New-York tribune., 1910-06-01
SE|DEL'S AID IN TOWN
Berger Says Socialist Mayor
PIeases Milwaukee People.
NO ONE FEARS ANARCHY
Campaign Manager Declares
Gaynor Is Honest, but Is
in Muddy Pool.

Victor Berger who managed the vfctort-
Gus campaign of Emil Seidel, Milwaukee s
latest experiment In the line Of mayors. Is
in town Although the election was held
about six weeks ago Mr.. Berger IS still
flushed with the Socialist victory. He terms
il the concentrated effort of twenty-six
wears of hard work and tons of Socialist
literature.
But it is only an incident in the march
of socialism," said the man, who was
termed by a Milwaukee paper as a person
Of much misguided sincerity and misdi-
rected dynamic energy. bestrtding the
socialism of the town like a colossus
Milwaukee will have the best government
she has ever had. after forty years of mis-
government. but she will be only the first
of all great American cities TO be thus
governed. Of course we are gleeful that
We won. We were bitterly fought by ten
dailies and we had none with US. Instead,
we had a weekly, The Socialist Democratic
Herold, of which am the editor; a small
Polish paper, and one other paper. But
we made house TO house canvass with
our literature. and have done this for years
Thanks TO this continued the big Ger
man American there is not a man in
Milwaukee to-day who does not understand
the difference between socialism and an
archy. something which the ignorant. and
many times those who are called the in
teIigAnt do not know The Milwaukee
newspapers printed all sorts of things about
us. Here. look at this and he handed
over a publication which reeked with
threats of what the Socialists would do
in the way Of bloody revolutions" de
stroying the home" creating anarchy
etc.
Now, amt that all stuff" asked Mr..
Berger. Why. if you handed that to any
banker in Milwaukee to-day he would just
laugh. The Milwaukee Sentinel fought
US fairly, but bitterly. but The Milwaukee
Free Press went after US tooth and
Well. what do you think Of Mayor Gay
nor?'' asked a reporter.
Well. the difference between Emil Seidel
and Mayor Gaynor is just this" replied
Mr.. Berger. Both are we'll meaning men.
Mayor Gaynor is perhaps a better edu-
Gated man than Seidel, although the latter
is intelligent, but Seidel will succeed where
Caynor will fail: for Gaynor is in muddy
pool. and he cannot win with the New
York political methods.
The Republican party in New York IS
just rotten as Tammany. and IN two
years Gaynor will be the sickest man that
ever ruled a city. He is a good and honest
man, but he will fail SeideI looks at
things from the point of collective owner
ship. not from the individuaIst ownership
standpoint. That is the ultimate goal Of
sociaIism-coIlective ownership of means
of production, managed in a democratic
way
Certainly we aim at public ownership
of ali utilities" he said in answer TO a
question The water works are now
owned by the city, but the other things
are not. We are willing to pay for the
physical value of them, but not for the
franchises. No: the corruption in owner
ship of utilities was not as bad as IN other
cities There never was a time when
Hinky Dnk' and 'Bathhouse John would
have been tolerated in the Democratic
party in Milwaukee as they were in Chi
ca go"
Milwaukee is a thoroughly American
city" continued the new alderman-at-
large. and people knew what they were
voting for. The Socialist vote was rough
ly o. 600. the Democratic 20.d1O and the Re-
publican 11.O0O. Milwaukee is American.
as I say; English is the language, and the
citizens are Americans of two and three
generations. II is not like New York. II
is significant that as bitterly as socialism
is fought by the Catholic Church we
carried one ward composed entirely of
Catholic and Polish people. We thought
we were doing well when we began this
fight years ago and got 40 votes, but If
we held the recent election over again
know we would get from 5000 to 1900
more votes"
What do you think OF the Des Moines
plan?" he was asked.
Il don't like it. it isn't democratic" he
replied but there is one good thing in it.
ana that is the recall. We are going 10
have that in Milwaukee. At present the
Mayor and every one of the thirty-f1ve
aldermen are on their good behavior. but
we want the initiative and the referendum,
and we will get it when we ask the Legis-
lature, because each of the three parties
made home rule a platform plank We
will have a new charter soon"
Mr. Berger will be mere several days and
speak a Socialist meetings
rFTccroNApV DELEGATES SAT-,