Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-05


the gospels they preached. Burning with
the faith that was in them, enduring disbe
lief and ridicule, they have gone down to
their graves unwept, unhonored, and un-
elected.
Not so with Victor L. Berger, who wears
a mustache, edits two newspapers, and con-
siders Eugene V. Debs great man.
Mr.. Berger has been elected to the next
House of Representatives from the Fifth
Wisconsin district, which embraces part of
Milwaukee city and county and all of
Waukesha County. In order to get his
election, he had to beat the Republican can
didate, Henry F. Cochems. who broke the
collegiate strength record when he was a
student at Harvard. Cochems was strong;
but Berger was stronger.
Thus one of the greatest prophets of So
cialisrn in this country or in the world came
into his reward When he is sworn in as
member of the new Congress next Decem-
Der, he will take his seat as the first Social
list ever elected to the national lawmaking
body. He will be the one-man minority, and
will play lone hand.
The great distinguishing characteristic of
this man who in a way, marks an epoch IN
the history of the United States, is his faith.
He is alive with it. If you want to argue
that Socialism is rank folly, do not make the
mistake of talking to Berger Out of his
faith there have blossomed three gifts,
genius as an organizer, his magnetism as
talker, and his responsiveness as writer.
He knows all the arguments ever made in
behalf of Socialism, and he has schooled
himself to answer all the cries against it.
He is as full of figures as an arithmetic, and
as packed with figures of speech as a rhet
ORC.
OF average height, he is heavily built, with
exceptionally broad shoulders When he
argues on Socialism, he loses the air of the
writer and student, and becomes pulsing,
thrilling organ He looks at his hearer over
his spectacles, and, pointing his right fore
finger much as a cowboy aims his gun, pours
out stream of language that seems irresls-
tible He knows the history of his creed
from A to Z, and some of its annals he has
made.
Last April he was elected Alderman at
Large of Milwaukee, and his enemies refer
to him with the phrase, "The Boss In
1896 he was delegate to the Peoples Party
convention in St. Louis, and it was then
that he worked hard to create sentiment in
favor of his friend and coworker Debs. He
is a member of the national executive board
of the Socialist Democratic Party of Amer
lea, and holds office in the international
organization of Socialism.
But it is as a writer that he has made his
fame and established himself as leader of
his people. Since 1892 he has been editor of
printed in German, and now he is also an
editor of "The Social Democratic Her
ald." Both papers have large circulation
in Milwaukee and the adjoining country,
and both have gained strength because of
his telling argument and trenchant phrasing.
Berger has risen to the top by sheer force
of character. He was born in Austria Hun
gary in 1860 and educated in Budapest and
Vienna. But, when financial reverses
struck his family, they all came to America.
Victor made his way to Milwaukee, and for
a time worked as an artisan in various
trades. Later he became teacher in the
public schools, and after that went into the
newspaper business.
His wife, who was Meta Schlichting, is
now a member of the School Board of Mil
waukee and valuable ally of the Social
lists.
Berger is jolly enough when he is not en-
gagged with the problems of the gospel he
breaches He can tell a good story, and his
round face lights up with JOY when he hears
a good one.
But at work he is whrlwind. In his
campaign for Congress against Cochems he
left no stone unturned to win. He wrote
editorials made campaign speeches. and