Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-12
HERRIN AND SOCIALISM

A T A TIME when the country is
u beginning to get a grasp of the
"A great significance of the Social
ist movement and to recognize that it
is now a force in politics Of tremen-
dous potentiality, Mr.. William F. Her
rim of the Southern Pacific railroad
delivered himself of a lot of rubbish
to a Herald reporter on Thursday
which makes one wonder how a man
reputed to be so shrewd can be so
ignorant of what is going on in the
world. incidentally he took revenge
on Southern California with a vicious
slap. This is what he said:
Here in Southern California you
have a considerable population
which has nothing to do but think
in isms. It is natural, perhaps,
that you should regard Socialism
more seriously than it is regarded
in the northern part of the state.
In Wisconsin, now, l can realize
that Socialism is worth attention.
When they begin to elect men to
office then it is time to reckon
with them, but here in California
there seems little chance of that
The Socialist vote throughout the
state is not formidable.
1t seems necessary to tell Mr.. Herrin
what most less important readers of
this weeks newspapers already know.
And it may be interjected here that
one who has made as many Socialists
as he and his railroad have ought to be
better informed on the result of their
handiwork. The Socialists of Los
Angeles county polled on Tuesday
close to 10000 votes. In San Francisco
their strength was practically the
same, and in the state more than
10000.
Mr.. Herrin may not have noticed
that in the country last Tuesday the
Socialists cast about 100000 votes, as
against 325,OOO two years ago; that in
Los Angeles city they carried thirty
one precincts, and by so doing effect
ed the election of Mr.. Herrin's able
assistants, Mr.. Fredericks and Mr..
Hartwell; that in San Diego county
the Socialist candidate polled more
votes than the Democratic candidate
for congress and had nearly third
of all the votes cast.
Mr.. Herrin ought to have noticed
these things, for Socialists are largely
his progeny and Enthusiastically they
elected Hiram Johnson as governor
by drawing support from Bell. Mr.
Herrin ought as a public man to have
noticed that in New York city the
Socialists cast 2797O ballots and above
the Harlem over 2S 900, as against 1900
two years ago. He ought to have noticed
that Milwaukee county went Socialist
by 5000 and that in Wisconsin the
party elected it's first member of con-
gress and thirteen members Of the
state legislature.
It is also surprising that Mr.. Herrin
overlooked the fact that in Minneap-
oils Thomas Van Lear, Socialist, polled
Il, 900 votes for mayor and missed
election by a bare thousand, and that
in Pennsylvania the party elected its
first member of the Legislature. Per-
haps he does not know that Lynn and
important Massachusetts,
cities. have already had Socialist ad-
But with surprising
ignorance Mr.. Herrln says "when they
begin to elect men to office then it is
time to reckon with them"
We say Mr. Herrin's ignorance is
astounding and that 1t is important
he should keep better informed,
because it may be of the highest i'm
portance to corporations like his that
have been breeding Socialists faster
than any other agency. 1t is import
ant because if the Socialists keep on
gaining and get control of things they
are apt to lop off some fat salaries
qike Mr. Herrin's) that must come
out of consumers squeeze the water
out of railroad stocks and reduce pas
ienger and freight rates.
The best match for Mr.. Herrin as a
1ooh-pooher that we can recall at this
minute is James S. Sherman, who said
here was no insurgency in the west.