The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-03-08
IN THE RUT

Proletaria Bill has convinced us
by some of his former writings that
he has analysed the capitalist system
Of wealth production, but after read
ing his comment on our editorials he
has convinced us that he does not full
" understand "man" and he has fail
ed to analyze the makeup of the
members of society.
If history has been recorded cor
rectly in certain instances, we are in
formed that when the news was first
circulated to the effect that Steven
son had built an engine that would
go with its own steam, that the wise
people laughed and when it was ac-
tually seen in motion that they said
it would not stop. And hundreds
of other inventions were met with the
same foolish cries, but after they had
once been started and proved of value
to society all was well. And so it
is with Socialism. Ignorance and
prejudice are keeping thousands out
of our ranks and out of the move
ment, but should ways and means be
found to offset that prejudice and ig-
norance for one single term in office
then we are certain that many hun
dreds will listen to us who had re-
fpsaJ 70 bitbar+p
The ignorance of the workers is
only skin deep and as soon as our
institutions are changed so will the
mind of man. Hence if we can gath
err enough intelligent workers togeth-
err to affect a change in government
and institutions, irrespective of the
fact that the votes we received were
from persons who did not understand
Socialism, we are making a great
step forward and there is not the
least proof to show that the power
thus obtained would not be of benefit
to the human family.
He takes issue with US and con-
tends that our organization and prop
uganda work has not been going on
for sixty years. 1t is almost 100
years since Karl Marx was born and
it is over sixty years since the first
working class propaganda party and
organization was formed and since
Marx first commenced to write for
the New York Tribune" Marx was
engaged to write for the Tribune
in 1851 and every week for ten years
his articles appeared both as lead
ers" and correspondence. These ar
ticles were written from London and
dealt with kindred subjects, mostly
however, on the Eastern Question as
it presented itself at that time. And
even after all this time there are peo-
pie living in our midst who have new
er allowed any of the Socialist philo-
sophy to remain in their minds fol
more than a minute. And the only
way to get it to stick in these per.
sons minds is to jolly them and work
with them for the things uppermost
in their minds. The Socialist philo,
sophy will not be dropped, because il
cannot be dropped, but we have Ger,
tainly got to find other ways anc
means of getting our knowledge t.
the masses than the way we have
been.
If some people prefer to stay ii
the old rut, that is their fault, but
we are going to get out of it. May
be the energy necessary to get out Of
the rut compels Proletaria Bill tx
stay in it? We realize that the sys
stem has not changed but the forces
of government and political move
ments are changing and it behooveS
the Socialist movement to change
some time also. If we had anything
to lose by adopting a more aggres.
sive plan of action we might fee
like staying in the rut but we know
that we have not and therefore we
want the Socialist Party to get into
the political game with a determine.
ton to get somewhere other than q
rut. 1t is alright for philosophers tc
"chew the rag and spit around the
stove" but that is not the kind OF
stuff that gets a movement any
where. Action is what is needed anc
we have not pat forth enough of this
in our campaigns and we have not