The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-30
TELLS OF SOCIALISTS WORK
Deplores Lack of Unions in
Marion They Work
With Socialists.
Party Wants People To Own all In
dustries They Use In Common. own
Individually Those Things They
Use Individually.

. NldllSi puDlitdllpHf u'llN'i'" 'i'' nv"
and last lecture, Of the Socialist
| |, ceum course in the court room Of
the court house Monday evening be-
] fore fair-sized crowd. His sub
iect was Socialists at Work" and his
main theme was cooperation by the
collective ownership of the social
means OF production ana distribution
, His main contention was that with
out the ownership Of ine means OF sup
Iplying the primary needs or man there
' can be no guarantee to the individual
Of even life.
AS a speaker there is nothing ora
,torical about Mr., Kicker. He spoke In
plain direct language while ridiculing
! the capitalist and appealing to work
ing men Of the city in the interests
y cf the Socialist party politically and
industrially.
The speaker began his talk with an
lexplanation Of the workings of the
Socialist organization, the amount of
money it spends in propagatlng its
cause and the results which have been
obtained.
| He declared that this year $j00O,0O0
would be spent in the interests Of So
cnlism and that the money came from
10000 men.
That Socialism anG the unions go
hand in hand was Mr.. Ricker's opin-
ion, each helping the other, one in the
political field and the other in the in
dustrial field. He gave as an example
. city where wages mad been doubled
through the organization Of unions.
! Socialists, working without the assist.
ance of Unions were greatly handi-
capped he said. Where unions are
formed Socialism is bound to follow.
1t recognizes the unions as CO.
Operative association Of working men
or ganized to resist the increase OF
hours and the reduction or pay OF the
working class. The Industrial union
with its closer federation of the work.
ing class Is a Socialist conception, and
The Socialists everywhere are urging
tho craft unions to develope into
larger units and then into a fedora
tion Of all working men and women
In the industrial fields"
The speaker made reference to the
Socialist fight in Germany and how
the people Of this country particul-
arly the press interpreted the strug-
gle there An parties have different
views of it but Mr. Kicker stated
emphatlcally that Socialism was the
same the world over. He said that in
tcrnational conventions were held
biennially for the purpose Of adopt
ing uniform principles 81 have It
from good authority" he said, that
the president Of the new republic of
China is a Socialist. They believe in
the same principles over there that
We do here"
Mr. Kicker advanced the proposition
Of the machinery of distribution and
production. I'VE no longer produce
anything individually" he said. "Our
ancestors picked their living from the
trees. II they picked they got. II
they didn't they went without. There
was no private ownership of the earth
lat that time They were able to find
the means OF supplying themselves
with food and shelter and clothing.
Private ownership has removed the
earth from the free use of the in
,dividua and he is now dependent on
for his necessities of life. We have
co. operation production and distribu-
ton firmly established but we lack
co-operative or social ownership. The
! machinery Of production and distrl-
! button might as well he in a glass
cage as far as we are concerned"
THE owners OF the machinery, the
capitalist, gather the pronts and live
- luXuary and ease" he continued
"They hold dog and monkey parties.
! Their daughters are too good to marry
American men. Papa buys duke, a
count or worn-out lord and on the
night of the marriage presents the
couple with stocks ana bonds, the in
come of which is used by them as
:, spending money. That would be a
= good joke If It wasn't on you and me-
= Those stocks and bonds are mortgages
3 ON you and me and we pay for them
e by the sweat Of our brow, Do you
e like it?"
i Mr.. Kicker stated that the public
+ owned the postal department. the
y schools, the streets and highways ant
u under the same right should own the
= waterworks and ice plants, the rail-
: roads, the street car lines, the Output
= OF coal-in fact every thing that Il
!, used by the people collectively
= things used individually should belonl
10 the individual" he said.
= Under the present system, the speak
= e. declared that modern machincr,
. and its improvements was constant!
. driving men out of jobs and woul'
!, continue to do so until owned by tn
. people instead Of individuals. Th'
h more improvements when the Social
q lists are in power the better becaus
. the people will receive higher com
i pensation for less labor applied
"a mo relief can come to the work
y ing class in any country until the!
A have complete possession of the ma
/. ofinery of government whereby the!
Al may reconstruct economic relation
ii ships on the basis Of guaranteeing llf
ol and opportunity 20 every human be
{ ing"
IN cl0sIDgy the speaker reyiewe'