The Irish standard., 1914-01-24
SOCIALISM IMPOSSIBLE IN AMERICA
Position of Farmer as Factor in Industrial
World to Powerful to Overthrow
Writer in "Live Issue' Reviews Debate Be-
tween Dr.. Ryan and Morris Hillquit

In the debate now going on in
EVerybody's Magazine between DR.
John A. Ryan and Morris Hilquitt, the
latter asserts that the wage workers
constitute vast majority of the vot
ers of the nation, and he proceeds
from this to argue that it's merely a
question Of uniting this element and
teaching it Socialism and that, in
spite of all of us, a Socialist party will
win national election and, of course
proceed to install Socialism.
DIR. Ryan replies that it will be i'm
possible to unite these wage earners
into one solid political Socialist party,
for many of them will never vote for
Socialism, etc. All of which is true.
for we know that it has been possible
to unite but 20 per cent of the working
class on lines Of least resistance name.
ly, the trade union movement, for only
100000 trade unionists in the A. T..
OF l.. and 100000 in the railway
brotherhoods and perhaps 100000
more in independent unions, out of a
possible 2O,OOO,OOO workers who might
join union, are organized, and they
are far from harmonious.
The Farm Laborers.
Mr.. Hilquitt's farm laborers are a
very misleading element, due to the
fact that not even 25 per cent of them
have vote. In the first place, the
negro in the South has virtually been
disfranchised, and he constitutes more
than third of the total farm laborers.
In the far West the farm laborer is
seldom a voter, and is often Jap
anese or Chinese. and lastly, tens of
thousands OF farm laborers are chill.
dren under 16 years of age. In 1900
the census reported 100000 children
under 16 as working on the farms. So
Mr.. Hilquitt's great army of farm la
Dor votes, 100000 strong, dwindles
down to just about 100000. And then
there are the great number of men
and women under 81 years of age en-
ployed In manufacture, transportation,
ETC., which again reduces his possible
Socialist army by some millions.
Again, the wage workers are largely
concentrated into dozen states. The
farmers control all the rest. Indeed.
53.7 per cent of our population in 1910
lived in what the census officials call
rural territory, that is, in places hav-
ing less than $500 population.
The Political Power Of the Farmer.
The tremendous political power of
the American farmer is not realized
by the Socialist leaders. Let us see
about this: In 1910 there were 4,OOO,-
600 farmers who owned a farm. TO be
sure, 100000 of these had mort
gage, but, as the mortgaged farm was
valued at $6,2S9 and the mortgage upon
it was for only $1,715, we see that the
mortgaged farmer was worth, on the
average, $4,574, SO he may be counted
with the farm owners, for he would
vote with them every time. Now,
these 100000 farmers have vote
and so do their sons, and this element
alone constitutes almost one-half of
the total vote cast in the nation. While
there are 21,000,000 males in this ma.
tion over 81 years of age, nearly six
millions either do not have a vote, or
have lost 1t, or failed to cast it.
| Now, 1t sometimes happens that a
half is equal to two-thirds in a political
way, and this is exactly the case with
our American farmer. What l mean
by this statement is just this: If the
farmers Of this nation should ever so.
lidify even 80 per cent of their num-
Der in a solid political union, they
would be able to win in two-thirds of
the congressional districts. And ii
the time ever comes when their eco.
nomic interests are menaced by the
danger of Socialism,, that is the time
when these farmers will unite and
solidify. Not only would they vote
one ticket, but they would have all
the merchants, shop-keepers, doctors
and lawyers, ETC., in which at known
as rural communities with them. Not
only would they be able to elect two.
thirds Of the congress, but they would
be equally strong in the electoral col
lege. On the other hand, if all the
wage workers should unite and vote
the Socialist ticket they would be able
to win in only twelve states; and, of
course, the time will never come when
all the workers who are employed for
wage will unite; they wouldn't unite
even II they were all converted to So
cialism itself. Even Marx admitted
this.
The Socialist Outlook.
1t is only natural to expect that here