The evening world., 1911-05-04
BERGER EXPLAINS
WHY SOCIALISTS
AREN'T REF0RMERS
Patching Old Constitution No
Good, He Says, We Must
Build New Political House.
WOULD END SENATE.
Referendum Would Prove Suf-
ficient Check on Hasty Leg
islation by Representatives.

Representative Victor Berger. tire soil
tsry soclalistic iosarithm IN the Ameri-
can Congress. to-day told The Evening
World abou. the seed ne expects to sow
in politics TO the accomplishment Of the
twin ends OF building a new constitution
for the nation. n OF abolishing the
Senate. In the telling he gave 20
"m~uok-rakers the credit for cleaning
up the national Congress and found
time TO deplore the funkeyism Of New
York and the harshness OF speech that
bessts the conversation OF the East.
Mr.. Berger 10 no ordinary p~erson-that
should 90 without s~aying-and yet no 10
OF . type tha IL known to all men.
He Il Teutonic. one need only recall
the last cornerstone laying ut a Lu-
theran kirk and remember tho master
mason who did the Job. or bark back
10 the most recent assemblage OF spec
ialists In order TO pick the type of
energetic. courteous n effective citisen
whose personal appearance IL Identical
with that Of the member OF Congress
from Milwaukee
Mr.. Berger 10 above middle stature,
rotund and happy OF cou~ntsnance A
small Dhustache 10 his only hirsute
handic/p. from the standpoint Of the
reeent Congressional debate. Where
onc7a luxuriant forest OF black hair
crq<Fned his Illuminating frontispiece
Tyre Is now left only a sparsely dotted
/hdergrowth which may be parted with
towel and which reduces the high
'cost OF living almost to tho extent OF
the obviating Of, ~hsir-cuttinV. He talks
with a ready. w~ell-poised air and Ia
never at a loss TO express himself: and
he has the faculty that marked Ii Hung
Chang for his American interviews-he
asks as many questions as he
and digests the Information he gets in
return with care and elaboration.
Represents All Socialists.
NJ breakfast al the Manhattan Hotel
to-day Mr.. Berger spoke OF politics in
between grape fruit and eggs. And this
is a part of a long and interesting con-
Nersatlon:
1T has been so often said that I am
the whole Socialistic caucus In the Con-
gress that It 10 a joke. but I regard my
self as the representative OF more than
one district-in fact as the represent
at!ye Of the entire party In this country.
And have you thought OF what that
ineans7 When Babel came to his place
In Germany he represented q total OF
$4,000 Socialists. There are 500. 900 in the
United States n ! am theironly official
representative at the capital.
That we have no more representa-
finn In Ana On thA "a. 49,. -.
IL scattered so widely over the country.
, think that the delegation will he in
creased by two from Wisconsin, one
from California. one from Columbus, O.,
and At least one from New York. II the
east side Jews OF your city. who are
really oppressed. can't make up their
minds to send q representative TO Con.
gress. then God help them.
socialism Is made up. az q rule, Of
he second growth from immigration.
The nrst crop Joins the older parties.
IL v not true that our strength Is Ger
rnan-that comes from the idea that
Milwaukee 10 . German city. Out OF
100 leaders Of the movement in Milwau-
kss. ! only recall one other thar myself
who y . native German. We get all
W RCopics Siiioh8 huAh many IiSu.
They get In everywhere.
II nike the speech Ct the West he
said. somewhat on the side. 'and I fnd
that the purest English is spoken there.
The best English spoken in Congress
comes from the Middle Western repre-
sentatves. Here In the East the voices
are harsh-I suppase 1t Is climatic. Now
York 10 q city OF great riches and great
f,unkeyism.
To Build New Political House.
What can | do in Congress as the en-
tire Socialist party? ! can do a great
deal. I can plant the seeds that will
never die. and / am planting them,
Within ten years you will have a consti.
tutional convention to prepare a Consti-
tuition that will At our present and ~
ture conditions. When the present Con.
stitution was drawn We had no trust,
aud no corporations. Now they car
beat the Constitution. You n | can
beat II. What l am seeking 10 DO Ia tc
build q new political house-entlrel,
new.
OF Lords. II was copied By Hamilton
from the English system. Have 20,
stopped 10 think that the English ar
now trying TO abolish that house an,
TO limit II In its operations so that I
cannot act on a measure that carrie
an appropriation What important bl
does not carry me-?
The present House OF Represents
tives Is a better body than We nav
usually had. II u a fine n an homes
Legislature. II has been improved b
the m~uck-rakers, who have acted ak
"a hired girl who goes about the hous
and picks out the dirty spots and show
them to the mistress. They have dor
much TO purify things; but what
want 70 do 10 not 70 pick out the dirt
spots. ] want to build an entirely ne
house.
I'VE are not reformers. ] think m,
self that grafters are divided into "
classes-the grafters In Office and u
reformers who are out and desire
get In. That Is why we seek to bui
a new structure n not to reform.
u get every day hundreds OF letts
from al parts Of the country. NJ
moro than three per mt OF them con
from my district They chow Il