The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-03
WOMAN SOCIALIST LEcTURED.
Florence Wattles Addressed 800 Barre
People Last Evening.

Florence Natlfes ol iHulbHa spoke pc
fore 800 people in Rowland hall last
evening on "1'he Class Conflict the lee
ture being the third of a series of five
which the Barre Socialist local Is hold
ing on successive Wednesday evenings
during March and April. Taking up the
development of the Socialist theory
where ii was left by William Francis
Barnard, the poet lecturer, a week beore
Miss Wattles explained the fundamen'
tai struggle between the class that lives
by owning, by rent, interest and profit
and the class to which she referred as
owning nothing but its power labor
The complement which she described to
this power of laboring was the necessity
OF selling that power either in the form
of brain or Drawn.
The only woman speaker in the ,gceum
series held her audience in rapt al ention
for nearly two hours. Harry ! ,ng Of
the Barre local made PREDATORY remarks
and it was he who introduced the speak
er. Applause which greeted her appear
ance on the rostrum was continued at
| frequent intervals throughout the course
OF her remarks.
According to Miss Wattles' diagnosis
of the ills which affect society in its
present-day manifestation, the progress
of mankind has been all too slow. Com
ing as something OF a new phase in the
line of Socialist argument was her state
ment that the master class resoted not
only to political agencies in accomplish
ing their ends but also to moral power.
She contended that America to-day
nf - hIstn
and cited authorities outside the propa
ganda to support her statement. Her
description Of the evolution of American
democracy was the story of a creed, once
established by the fathers, which could
not now be recognized by any OF its old
and highly ideal forms.
Because it is America, all need not
necessarily be well,' she said. Certain
tendencies have developed, against which
democracy is powerless and our inditfer-
ence to these tendencies may plunge us
into a national tragedy. For there is
anarchy in our country; anarchy in the
high places and anarchy IN the low
places. Forty years ago there was
nothing of the class struggle in America.
What we know about class feeling has
asserted itself within the memory of lis-
ing man. But our system has degen-
Grated into creed OF get--all, grab-all
and scramble" our ideals have become
of the grab-bag variety and we must pay
the toll. Success has become our God
and game has been fought in which it
has not been possible for all to win.
To-day little group of men controls
That group constitute the
successful gamblers and it may not be
even the imagination Of any man to say
that the group has now narrowed itself
down to men. Their offices? One on |
Wall street and the other Just around |
the corner Of Broadway.
But the game Is almost finished. The |
play is played out. Unless there comes /
'bout some radical change in our method |
# handling the problems Of the times !
me man will eventually control all. The
struggle is one which affects yon all, in I
,luding the small tradesman."
Latterly Miss Wattles described the
,hain of stores and other enterprises
which are threatening the very life of 4
he small merchant. Not alone il the |
errible mark of Capitalization been
branded on the families where every /
HeWDcF mas 10 NoTk. MISS w dltttS II
lealt at some length with child labor in
Is more menacing aspects and turned at
ention for y time to the place which |,
Woman won for herself in the world.
As a part her doctrine, the speaker i
mphas sized the relation OF Jesus Christ
o the working man and said that he was
an agitator for the worker. K
'he believed that Bible students were
oming to accept the Master as mem
er of the working classes. Referring TO Il
he Men and Religion Forward move
nent, she said it was born somewhere
asst and had its death in the vicinity Z
f indianapolis. In her opinion it had
Is inception in the same offices on Wall
treet to which her earliest remarks bore II
eference. There lay the master class a
isposition to enlist moral power in fore /
" the submission of the workers.
In closing, Miss Wattles appealed to
II Socialists and others, who were Sc
ously considering the preeepts preached
/ the lyceum series to wage war unre.
.nting against that which seemed to be
lpping the very life blood of the nation.
he nearest cure could he found in the
ghteous use of the ballot.