The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1916-04-05
DISTINGUISHED LECTURER
TALKS ON SOCIAL REFORM
Gives Views on Labor Conditions
and Class Conflict From "A Chris
tian Standpoint.


ent last Wednesday evening at the
/ Temple Theatre to listen to Peter
w. Collins. the distinguished labor
representative and platform speak
er deliver his lecture on What's
Wrong With the World?"
Mr. Collins measured up fully to
his reputation as a foreeful speaker
and held tie attention and interest
ce his audience for upward of an
hour and a half with his views and
experiences in solving the questions
arising between capital and labor
and his efforts to ameliorate the
working conditions of labor Mr.
Collins is a firm believer. in the
get-to-gether policy" as the prop
or method Of settling labor dis
putes. tie has had practical expert
ence in working out his theories
and claims marked success in his
membership on the Illinois indus
trial commission, which secured the
adoption of a code of laws designed
to bring about compulsory laws to
safeguard the lives and health of
working people, which has success
fully stood the tests of the Illinois
/ State courts and the u. S. Supreme
Court.
1t is as an opponent of the doc
trines of Socialism. however. that
Mr.. Collins is best known and in
/ the course of his platform career he
has met in joint debate practically
all the leading exponents of Social
ism in the United States. Hence
his appearance on the rostrum here,
i together with his announced inten-
ton to conduct an open forum and
/ his readiness to answer any and all
proper questions that might be
asked him from the audience drew
ialists TO put his abilities to the
test, with the result that after the
close of the lecture. and upon his
announcement that he was ready to
answer questions, he was immedi-
ately accommodated. much to the
amusement and enlightenment of
the audience. Without attempting
to decide as to the merits of the
question, 1t was apparent that his
interloeutors we're hopelessly out
Classed The speaker very cleverly
= J.. 4v,rr Ie1 into
troversy that would put his personal
opinions or pellets into his answers,
but invariably answered his in
terrogators by reading his replies
from recognized Socialistie authori-
ties. He made the fiat statement
that Socialism and religion were ir-
reconcilable and that in the scheme
of materialistie socialism as laid
down by Carl Marx there was no
place for a belief in a Supreme Be
ing. hence that true Socialism was
necessarily atheistic or at best ag-
nostic In reply to question
whether a man could not call him
self a Socialist and still not be
follower of Carl Marx or any OF the
more advanced thinkers along this
line, the speaker said he could call
himself what he wished, but it
would be equivalent to a man de-
claring himself a Christian while
denying the divinity of Christ.
In denying that the Socialist par
ty were sincere in their platform
declaration fayoring a compensation
law. Mr.. Collins stated that the de-
feat of such law in Nevada was
directly attributable to Grant Mil
Ter, the Socialist candidate for u.
S. Senator.
Aside from the anti-socialistic
features of the lecture, the address
was a plea for a unity of purpose
and the harmony of capital and lab
er in the accomplishment of which
the speaker declared the Socialists
were a disturbing element He pre-
dicted that the time was not far dis
tant when strikes and loekouts
would be a thing Of the past and
that all differences would be settled
around the conference table. Both
parties to the disputes are rapidly
being educated to a realization that
each is mutually dependent upon
the other and that the old methods
of settling differences by industrial
warfare, the destruction of proper
ty and arousing a spirit of class
hatred. must be changed for sys-
TEN that will be based upon the
recognition of the rights of each.
Unfortunately many people in
Fallon were unadvised of the char
acier OF Mr.. Collins address and
hence missed an opportunity of
hearing one of the ablest speakers
who ever visited our city. 1t is safe
to say, however that should he re-
turn there will not be a hall large
enough in Fallon to accommodate
the crowd that will assemble TO
hear him.