The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-09-15
A. GRANT MILLER
QUITS SOCIALISTS
ATTORNEY DECLARES HE CAN'T
AGREE WITH NATIONAL
LEADERS

A. Grant Miller, an attorney of
Reno and for years the leader of
the socialist party in Nevada, has
announced his withdrawal from that
party. in a letter addressed to the
state executive committee of the So
cialist party. through the local Reno
committee. Miller's letter is as fol-
lows:
After long and careful c~onsidera-
ton l have concluded that l must
withdraw from the socialist party
and, of course, resign from the state
executive committee. Inasmuch as
the position taken by the national
party is seemingly a fixed one on
the question of the world war and
l cannot support it, the only hon
orable course for M is to withdraw.
ut seems to me that the party
has failed to conceive a broad, con-
s~istent, constructive and correct view
of the great world cataclysm. The
war had to come because of the ire
pressible conflict between the mill
tarist autocracies of central Europe
and the growing world spiri. CT dem
ocracy. Sarajevo was only the nee
essary prerext.
THE German conception of the
state, of organized society for the
upbuilding of the state, of the indi-
vidual as merely existent for the
state. is repugnant to all the ideals
of civilization, and if the German
idea should be successful in this war
and carried out it would mean the
most degrading subsection of all that
is best in mankind to the mere up
building of state power; not only in
Germany but in other nations as well.
AS | view it. the success of Germany
means the triumph of autocracy to
such a degree that the emancipation
of the working and producing class
would be set back so years at least.
History reveals that the struggle
between the reactionary autocracies
and the progressive democracies has
never ceased and the recent war is
only one phase of that struggle. 1t
Is sad reflection on the intellect of
Tie TdCe that LHcSc 6ICdt quOotioho
have to be settled by the sword, but
since war is on let it be pushed to a
conclusion that will settle the ques-
ton for a while at least. A German
peace will be a victory for the Ger
man idea of the state; hat would
be a disaster. l am intensely oppos-
ed to war, but when war m and
there is a great principle at stake, l
am not in favor of a drawn battle.
Wars are usually brought on by
apparently insufficient causes, by CO.
teries of politicians, by the avarice
of the profit takers, by petty jealous
les, but the real causes are at work
and are understood years later. h
nations grope in the dark toward the
light of real liberty and Justice; but
however %tortuous and costly, the
road leads to the light of a true ap-
probation of human brotherhood.
Feeling as | do l am compelled
to withdraw from the party. do so
with great regret, as | have been an
active member for II years and have
given my best to the cause. No per-
sOnal reasons move me and l shall
devote myself to the elimination OF
those great abuses which admittedly
exist in our country and government
in the same spirit as in the past so
far as my influence extends. The
hope Of the nation lies in those citi-
ems who can lay aside all mere par
tisan feelings and work for the ideals
of a true democracy. The reaction
airy is the greatest foe of progress;
he Fnows little and learns nothing
and deserves neither place, power or
in flnanna