The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-09-08
KEEY YOUR EYE ON
THE SOCIALISTS.

Several nights a week there is q
crowd at the old elm tree, corner Of
Bank and Grand streets. In the CEN
ter of the ring is a man on a turned
up box, preaching socialism. Stop and
listen to him. There are different
speakers from time to time. They are
not always logical. Their arguments
are often easily refuted. But they
draw a good sized crowd and the
crowd listens for the most part at
tentively. After the lecture, there is
an opportunity to buy for few cents
socialistic tracts and pamphlets and
there are generally a few purchasers.
The socialists are doing this sort
of thing all over the country. They
are beginning to make an impression
and sooner or later they are going to
accomplish something big. At pres
ent, they are not numerous but they
are important, for their missionary
zeal is tremendous. They command
volunteer speakers for their meetings
and unpaid statesmen for their litera
ture. Their organization is not ex-
actly strong, but it is becoming ma
tional in scope, and the units are
working all the time. Other political
faiths are perfunctorily preached at
campaign times by professional poll
ticians and hired spellbinders. The
socialists enlist for the war and keep
up the fight all the year round, not
only in their meetings but on the
street and in the workshops. A GER
tain proportion of those who at first
sheer or listen idly presently become
converts. The socialists are making
the average man think.
We can think of a hundred reasons
why the socialist program in it's en-
1Hrety will not work, but we can't
think of single reason why ma
jority of the voters of the United
States will continue to refuse to try
it out if this thing keeps up. The in
difference of the old parties and the
lukewarm fea1ty which they receive
and perhaps deserve cannot resist
such attacks forever. 1t. does not
necessarily follow that there will ever
United States or even in any state.
The Single Takers made no political
history and their propaganda has all
but disappeared. But nevertheless
Henry George impressed his ideas as
to taxation so forcibly upon the mind
of his generation that they are now
generally accepted and are in many
places being put into practise. There
seems to be little doubt that the end
of this century will show that he in
economic thought more
deeply than any man Of his time.
In Germany the socialists have
never controlled the Reichstag but
they control Germany. BY successive
concessions, the rulers of the empire
have put into effect a good part of
the socialist program. The progress
in the last fewsyears towards man
hood suffrage and the system of state
insurance show what is happening in
Germany. Even in autocratic Prussia,
ownership is common to an
extent which is almost undreamed of
here. The English socialists are few,
but see what has happened in Eng
land since Victoria died.
1t will pay to watch the socialists.
They are trying honestly, though in
part mistakenly, to make men think,
and that means that something is go
ing to happen. 1t won't be exactly
what the socialists expect, but in all
probability it will be less of a sur
prise to them than to the rest of US.
Waterbury Republican.