The Detroit times., 1910-07-12
By DOROTHY DALE.

SNGEs
MILWAUKEE,, July l2.-Certainly
III it's the people OF one mind that
make a strong state the officials OF
the city OF Milwaukee ought to make
strong city governing body. Every
elective Office is filled by Socialist.
The difference between the re-
former and the Socialist is that the
reformer Is coming, while the Socialist
has arrived" said City Clerk Carl d.
Thompson. BY that he didn't mean
the fact that he and his friends are
in office, but that they are confident
that by some route they have reached
the solution OF the trouble with So
ciety that makes every thinking per-
son stop now and then to wonder
what it's all for and IL it's quite
worth while. They define socialism
as the common ownership Of public
utilities and natural resources
through the instrumentality Of dem
ocratic state.
F, Mayor SeideIs route lay in Ger
many. Ii was a time OF no suppers,
and night school every night in the
week. Ii was a time when young,
eager minds asked and asked and
got only the command TO be silent
or leave, a command that only ag-
gravated student mind to pour more
deeply If more secretly over the
questions that burned inside.
Young Seidel was quiet. Most OF
the time when he wasn't working he
was leaning with his near-sighted
eyes close to some book. No one
knew what he thought.
Then came the voice of students
raised against the oppression OF the
mighty Bismarck. A friend of Seidels,
a rasher lad, was threatened. Seidel
helped spirit him away to safety in
a wardrobe and found out what he
thought himself
Begins Work When 10.
The Socialist mayor was born In
this country, however, in Schuylkill
county Pennsylvania. His parents
were Prussian. They moved to Mil
waukee when he was years old.
He went to work in a broom factory
when he was 10.
Later he was employed in spice
and coffee factory.
There ! found what people get to
eat" he said. i've seen peas not fit
10 eat for peas ground up TO make
coffee"
After leaving the coffee factory he
learned the wood carving trade; that
was the beginning of the pattern
making business he now owns. AT Il
he was secretary of the wood carvers'
union.
Il was after an illness that he de-
termined to 20 TO Germany to study.
He hadn't enough money to be merely
q student. so he worked to pay his
way except for the suppers he went
without to give more time for his
books.
After he returned to this country
he kept on audying social conditions.
Sometimes they came very near
home.
Our first child was boy" he said.
I'VE thought the world of him. But
he died We learned too late 1t was
from overlooking. Who was to
blame?"
And perhaps it's the memory OF
that that gets into his voice when he
sneaks OF things like the lack OF
proper conveniences at the isolation
hospitals where little children have
TO go TO be sick away from home.
"The last administration turned over
$4,000 from the hospital fund.-" he
said. while there are not screens on
many OF the windows. | call that the
kind of saving that would keep par
ent from buying Ice for fever-strick-
en- child"
Mayor Seidel Is a man who impress
es neither by stature nor feature. It's
the manner, the earnestness OF the
near-sighted eyes and the gentleness
OF manner and willingness to listen
that impress.
CITY Clerk Carl d, Thompson is q
Congregationalist minister in Mil
waukee.
"The members Of my congregation
we're working people" he said. Il
saw how big the struggle was for just
the necessities and not always enough
Of that.
but the thing that set me most to
thinking was the experience OF boy
who sang tenor in my choir
~He lost his position through Ill
ness. Later he was again out OF work
because his shop shut down.
well everybody said work was
easy to find II anybody wanted It..
60 / went out to make good. l search
cd for him and others In my congrega-
ton. | wore out shoes and found
nothing.
"The boy finally went to work in
mines in New Mexico. He lost al
arm in the machinery, came home dis
couraRed and committed suicide. |
hogan to decide something was wrong
and TO look for the answer"
Served In Legislature.
Rev. Mr.. Thompson has served In
the state legislature and has lectured
with the Century Lyceum bureau 10
years.
Daniel Hcan, city attorney, founded
the Socialist club at the University OF
wisconsin. when a student there,
which has grown constantly In
strength. He says his father was a
Socialist in the days when 1t wasn't
fashionable, but they made me pres
ident OF my senior class even II |
was a Socialist" he said. He has
practiced in both Chicago and Nil.
waukee.
Carl p. Dietz. city comptroller, is
- r,fptofar Ha UnG fngtfCo