The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1912-10-18

suade your neighbor TO Join you in this
movement it will be too late to peace
ably take charge of this government.
That is why / am here this afternoon
trying to say something if 1 can that
will not only comfort the non socialists
but will stir you who wear the red
button to greater endeavors.
The Work Before Us.
Let us remember that there are some
thing like twenty-five million voters in
the United States today. We can count
safely upon a million class conscious
votes in the United States now, but we
need nearly ten million more. How does
it happen that there are a million social
ist voters in the United States today :?
You helped me make them and you
know. Formerly you were democrats
and republicans with few exceptions;
you came from the old parties and you
came because you opened your eyes to
this philosophy; because you read the
papers placed in your hands; because
you listened to the despised agitator on
the corner, the pioneer that carried on
this work in spite of the jeers and sneers
of the passing crowd. Now we are be-
ginning to reap some of the fruits of our
work, but we have a great deal of work
to do yet, haven't we, comrades?
The Breaking of the System.
Now then we get down to the present
time and we begin to understand why
the old party politicians are so uncertain
as to the outcome of this election. You
know that within twenty years have
the politicians been so undecided as to
who would be the next president. Wheu
Mckinley was nominated, backed by a
campaign fund of sixteen million dollars,
there was no question as to who would
be elected; and when he ran again with
campaign fund of eight million dollars,
backed by Mark Hanna, there was no
question in the minds of the politicians
as to who would be elected. 1t was only
the people who shouted for free silver
and Billy Bryan who thought something
would change. So when Roosevelt and
Taft were nominated; but there has been
something come over the people in these
four years, induced by the wide distribu
ton of socialist literature; and then
there is something else, and that is the
breaking down of the capitalist system.
The capitalist system contains within it
self the seeds of dissolution. When it
has played its part as feudalism played
its part we will step over into the prom
ised land. We can't retard the develop
ment of capitalism nor can we hold back
this socialist movement, but we can help
it. If we march shoulder to shoulder
with our comrades, forgetting our trivial
differences, RELOCATING our ambitions to
the rear, we can surely hasten the day
of working class emancipation.
Capitalist Dividing Up"
Now isten Let us go back to our
thirty billion dollars of wealth, the
product of fifteen million working mems
families. Along comes SNUG capitalist,
one of those fellows whose names is in
the Financial Red Book, and he divides
that wealth into two parts and he says
one part belongs to me and you may
have the other part and he is very care
full when he makes the division On
your side is contained all the cheap
calico and shoddy clothing and poor food,
that is your part for your work; and
on his side he has all the fine automo-
biles, private yachts, silks and satins,
the best food in the land. Do you know
that this system would 90 on without
any ending if it were possible for the
capitalist class to consume all their part
of the wealth? You consume yours just
like the horse does.
The Workers Get No Wealth.
Sometimes the question comes up, how
much of the wealth produced by the
working class does the working class
get? Some say Is per cent, some say
so per cent, and some say % per cent.
but / am here to tell you that the work
ing class gets no part of the wealth
which it creates Why the farmer does
not consider the oats and the corn that
ne gives to Dis horse as part of the
wealth produced 900 the farm. does het
Do YOU get thata no. Doe give. the horse
the oats I'm order 20 put him in condition