The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-13
ASTOR LOGIC FAULTY.
ASSERT SOCIALISTS
Hillquit and Lee Say Tic Got ADJ
vice From "Back Num-
bers" in Labor.
BOTH DENOUNCE SINCLAIR
Brand His Invitation to Finance
Party Unwarrantcd
and Foolish.

| Prominent Socialists read with .rt,r.r
yesterday the reply made by Vincent As,or
to Upton Snclair's invitation to- join The
Socialist party and use his wealth in 70
! lieving the present day destituton ty 10,
lowing out Socialist ideas.
| Morris Hillqut. quoted by Mr.. Ay.o,
as an authority on socialism. said Il va.
Just what ne expected from Mr.. Astor, and
was more inclined to quarrel with Upton
Sinclair for the nature OF his Invitation
| than to attack Mr.. Aston for his view,
He said the letter. which was printed r.
THE Sun yesterday. expressed the only
views possible to a man brought UP In the
same environment as MIR. Aston. Nj
, Hillquit said that he found some flaws N
Mr. Astor's logic. though. and so did
| Algernon Lee. head OF the Rand School
| of Social Science, who was also inclined
to quarrel with Mr.. Sinclair about the
| invitation.
Both agreed that ten years ago no man
| Of Mr.. Astor's upbrlnging and wealt,
would have taken the trouble 20 study
seriously what they regard rs the most
vital problems OF the time.
Morris Hillquit said that Mr. Astors
letter was perfectly consistent according
| to Mr.. Astor's Views. and was good,
| intelligent discussion.
81 find some flaws in his logic. though"
said Mr.. HillQuit. For instance, n.
quotes Il paragraph from ono Of my writ
| ings in which the ultimate aims OF D.,
cialism are set forth. but he makes no
attempt to refute the desirability OF those
| aims
''True, he says that members OF M
| American Federation Of Labor with whom
he has come In contact don't believe In
these aims. But we believe that 80, 900.
900 people In this world do believe ~
them, and we believe that one-third OF tho
rank and Ale OF the working classes OF the
country believe in them.
81 imagine the men referred TO by NJ
Aston are Samuel Gompers, John Mitchell
and others Of that type. They are no.
typical OF the laboring classes. They
belong to II generation of twenty i've
years ago. A new type OF labor leader Il
springing up and going to the front
This new type IL sociaIistic. Gompert
Mitchell and others OF their class do MOI
express the views OF the mass Of the rnsr
they represent
Didn't speak for Socialists.
81 can't understand why Upton Sinclaii
wrote to Mr.. Astor AS he did. He ddn
represent the Socialist party In writing
OF that YOU can be assured I imagir. h.
meant llult ~ ruN Aii' iu'plS w IMAM ~"
aid for the destitute II Mr.. Aston rIih'
than to suggest bluntly to Mr.. Astor tHs'
he really finance the Socialist party.
Mr.. Astor's letter does represent ~"
the views of his own class, and I "
admit that il even represents the vioU'
of "a certain class Of labor men. Tho.
are all sorts OF strata In the w"rk.r.
classes. and Mr.. Astors views do no.
represent any but one stratum.
We admit On the whole as
Astor says, that the conditions Of g..
working classes have improved lu'
the past few years. We even belle
that socialism i one of the reasons e
this Improvement We don't say %,
socialism has done II all. New inachine''
cheaper ways Of producing certaH
necessities, general progress and enlign'
enni.nt are the main causes FOR this i'm
provem.ut. and we take the credit fQ'
some Of the Improvement which comes
under the head OF enlightenment.
But Sinclair had no right to ask W.
Aston 20 finance the Socialist party; W
have never thought OF anything -
romantic AS that. ON the whole. NJ
Aston was much more consistent In eN-
pressing the views OF the people who
think as he does than Sinclair was 'n
expressing our views. II would he
calamity 10 socialism II Mr. Aston dc
undertake to finance our party"
View of AlgernOn Lee.
Algernon Lee, who was the Socs
candidate for President of the Board -
Aldermen last fall, expressed views some
what similar to those Of Mr., Hi'lquit
MIR. Astor's letter was just what
expected when l heard that Sinclair has
written to him. said he. 1T ws'
foolish Of Sinclair to write that way.
MIR. Astor lives in a little heaven a.
his own, and gets his daily bread withpG'
any trouble. You can't expect him o.
know in a real way the questions tha'
confront the working classes. This seem
a very comfortable world to Mr.. hstor
lie has met a few labor leaders, ~ o.
past generation, but ne knows uothine
IT the rank and Tile of the working class's
and the leaders he has met have no.
bothered 10 tell him real conditions
81 suppose some OF the labor men -
ref, FRED To- are men like Lennon OF :.
Industrial Commission 10y resident Tar
after the men uf his union had got rd o.
him and had elected a Socialist. or "a ms
like the former head Of the Mach!r,s'-
Union, who failed OF reelection bcg1I-'
tn. workers wanted 10 elect IL Soclai4s'
That old generation Of labor leader
H. on It's last legs. Gonpers IL twrut,
tive Years behind the times. and Cyr' 70
he wasn't. when ne meets Vincent A~.or
don, suppose h" buthers to tell h'r "a
conditions,