The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-05-05
THE SOCIALIST IN CONGRESS-
VICTOR BERGER TELLS WI At
NE HAS TRIED TO no.
Hes started to Get . New Constitution
and Mes Sure Wc'ii Have one In Ten
Years-AlsO He Wants to Know why
Troops Are Kept on Mexican Bordcr.

u StuUNfu W Nset y WV OUSNVuttVu
and Hes sure Wc'ii Have one In Ten
Years-AlsO He wants tO Know why
Troops Are Kept on Mexican border.
A mixed but enthusiastic crowd filed
Carnegie Hall last night when Victor
Berger. the first Socialist Congressman.
spoke under the auspices Of the Inter
collegiate Socialist Society.
Even the topmost balcony was filed
Seats there had been advert ised at IS
cents. but those who came at 1858 o'clock
found that they were going at 81 90.
Not all those who came could find
places. and the unfortunate ones in
sisted upon being addressed by Mr. Berger
in little overflow meeting at the steps
OF the hall Some of those who found
places in the lines Of boxes and in the
parquet we're Prof Vladmer Simkhovitch
OF Columbia, Rufus " Weeks. the Rev
Percy Sticknev Grant. Robert Hunter
Morris Hiilauit Miss Helen Phelps Stokes
Lillian Void. Ernest Poole. who writes
pieces for the magazines. Jessira g.
Finch. Jessie Ashley. Florence Kelley
Rose Pastor Stokes. Mary Il Sanford
Jessie W. HaughAn. II. p. Maupin. Dr
Edward +. Devinc Of the New York
School of Philanthropy. Prof. Henry
r. Seager Of Columbia and Miss Pauline
Goldmark
Tho minute MIR Berger came uron
the stage il was the sigr for a hurrah
which G. Phelps STOKES. who presided in
Asack coat, was entirely unable 10 uue,l
He had 70 get the Congressman TO bow
repeatedly before he could make the
fsw announcements with which he
prefaced the chief speech Of the evening
MIR Stokes SAID. among other things
that there wee 300 Socialists in the
parlamsnts Of the world, that there
were thousands in the town councils
Of this country. and that whereas social
ism was never mentioned in the curricula
OF the important universities in his day
it ia now being taught everywhere.
Il represent SOC. 900 votes in Congress. .
said Mr.. Berger You are my constitu-
ents as well as those people in Milwaukee
You send me altogether about three hun
dred letters a day. because I stand for
the labor class whether they voted for
me or not. I've been there Just four
weeks. and believe you have a right to
ask. What have YOU done? Laughter and
applause.
We'll. there wasn't any business on
the frs dav. On the second introduced
a resolution asking President Taft 70
withdraw the troops from Texas or to
tell why il should not be done. sus-
pected that some Of our citizens had about
a billion and a half reasons for their beng
there. That's what they had invested.
believe.
Now this nation came into existence
through a revolution. when some one
helped the insurrectos. and later In our
history in 1881, We should have resented
II if any one had interfered. Why are
we interfering in Mexico, Because il
is a weak country. When capital is
making 100 per cent. il ia brave enough
to do almost anything.
My second bill was joint House
resolution asking for constitutional
convention. This Constitution Wa have
was made for iis when Wa were a baby
nation And Wa still have TO wear that
, baby cloak Members Of Congress asked
, me il knew that n constitutional conven- :
fcn started the French Revolution
think that shows they have a pretty bad
conscience know the bill won't pass az
this session, but tell yon that within the
, neyt ten years YOU are gong to have a
new constitution. Wells from all over
the hall
My third bill came unexpectedly when
I woke M To find that two men had been
kidnapped from their homes To answer To
! a charge Of dynamiting. Now | am OPP
posed To III" trad" unions using dyna-
mite II they want something more
: powerful than the strike or the boycott
l.' them take the ballot However a
man is considered Innocent until he is
proved guilty IN every civilized nation.
. And they we're raiiroaded 10 Los Angeles
on the word of private detective agency
, which he'd u slU,ooo reward in view
How different that same State of Indiana
acted IN the case of eN-Gov Robert ray-
lor who had heen found guilty in his own
state and was fugitive from justice. and
vet was protected hy the authorities oi
. Indiana Lerause h. would not ge, d square
deal in Kentucky BIZ what is the Con-
stitution among friends
My four'i. resolution was 10 abolish
the Senate and put the referendum in its
| place. Influential men in Congress have
told me that If secret ballot were taken
on this it would be passed by a three.
10 quarters vote. If it's necessary to have
: a check for the lower house. why no,
1 let the whole Ieople act as that check:
4 My next biil ~ going TO he one 10 pen.
: | sion every man or woman 81 a week When
they have worked for twenty years oI
more in this country al less than 81 OOf
n a year, We lost 5oO.OO0 men in the foui
q years of the civil war. We are losing
, 100000 every year in the industries of thin
:, country. II is mole dangerous now
to be workingman than II was To go u
@ war"
That was about all that Mr.. Berger
o had to say except that the people In
: Washington seemed TO be getting used
u to his Milwaukee accent, and that he
Y hoped the rest of the country would too.
The banner Of the intercollegiate So.
g ciety hung over the middle Of the platform
/. and under it sat delegations from Barnard
= Harvard Columbia, Yale. New York
= University. College Of the City OF New
a York, Union Theological Seminary, the
General Theological Seminary and the
i Teachers College.