The Washington herald., 1911-08-14
POLICE PREVENT
SOCIALIST FROM
GIVING ADDRESS
Outdoor Talk Given Later in
Typographical Temple.
WOMEN WANT FREELOVE
Marriage Contract Wrong, Says
Follower of Marx.
WOMEN WANT FREELOVE
Municipal Statute Clause Overlook
ed by Mnnagers-South African
Workers Receive High Wages.
'sFree Love- Not n Part of So
cialasm-SuffraEett Want u
Change in Present System.

Police prevented Archibald Crawford,
Socialist, editor of the Voice of Labor,
thrice municipal councillor of Johannes
burg, South Africa, and an unsuccessful
candidate for a seat in Parliament, from
addressing the members of the Social
lists at their picnic yesterday afternoon
in the woods near 800 Bryant street
northeast, where many had gathered to
hear tidings brought by a comrade and
brother from far across the sea-
OVERLOOK MUNICIPAL STATUTE
! About the hour advertised for the
opening of the address, a police officer
appeared and interpreted a clause of
municipal law that the promoters Of the
picnic had overlooked and informed them
that, as they had not secured the con-
sent of the residents within a radius of
1000 feet from the speakers platform,
| no street speaking could be allowed.
Despite their great disappointment, the
directors of the picnic obeyed the man
date Of the law and the address was
Temple.
This experience, coming right On top
of Mr.. Crawfords arrest for street
speaking in Philadelphia last week, with
night spent in Jail in that city, seemed
to amuse rather than to disconcert him,
and he laughed heartily when some of
the local sympathizers expressed fear
that he would get an unfavorable i'm
preston of American liberty"
The part of the message that pleased
Mr.. Crawford's hearers most was the
statement that skilled workmen, such as
carpenters and machinists, in Johannes
burg get an average of s. a day for
their work. and that the cost of Lying
there is about the same as here. This
seemed to be good news to his hearers,
who applauded the statement heartily.
Criticism Not Warranted.
Mr.. Crawford is a follower of Marx
and does not see how he can be any
thing else Talking on the free love"
phase of socialism, for which his CON-
rades are most severely criticised. he
said that free love is no part Of social
ism or of Marxianism.
Free love-" said Mr.. Crawford, be
longs rather to the suffragette party
than to the Socialist Advocates of votes
for women are made up of discontented
wives disappointed lovers, or those wo-
men who learn of the woes of their
married friends; and the desire to vote
is the first step toward righting the
wrong condition of which, to them, the
unfair marriage contract of modern days
is the worst.
They maintain that the marriage con-
tract of to-day is a one-sided affair, in
that 1t binds only one party to the con-
tract, while the other party, the man,
is free to do what he will not allow
his partner to do. Woman suffragists
are the strongest insistents upon the
same code of morals for the man as
for the woman. Through ages of Gus
tom man has become polygamous in his
desires, and by ages of habit and re-
striction women has been made monog-
amous.
But the term free love makes me
laugh. You. might just as well talk of
free liberty. Love, like liberty, is al
ways free. You cannot bind it, nor buy
it, nor sell 1t, nor thwart it. Marriage
contracts of to-day are not, in too many
cases. the result of love, but of the busi-
ness Of getting a good home and a good
social position for life. Doubtless, in
time there will come modification of
the marriage contract, but no one knows
in what form, and no true Socialist die
tates one"
Advocates Public Ownership.
Mr.. Crawford does not oppose or de-
nounce capitalism or the trust system.
He goes all the way with them, until 1t
comes to a question of ownership. There
he leaves them. Public or national own
ership is what he advocates.
81 am no trust buster,'' he said. Con
soHdation of the industrial forces Is a
good thing, and is a step toward the
solution of the economic difficulties which
We are all striving to bring about,
Johannesburg, Mr.. Crawford says, has
the best and most perfect system of
municipal ownership in the world. There
the state owns railroads, telegraph and
telephone lines, diamond mines, car lines,
houses, and other institutions, that are
managed most successfully by the state.
Il have to laugh when I am asked
Who is going to do the dirty work in
your syster of socialism, and How are
you going to punish the loafers?' and
a thousand questions of that nature.
Then / have to sit down and tell the
questioner, what every Socialist knows,
that socialism is not a. plan, but
growth, and that am very sorry that
the growth has not reached such a stage
that these things can be provided for.
Some of my own party do not like
my criticisms Of some things that are
done and said in the name. of socialism.
do not like the opportunist. who looks
upon his party as only a means of Sc
curing political power and position.
denounce that a nothing but graft and
have no sympathy with its practice.
said something along this line out In
San Francisco, and some thought II
would not be well for me to say them In
public. so / did not make any addresses
there"
General regret was expressed that Rep
resentative Victor L. Berger was not
on hand to take part in the meetings.
He is In Milwaukee