Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-11

then dashed the system which made
he Sums a possibility.
We are maintaining a system where
the cost OF living is gradually increas-
ing without a corresponding increase
in wages" said Nj Russell. Accord
ing 70 the census Of 1910 there are
31,OOO00O wage earners and if there
IS ar average Of one person depend
ing on each toiler, there are 62,000,O00
people depending on wages. With
the cost OF living continually or The
increase and without any adequate
raise in salaries. cannot you see where
the country is bound? We are drift
ing toward national bankruptcy and
suicide
LOWER THE STANDARD.
We are being forced 10 lower the
standard Of living. All of he prog
b ress the world mas ever made came
4 from the working class AL of the
/ inventions and new ideas have come
4 from the toilers. BY refusing TO prop
/ erly clothe and feed and house the
. y
/ ency Of the country will be? L is to-
/ ward national insanity. unless relief
/ comes soon in the shape OF socialism.
The master class says We are to
have more wars. Where do the sol
! diers come from? Do the gilded pal
/ aces Of wealth furnish them? No, they
/ come from the working class. Yearly
. lie q RI
thousands Of dollars for bait eships
and army and navy equipment to fight
some imaginary foe from outside. but
We face a greater enemy within the
boundaries Of our own country. 1t is
the system Of wage slavery.
FAKE REMEDIES.
I'VE socialists have finally made the
country see a few of the primary facts
about the evils Of our present system
They finally admit that something is
wrong, radically wrong. The master
class takes the matter up with the
old docs al Washington and all they
can prescribe for the ills OF the body
polite is the old dose Of tariff re
form"
The speaker then ridicuied tariff
Legislation in the strongest possible
terms, showing that il had been de
cided 10 take the tariff of OF -four
bread, meats and coal. none OF which
is imported 70 this country. He
held that this would not reduce the
cost of living
THE TRUSTS.
Trust busting was decried as fool
ish and Intellectual The speaker
showed that the trusts had thriveC
upon prosecution. that the value o.
their stocks and bonds had gradually
arisen under the policy Of the gov
eminent in attempting 10 break tht
monopolies and that larger dividends
than ever before had been paid, whilt
a long suffering public paid the bills
for the great expense Of prosecution
These trusts have abolished you
republic" dramatically shouted th'
speaker. There is a democracy hers
no longer. no emperor. no monarch
has ever held the power. not onl!
financial but political that they holC
b in this government. They not only con
troll the government. They are tht
government"
Mr. Russell said that al, sorts O
remedies for this condition were now
being suggested and that even a new
political party had been formed The
speaker gave George W. Perkins credi
for being the brains Of the new party
and said:
II. was he who trUtted out the bull
moose and said Look at his horns
!, The bull moose has become the en-
o. blem OF the progressive party. Wha
. poor student OF zoology Perkins is
= The emblem OF the third party 4
not a bull moose II is not an ami
/ ma, a. all 1t is fish, a red herring
. This the speaker explained by citing
the fox hunts in England, where, whel
rhe hounds get too near the game. RET
herriugs are drawn across their path
} way TO distract their attention.
, ROOSEVELT HIT.
] Il attended the bull moose conver
5 ton in Chicago. I sat there doing per
b ance for my past sins, not because
/ wanted TO be there. but because
! was reporting the gathering for
p socialist newspaper l heard Roost
p welt called a great man, a very grea
man. the greatest man who had eve