The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-15
k,led ,slIslaos wl0neId 0leas
fContinued from LIST pagel

other in proclaiming their "sympa-
thy" and friendship" for the people.
But behind each of these parties, con
trolling and directing its movements.
stands the sinister beast, Plutocra-
cy. The same interests which de-
spoil the people dominate the two
old political parties. All political
parties express economic interests.
The Republican and Democratic
parties represent the interests OF the
capitalist class. Their differences
are concerned only with the division
of the plumber. The Socialist Party
alone frankly and fearlessly repre-
sents the economic interests of the
working class, and confesses as its
aim the abolition of the entire sys-
tenn of plumber and exploitation.
We direct attention to the fact
that for the supreme issue of our
time, the conflict of interests be-
tween the people and a despotic piut-
ocracy, the Socialist Party is the on
ly party which offers a constructive
program. The other parties, and the
warning factions of so-called Re
formers" and "Standpatters," have
only destructive programs to offer
the electorate They call upon the
working people to check or destroy
industrial combinations. Their most
radical proposal is to imprison the
organizers and directors of the great
Trusts.
The Socialist Party, on the other
hand sees in these great industrial
combinations the inevitable evolu-
ton of industry away from the
wasteful competitive methods of the
past. 1t sees that to go back to com
petition is an lmpossibllity. RELIEF
cannot come to the people through
retrogression. To attempt to check
and destroy the new methods OF in
dustrial organization. and to restore
competition, would be as foolish and
vain as the attempt made hundreds
of years ago to prevent the use and
development of machine production
and TO perpetuate the slow and inef
fective methods of hand manufac
ture. The Socialist Party urges the
ownership and control OF industry by
the people as the logical and neces-
sary step to be taken. This is the
only proposal before the American
people for dealing with this problem
which is not purely destructive in its
character
We recognize that the Socialist
ideal will not be attained by single
step. Therefore we pledge ourselves
not merely to work for the collective
ownership of the means OF production
and exchange so that the workers
may be freed from exploitation. but
for the immediate betterment of the
living conditions OF the working peo
Pile to the end that they may be
strengthened and better equipped for
the struggle to overthrow capitalist
plutocracy.
We endorse the program of econo
mic and political reforms contained
in the National Platform and pledge
ourselves and our elected representa-
tives to work for their enactment.
We believe that the time has come
for Vermont to take her place among
the progressive commonwealth of
the Union by extending the franchise
to women upon equal terms with
men, and by establishing the Inltia-
tive, Referendum and Recall as in
struments of popular sovereignty.
We demand the abolition of that
relic of medievalism, the poll tax.
We demand that the employment
of children under sixteen years of
age in factories, workshops, mines,
quarries and mercantile establish
ments be prohibited.
We demand that the employment
of women, and of young persons of
both sexes below the age of eighteen
years, in factories, workshops. mines,
quarries and mercantile establish
ments between the hours of D. m.
and a. m. be prohibited.
We demand legislation making
eight hours the maximum working
day for. all workers employed in fac
tories, workshops mines, quarries
and mercantile establishments, and
for all State and Municipal EN-
ployees
We demand that our existing laws
relating to the liability of employers
for industrial accidents, and for com
pensation to injured employees, be
replaced by comprehensive system
OF State Insurance which will insure
all workers, no matter how employed,
against all accidents, sickness and
unemployment We denounce as
barbaric the act Of the Legislature
in excluding domestic servants and
workers engaged in lumber logging
from the benefits OF the Act OF Jan
uary, 1911 amending the laws relat-
ing to employers liability and com
pensation to injured workmen.
| We demand a comprehensive and
democratic reform of our education
al system by (a) abolishing all fees
for tuition in connection with the
State University and the State Nor
NAL College; (b) improvement OF
our District Schools. by making the
studies in them uniform with the
studies in the Graded Schools as far
as possible. and by insisting upon the
same qualifications for teachers in
them as for those employed in the
Graded Schools; (c) the establish
ment of free County Agricultural
Schools in connection with the State
Agricultural College.
We demand that the State take all
possible measures TO provide work
for the ever increasing army OF un.
employed workers. Socially neces
sary work. such as the improvement
Of our roads, the adequate protection
of our forests and the reforestation
OF our denuded forest lands. should
be undertaken as extensively as the
resources OF the State permit with a
special view to absorbing the labor
that is seasonally or chronically
unemployei
We demand the legislation provid
ing that no city OF town in the State