The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1911-02-03
FRIDAY, February 8, 1911
SOCIALISM IN SEATTLE

or both means but the taking of another step in the
direction of installing Socialism form of govern
ment which is rapidly gaining ground all over the
United States just now. The growth of Socialism is
not due much to conversions to the doctrine dis
gusr on the part of the laboring people to the domn
ancy of the men with the money over the political af
fairs of the entire country. The harangues of the
street Socialist is very Objectionable to the average la
boring man and much more to the middle classes
but when they the great number of persons elect
ed to office who become the tools of corporations and
trusts they become disguised and vote for some rad
ical Socialist for change and if his administration is
anything like successful it is preached from
end of the world to the other and the disease thereby
spreads very rapidly.
It is the concensus of opinion among those who
have given the campain any thought whatever, that
the Socialist candidate for mayor in Seattle will get
the biggest vote next Tuesday that has been
corded in favor of any such candidate in the North
west There are different for that, but
more prominent than that the superintendent of the
lighting department of the city of Seattle has been
charged with trying to destroy the usefulness of the
municipal lighting plant in the interest of a private
concern He is man like other men and should have
the interest of his fellow at heart the if
he were working for dollar day. But as said above
he stands charged with this most henous oense and
and yet he is making defense of his actions and the
private in whose interest heis said to work.
ing though employed by the city, is doing all within
it's power to keep him in Office despite the protests of
thousands of the voters and taxpayers. Calmly view
ing the situation, those persons that do not in
cned to vote for Dilling and yet want to rebuke
official so recreant to the trust imposed in him by his
by his fellow men as they declare Gill has been, will
vote for Socialist
Then again, great many among the higher
UPS have eagerly watched the telephone fight in Seat
tie and they have been forced to stand idly by as
HELPLESS as new born babies and the telephone
topus of Seattle trampe it's consumers down like so
many slaves. The franchise given to the Pacific
States Telephone Company is so liberal to the
stockholders of that that it is criminal far
as the taxpayers concerned and under it's criminal
franchise at pleasure raise the rates of the tee
phone users until it is ridiculous that it is absurd
AS the number of the subscribers increase just
steadily do the rates increase until yovr office tele
phone is now costing $3.50 per month, when in fact
half that amount would be ample, on which to
make profit The stockholders of that company
have acquired the stock of the Independent Telephone
Company, and though it has fixed charge yet they
are hoping to get into the courts and get that set
aside so that the rates Of that company also be in
creased.
The voters and taxpayers have almost reached the
point that they would be perfectly willing to raise by
direct taxation sufficient amount of money to install
complete municipal telephone system in the city and
leave the other systems to battle it out between them
selves The installing of municipal lighting plant
forced the private lighting concerns to cut their light
ING rates in half and less and if the city plant
was run at an actual loss, it is still cheap to to the tax
payers.
If the city should put in telephone system it
would mean the rates would be cut in 4wan by the old
companies and not only cut in twain but of the
systems would be discontinued all of which would
mean saving of something like SO per month to
ery business man and good many dollars less than
paid each year for every home telephone Now great
MANY voters do not believe that either Mr.. Diing or
Mr. Gill will recommend any such move being made,
but on the other hand they do believe it is part
of the Socialist creed to undertake such a change
and lust to encourage them they will vote for the may
orally candidate of that party.
The laboring folk of Seattle pleased with some