The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-04
Suffragist and Socialist Be-
fore Large Audience of
Men and Women Gave Ad-
dress on Politics.
ETHINKING IN STATE
is NOW A LOST ART
land She Stated the Ameri-
can People Have Sold their
Birthright for Moving Pic
ture Shows.
6Y ESTHER GRIFFIN White.

BY ESTHER griffin WHITE.
"Thinking in the state of Indiana is
q lost art
SO said Miss Florence Wattles, So
cialist in an address in the Pythian
Temple last evening before a large au
'dience of both men and women, under
the auspices Of the local representa-
tives of the Socialist party Of America.
An address, be it said, pointed with
wit. epigram. sardonic humor, clear
statement, persuasive argument and
array of incontestable fact.
Miss Wattles. IL young woman Of en-.
gaging personality and the possessor
OF oratorical gifts of pronounced or
der, devoted the first part Of her ad-
dress to the exploitation of the more
familiar tenets Of Socialism-the gov
ernmental control of the means Of
production and distribution and to
the gentle skinning of the two dOmi
nant political parties, both Republi-
cans and Democrats being treated
with entire impartiality In the process
and their flayed and quivering carcass
es flung into the hole of oblivion
where they will. in time. be buried so
deep nothing can rescue them, she be-
lieves.
Was Not VitrioIic.
Interest in the speakers presenta-
tion Of her subject. however. lay In the
absence OF that endeavOr to work on
the emotions of her audience by a
-, - ;,>
the social order which is often the only
stock in trade Of her confreres on the
platform and which has. at times. SER
we'd to ALLEVIATE, rather than to inspire,
sympathy with the Socialistic propa-
ganda among those whose knowledge
OF it's purposes may have been vague
or distorted or among others who wish
ed to be convinced of it's practicability
as working quantity"
Miss Wattles. in the statement quot
ed at the head of the column, made
1T clear that thinking was as conspic
uous by it's absence among the social
ed working classes" as among those
supposedly higher up in the social
scale. That they wended their way un-
;thinkngly to the poles and cast their
ballots with as little idea as to wheth-
or or not the act of doing so had any
effect on their individual fortunes as
they had Of the competent parts of an
saeroplane.
Average Man Blind.
THE average man does not see that
the political game has anything to do
with himself" said the speaker.
According to the speaker. business
men are playing the political game and
stated that their representatives con-
,trollcd every alleged representative
body from city councils to the national
congress. listing over the members OF
one of the recent Indiana legislatures
which included two editors. one drug
gist. ane real estate man, Ave mer-
chants. four farmers. five manufacture
'ers and twenty-seven lawyers among
4others
Every class was represented except
the people and they were splendidly
lmisrepresented." stated Miss Wattles
to great applause.
sIaps at Democrats.
,said to be the workingman's party"
continued the speaker THE Democrat
tic party Is not the party of the work.
i1ng.class and never has been. 1t is the
business mems party. The business
!men put 1t into power in this state
and 1t was perfectly legitimate for
them to ask and expect its protection.
And II they do not receive 1t they are
lin position to protest. There is said
TO be honor even among thieves"
The writer further averred that
StateSenator Stephen s. Fleming was
1.-THE most powerful man in Indiana 20
tlitical life today. That he furthered the
passage OF the Proctor law for the
purpose Of creating liquor trust in
this state which could be used as a
powerful political asset
In a recital OF the Mcnamara So
called "kid-napping" case. the speaker
said that Governor Marshall. Judge
Collins and poor old Mayor Shank"
should not be blamed. for they were
! under obligations to those interests
represented by the Steel Trust which
had, directly or indirectly. put them
i1nto position.
She 6lanes Workmen.
1T is the working people of this
state who are to blame" said Miss
Wattles, because they do not under.
stand that the game Of politics means
something to them. II we expect to get
anything better in politics than we
now have, we will have to form a par
ty of our own"
It was this attitude Of lack Of per.
ception Of the fact that to combat the
forces rampant in political life the
working classes must organize that
(Continued on Page Six)