The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1911-03-04

ated we disclatm any responsibility for
Names q E6fToRp woRG Il held
now petitioning a change of charter:
Maiden, Cambridge, Marlborough.
Newburyport, Lawrence, Lowell, Chel-
I sea, Brockton, and Pittsfield, while
Lynn and Haverhill already have this
form.
Viewing society from the standpoint
| of the Socialist we can't consider this
question as an abstraction. We must
look at this question from the stand
point of the workers. Possibly
commission may act with more clerity
in given instance, but this great
cry for the doing away with party
| lines in municipal affairs Is but
| prelude to doing away with party
! lines in state and national affairs.
The issue must be clouded at all haz-
| ards. This leads one to analyze the
one finds diverse economic interests
| struggling for advantages; we find
| these struggles take on political
| character. hence different economic
interests try to further their inter-
! ests by forming political parties to
administer the state in their inter-
ests. Thus political party comes to
express definite ideals, ideals to be
struggled for and accomplished The
rising tide of proletarian revolt is
booming to be more and more political
| in its character. We find class
economically powerful, numerically
weak, seeking to change the admin
istrative forms so that the process of
wrestling political power from them
will become increasingly more diff
cult. How is this possible?
! Problem of the Politician.
| Well, let us answer. The graft
and corruption of our cities is pro-
verbal. The cause Of this graft is
no so evident. The politician is a.
boil, bad man. The causes of his
holiness and his badness are not,
however, discussed. Most people as
sumo off hand that this is due to
''original SIM the frailty of human
nature or some other vague reason.
| Now let us reason together. When
corruption Is most in evidence, when
the finger of suspicion is pointed at
some legislator or legislators, what
|
for consideration? Some bill or bills
are under discussion wherein some
public privilege is to be granted to
some private concern, which hopes
by this to coin money from the peo-
pies necessities. Then it Is that your
politicion hearkens unto the voice Of
business interests, whose weighty
arguments have climbing sound
Thus we see that private interests
! seeking to exploit public functions are
| the source of all our troubles.
! Now is it not adding insult to in
jury to allow them Chg business in
| terests) to get rid of the politician
| who must be bribed to betray the peo-
pies interest and allow a small COM
mission of irresponsible business men
to directly appropriate these privi-
leges and administer our municipal
lite in their interests.
This commission form of govern
| ment will spread until in the name
! of democracy and down with the pol
| ltlcian We shall have what semblance
of republican institutions we still re-
tain gone forever.
Stop! Think, worklngmen! If you
were Morgan & Co. and found that
by virtue of the concentration of in
dustry you found yourselves ever in
smaller minority and reasonably
sure that at a not far distant date
your right to the earth and the full
ness thereof would be seriously ques-
toned, what would you do?
Why, you would seek to maintain
your position of dominance, and if
the forms Of government had to be
| changed to allow this why quietly,
subtlely you would seek to do this
II there was an insistent cry for a.
| larger participation in government by
! the people you would seek to divert
| this sentiment into channels harm
less to yourself. You would use this
movement for democracy to cruelty
Democracy.
| Now workingmen, don't be fooled,
remember no question can be viewed
separate and apart from the condi-
| tons Of everyday life. If these gen.
tlemen of Big Business elect to play
| this desperate game, why make them
! take along with it such an allopathic
! dose of democracy that it will cease
! TO be attractive. Citizens Of Massa-
Nhusetts! Citizens of the United
states! Be on your guard, allow no
| change in the form of your political
state unless it carries with it such a
measure of popular rule in govern
ment that this very movement will