The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1914-01-15
REFLECTIONS ON THE AR
LINGT0N SCHOOL
FIGHT.
(My w. l.. Longbehn.)


patience and interest the develop
ments of the struggle in the Arlington
school fight, and / am wondering how
soon the Socialists OF the nation ant
of the world will become wide awake
enough to recognize an opposing force
when it makes an appearance;
For ages past tho leaders of men
out Of the wilderness Of ignorance and
Of oppression, into the haven of under
standing and light, have been met with
the very same forces of darkness as
those in evidence in Arlington during
the past year.
The one thing that surprises most
people who understand and recognize
a common foe, when they see one, is
that the Socialist party, made up as it
is, of men of intelligence, and, as they
should be, of a knowledge of the his
tory of the past, would sit idly by and
not retaliate in a fight such as that,
by declaring absolutely their opposi-
tion to an institution so well known
to be but the continuation of the an
cient organization which dreamed of,
and nearly realized, World Empire.
We continually hear some Socialists
say: "Do not stir up religious strife;
nothing can be gained by separating
men on the question of economics by
infusing religious prejudice; the man
who speaks of these things is an
enemy of the working man and not
his friend"
To those who think that way it
might be well to have experiences suf-
ficiently solid to cause them to be
Jared out of their slumbers. If some
of these who are so certain that all is
well by playing into the hands of the
foe, and who would sacrifice the part
les future by securing a large mem
bership now, regardless of the conse-
qeunces later, would look into the
mechanism of that institution and the
principal on which it is founded, and
then compare that with the develop
ments at the recent A. F. of L. conven-
tion at Seattle, some faint ray of light
might enter their deluded brain.
The Socialist party stands irrevoc-
ably opposed to all forms of oppres-
sion, and institutions which contend
with Socialism for the continuation of
the present system of spoils at the ex-
pense of labor, can certainly not be
force to close ones eyes to. Sooner
or later the Socialist party, and the
labor movement in particular, will
find itself squarely facing the ques-
ton, for capitalism has chosen it's
final bulWark, behind which it will
fight its last battle.
The Socialists of Spokane have an
excellent example of former member
who made things decidedly (un) pleas
ant as long as he could, and when he
saw that he could no longer serve his
masters as he was to serve them he
renounced Socialism and returned to
the fold Few of the members of the
party here in Spokane are aware of
the facts as l have stated them here,
but that makes them none the less
true. | only state this as an example
of the ordinary run of people who,
since their children have been taught
to believe that just such acts as these
are the passport they must carry with
them when passing to that world be-
yond.
However, all ministers of the gospel
are not alike, and the Socialists should
take new heart, for the Methodist min
listers are seeing a new light, and are
teaching their flock that the essential
thing at present is "The Kingdom of
God" right here on earth. 1t has been
my pleasure to listen to six lectures
during the past two weeks dealing
with this subject Let us hope more
will take up the work, and let us help
them when they do