialsts. Socialism numbers among
its adherents several OF the ablest
and cleverest men and women In
the United States. The Germans,
taken as n people, are the best edu-
Gated in Europe and there are 5,00O,-
600 socialists In Germany The
trade guilds In England number o.
100000 of members and lately L.
900, 900 of these declared themselves
socialists. Surely, the Observer
would not have us believe that all OF
those people are loafers and fools.
Judging from the signs OF the times,
there Is some remedy needed. Al
ready the iron heel OF the money
power In the government Is felt In
Josephine county, when men who
have developed the resources OF the
country and borne the burden OF
taxation for forty years are taxed to
Craze their cattle and horses on the
grazing lands Of the National forest.
Yours truly,
WILLIAM MACKAY.