Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-18
Los ANGELESNEXT,
BERGER PREDICTS
First Socialist Congressman Says
This City Will Name Mayor
from His Party
HIS VICTORY DUE TO SPLIT
Republican Fight Not Strength of
Socialism, Caused Election
of Milwaukee Man

MILWAUKEE,, Wis, Nov. 17.-Vic-
tor l.. Berger, elected to congress from
Milwaukee, is the recognized leader
of American Socialism, owing to the
fact that 1t was Berger who presided
at the birth of the Socialist party in
Milwaukee, nursed the party infant
through childhood until the party came
to mans estate with the election of &
Social-Democratic mayor and city ad-
ministration in Milwaukee. He de-
clares that Los Angeles will be the
next city to name a socialist mayor.
Until his election to congress, Berger
had never held any office higher than
alderman, but Bergers manfer of
pushing his party to the front did not
fail to take into consideration the fact
that he was the one Socialist who
could break the. Larriers that hitherto
have kept Socialists out of congress.
When he engineered his party to VIC
tory in the spring municipal campaign,
he was a candidate for alderman-at-
large, only, and another man, less
known, much less able, Berger's infer
ior in every way, was named as may
or. 1t now appears that that was part
of plan to make Berger the candi-
date for congress in the fall, and now
victory has crowned this pretty piece
of political foresight.
The election will be taken as evil
dence to the outside world that Mil
waukee Is solidly Socialistic. This is
not true. The Socialists have not even
a near majority in the city, but it
was Republican discord which elected
Berger this fall, as the same factional
split in the Republican party elected
Emil Seidel mayor in the spring. In
the voting this fall, the Socialists
polled less than 10000 votes in Mil
waukee city. The Republicans polled
10000, and the Democrats over $4,000;
but in the face of this the Socialist
vote is really less than 5000. The bal
ance of the Socialist strength is COM
posed of disaffected Republicans, and
those who are gradually being won to
support Socialism, through the refusal
of the old parties to conform to the
times.
REPUBLICAN PARTY SPLIT
The case Of Berger was due strictly
to party discord. Congressman w. H.
Stafford has been fought repeatedly by
the LaFollette Republicans, with H.
F. Cochems, former Harvard and Wis
consin university football star and
strong man. Cochems has made three
bitter campaigns against Stafford, and
the last time he was successful. These
campaigns, however, had so arrayed
the two Republican factions against
each other that there was no chance
of Stafford Republican voting for
Cochems. The Cochems Republicans in
the last campaign almost elected a
Democrat. This year the time was
ripe for Berger to enter the field, and
his strength in the Socialist wards
made him a rallying point for the Re-
publicans who said they might as
well vote for Berger. brafny Social
Democrat, against whom they had no
personal grievance, as to vote for
Cochems, a Social Republican, as the
old liners call the LaFollette men
in Wisconsin, against whom they had
a bitter personal enmity. In Mill
waukee county, there was no question
that the anti-Cochems Republicans
voted for Berger. In Waukesha county
the nti-Cochems Republicans almost
elected Cochems by refusing to fall
into line for the Socialist sand casting
their votes for the Democrat, who had
no chance of victory. The result was
that Berger was named by the narrow
margin of 50 votes, and now both Re-
publican factions can sit outside the
gates and wait for chance to unite
on some Republican who can hold the
strength of both factions.
The indications are that this time
will never come. The LaFollette Re-
publicans have copied the Socialist
platform in Wisconsin to such an ex-
tent that they can not hold the old
line men, and the Democrats are so
weak as to be gradually becoming the
weaker of the minority parties. The
Socialists predict that two years hence
the fight will be between the Social
lists and the republicans, with the
Democrats in a hopeless minority, un-
able even to hold the balance of power
now held by the Socialists.